Boris Johnson has vowed the UK will break out of the "manacles" of the EU like the Incredible Hulk - as his Brexit secretary revealed a "landing zone" is in sight for a deal with Brussels.

Using the comic book analogy, the prime minister said Britain would be like Dr Robert Bruce Banner - Hulk's physically weak and withdrawn physicist alter ego - who transformed into the green-skinned superhero when he became angry.

'We are prepared for a no-deal Brexit'

"Banner might be bound in manacles, but when provoked he would explode out of them," Mr Johnson told the Mail on Sunday.

"Hulk always escaped, no matter how tightly bound in he seemed to be - and that is the case for this country. We will come out on 31 October and we will get it done."

"The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets," he added.


The prime minister and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker will have their first face-to-face meeting in Luxembourg on Monday where Mr Johnson is set to reject the controversial Northern Ireland backstop - an insurance policy to stop a hard border returning on the island of Ireland.

A UK source told Sky News: "We want a deal. This cannot include the backstop.

"We are working with the commission on how we approach the Northern Ireland land border. We had further detailed discussions on Friday building on those on Wednesday and Thursday."

The source added Mr Johnson was expected to tell Mr Juncker that progress on talks has been made "given that before the summer recess many said reopening talks would not be possible" but the PM "will reject another extension if offered".

Barnier: Our door is always open to Mr Johnson

Actor Mark Ruffalo, who plays the Hulk in Marvel's cinematic universe, responded to Mr Johnson's comments, saying that "mad and strong can also be dense and destructive".

In a Twitter post, he wrote: "Boris Johnson forgets that the Hulk only fights for the good of the whole.

"The Hulk works best when he is in unison with a team, and is a disaster when he is alone.

"Plus... he's always got Dr. Banner with science and reason."

Boris Johnson forgets that the Hulk only fights for the good of the whole. Mad and strong can also be dense and destructive. The Hulk works best when he is in unison with a team, and is a disaster when he is alone. Plus...he’s always got Dr. Banner with science and reason. pic.twitter.com/jN8BDzgpWl — Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) September 15, 2019

Mr Johnson said there were "real signs of movement" among European leaders about ditching the Irish border backstop from the UK's current withdrawal agreement, which has been a major obstacle to progress so far.

The backstop is a customs plan to avoid a "hard" border between Ireland and Northern Ireland if a free trade deal between the UK and EU is not reached.

Mr Johnson said that if negotiations broke down he would ignore a House of Commons vote ordering him to delay the UK's departure.

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Number 10 strategists have said they have a secret plan which will allow them to ignore the order without breaking the law.

Most legal experts are sceptical about this, however.

'We are prepared for a no-deal Brexit'

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme that a "landing zone" is in sight for a deal with the EU following "extensive talks" at both a technical and political level.

"There has been a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes. We can see a landing zone in terms of a future deal but there is significant work still to do," he said.

Asked about the prime minister's comparison between the UK and the Incredible Hulk, Mr Barclay said: "The Hulk was a winner and was extremely popular and I'd rather be backing a character and a leader who is The Hulk rather than one who is on the chicken run as [Labour leader] Jeremy Corbyn is."

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The PM seemed confident about the prospects of reaching a Brexit deal in time, telling the Mail on Sunday he thinks "we will get there" and that a "huge amount of progress is being made".

He said: "I will be talking to Jean-Claude about how we're going to do it. I'm very confident."

However, Downing Street has cautioned that Monday's meetings will not be a "big breakthrough" moment in the government's bid to strike a deal with Brussels.

Even to Trumpian standards the Hulk comparison is infantile. Is the EU supposed to be scared by this? The British public impressed? Is this Boris Johnson whistling in the dark? https://t.co/g6FwEQCTMG — Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) September 15, 2019

The European Parliament's Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt MEP, said of Mr Johnson's Hulk analogy: "Even to Trumpian standards the Hulk comparison is infantile.

"Is the EU supposed to be scared by this? The British public impressed? Is this Boris Johnson whistling in the dark?"