Bruce is Rick's closest friend. He rescued Rick from the Gamma Bomb blast when Rick was sixteen. Although Rick never forgave himself for the incident, Bruce never resented him for it. From that day Bruce became Rick's first real family member. Rick ties Bruce to his humanity and views him as a true hero. Up until he met Bruce, Rick had regarded as discardable by most people he encountered; an outcast delinquent "no one'll ever miss". Yet to Bruce, Rick was a kid who needed him, and was worth sacrificing everything for.

Over the years, Bruce has had some opportunities to go back in time and prevent his exposure to the bomb blast. When he discovered there was no time to protect both Rick and himself, his choice was obvious. Bruce is willing to endure a life of alienation and suffering, and cause wreckage wherever he goes, if it means the kid who once mattered to nobody gets to go on living. Bruce has never reversed the decision, or regretted it. The love he feels for Rick has incredulous power, which Rick thinks is the product of born heroism.

Understandably, it took Rick a long time to accept that Bruce truly held no resentment towards him. At times they kept their distance from one another, but throughout their difficult lives, they have always been able to come home to one another like they never left. Bruce is an imperfect friend, but a dedicated one, especially when Rick is in harm's way. For a little while, Bruce even referred to Rick as his 'son', which I miss seeing. Rick says himself that Bruce didn't only save his life, but taught him "sacrifice, love, devotion, and responsibility", like a father would.

I love Bruce and Rick's friendship because they are devoted to saving each other, over and over. They've seen each other at their worst and at their most joyous. No matter what happens, they believe in one another's goodness. They see one another as heroes with much to offer the world, even as they see themselves as born monsters with an overwhelming share of guilt. Although life pulls them in increasingly different directions, their friendship is too tight to ever unravel. To me, their relationship is the ultimate meaning of love. Which means accepting the weight of another's pain without resentment; and knowing your loved one has undenyable worth to offer that you never lose sight of. They are so dear to me, and I hope to see them reunited soon.

Incredible Hulk (1962) #1 - 6
• Bruce is mutated while saving Rick, Rick vows repay him by protecting him from the military and the world from Hulk.
Fantastic Four (1961) #12
• Bruce has to save Rick from a kidnapper.
The Avengers (1963) #1 - 3
• Rick accidentally helps form the Avengers while trying to help the Hulk, who doesn't stay with the team for long.
Fantastic Four (1961) #25
• A jealous Hulk steals Rick away from the Avengers' mansion.
Tales to Astonish (1959) #62,#64, #70, #71, #77, #100
• Rick returns to assist Bruce, disaster and tragedy ensues.
Incredible Hulk (1968) #103 - #106
• Rick loses trust in Bruce, then tries to make amends.
Captain Marvel (1968) #21
• Bruce tries to help Rick regain agency over his life by dissolving his bond to Mar-vell, but things don't go as planned.
Incredible Hulk (1968) #204
• Bruce is given the opportunity to travel back in time to the original gamma bomb incident and do things differently.
Incredible Hulk (1968) #263 - 269, #276 - #282 & #285
• Bruce, Betty and Rick reunite to support Bruce in ending the Hulk. Villains, alien abductions and radiation poisoning stand in his way before earning a pardon.
Incredible Hulk (1968) #319 - 332
• Rick returns for Bruce and Betty's wedding, which is violently interrupted. After surviving their respective near death experiences, Bruce must protect Rick once he's mutated.
Incredible Hulk (1968) #346
• Rick testifies after 'Gammagate' to describe the type of person Bruce was, now that he's presumed dead..
Incredible Hulk (1968) #374 - 377
• Bruce and Betty search for Rick after he's gone missing. Afterwards at Rick's home, Bruce's lies are revealed.
Incredible Hulk (1968) #457, #458, #462, #467 & 468
• Bruce returns after years of Professor Hulk's fronting and tries to make up for Hulk having injured Rick.
Incredible Hulk (2000) #108
• Rick remembers his teenage years of acting responsible for the Hulk while trying to locate him.
World War Hulk (2007) #2 - 5
• Rick tries to reason with the devastated Green Scar and end his war on the heroes who betrayed him.
Hulk (2008) #13, second stories of #26 - #27 & #28
• A newly mutated Rick finds the newly depowered Bruce, wanting to protect him. Bruce later guides Rick on missions protecting people from monsters.
Incredible Hulk (1968) #603
• Rick meets Skaar and tries to give Bruce parenting advice.
Fall of the Hulks: Gamma (2010) #1
• Rick attempts to speak his mind at General Ross' funeral, before Bruce interrupts him to speak his.
Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk (2010) #3
• Bruce risks his life to undo Rick's brainwashing.
Incredible Hulks (2010) #612 & #613
• Bruce and his family try to rest at the oceanside.
Incredible Hulks (2010) #618 - #620, #631 - #633, #635
• Bruce tries to protect his family from magical mayhem.
Hulk (2014) #5, #6 & #8
• Doc Green depowers Rick and reveals a terrible secret to him.
Totally Awesome Hulk (2015) #8
• Bruce is visited by his family while recovering from the flu.
The Fallen (2016) #1
• Bruce's family attend his funeral and the reading of his will.
Immortal Hulk (2018) #13 - #20, #22, #23, #28, #35, #36
• Bruce has difficulty accepting Rick's death after surviving his own, and later must rescue his desecrated corpse.