"When I see the Hulk tie on Ted Stevens, I know he's pumped up," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who described the Alaska Republican as "tenacious, pugnacious and ferocious."

With the bulging green man-monster displayed down his shirtfront, Stevens yells at colleagues who block oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He shouts at those who would cut Alaska projects from federal spending bills.

But his displays are marshmallow fluff compared to what Hulk himself can do in a tantrum with his bare hands.

With so much in common - rage, anyway - it was inevitable that the senator and the superhero would find each other. After volleys of fan mail, the two finally met Thursday, when Stevens hosted a party for the Hulk in one of the Capitol's august reception rooms.

Hundreds of people - interns, aides, relatives of aides, news reporters and at least six senators - jammed into the room and had their picture taken with the Hulk, whose Universal Studios movie officially opened Friday. Stevens was practically giddy, posing for snapshot after snapshot with the embodiment of anger.

The actor in the giant foam-rubber Hulk costume grunted monosyllabically to admire Stevens' tie - the Hulk tie, of course.

"Unh. I look GOOD," Hulk said.

The relationship began after an executive at Hulk's publishing company, Marvel Enterprises, read a newspaper story about Stevens' practice of wearing his Hulk tie when he means business.

"I said, 'Man, this is great,' " recalled executive vice president for sales Ralph Lancellotti, who knows good promotion when he sees it.

He sent Stevens a box of Hulk stuff, including giant green fists that make KERPOW! noises when worn like boxing gloves.

Stevens wrote back and suggested the party. The Hulk people paid for the event, at which green food and drink were served.

As Hulk gamely absorbed blows from the senators, Marvel people discussed the meaning of Hulk with reporters. Hulk, like Santa, has many forms, said Scott Hanna, one of the artists who draws Hulk in the comic books.

The Hulk at the reception was the one Marvel sends out to comic book conventions and the like. The movie Hulk is entirely digital, a figment of special effects.

Before he becomes enraged, Hulk is bookish Bruce Banner. When something sets him off, he turns green and swells up so big he bursts out of his clothes.

"The monster is basically fueled by aggression," Hanna said. "If you stop him from being angry, then he gets weaker."

Hulk goes through every human emotion, he said.

Like Stevens, Hulk is complex. Marvel chief operating officer Bill Jemas has clearly done a lot of thinking on the matter but still struggles to explain him.

"Spider-Man - everybody understands Spider-Man," the comics chief said. "The Hulk is harder to understand because the concepts are more sophisticated."

At root, he said, Hulk presents the question we all face in times of stress.

"To a great extent, it's about 'Am I going to go crazy and smash things as I'm trying to fix them?' " he said.