Hulk (comics)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hulk
Variant cover art for The Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #92. Pencils by Bryan Hitch
Publisher Marvel Comics First appearance The Incredible Hulk vol. 1, #1 (May 1962) Created by Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist)
Characteristics Alter ego Robert Bruce Banner Affiliations Warbound Avengers Defenders Secret Defenders Fantastic Four Pantheon The Order Notable aliases Joe Fixit, The Green Scar, The Sakaar'son, War Abilities Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability, Regenerative healing factor Ability to see astral forms, Gamma radiation absorption, Transformation, Resistance to mind control, Genius level intellect in certain incarnations

The Hulk (Dr. Robert Bruce Banner), sometimes referred to as The Incredible Hulk, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Hulk first appeared in Incredible Hulk # 1 (May 1962). He has since become one of Marvel Comics' most recognized superhero characters.

After nuclear physicist Dr. Robert Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he created, he was transformed into the Hulk, a raging monstrosity. The character, both as Banner and the Hulk, is frequently pursued by the police or the armed forces, often as a result of the destruction he causes. While the coloration of the character's skin varies during the course of its publication history, the Hulk is most often depicted as green.

He is featured in a number of animated series, a feature film directed by Ang Lee, and a long-running television series with spin-off television movies starring Bill Bixby as Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk.

Contents 1 Publication history 1.1 Planet Hulk 2 Personality and behavior 2.1 Bruce Banner 2.2 Savage Hulk 2.3 Gray Hulk/Joe Fixit 2.4 Merged Hulk/The Professor 2.5 Mindless Hulk 2.6 Devil Hulk 2.7 Guilt Hulk 3 Powers and abilities 4 Related characters 4.1 Allies & friends 4.2 Enemies 5 Other versions of Hulk 5.1 The Maestro 5.2 The End 5.3 Ultimate Hulk 5.4 Marvel Zombies 5.5 House of M 5.6 1602 5.7 2099 5.8 Earth X 6 Parodies 7 In other media 7.1 Television 7.2 Movies 7.3 Video games 7.4 Themed products 8 Bibliography 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Publication history

In the Hulk's debut appearance in The Incredible Hulk #1, the Hulk was gray rather than his longtime trademark green. That initial color choice was by writer and Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee, who wanted a color that did not suggest any particular ethnic group.^[1] Colorist Stan Goldberg, however, insisted to Lee that the coloring technology at the time could not present the color gray clearly or consistently, resulting in different shades of gray, and even green, in the issue. So in issue #2 and after, Goldberg colored the Hulk's skin green.^[2] Reprints and retellings of the Hulk's origin during the next two decades feature him with green skin from the beginning, but beginning in 1985, with issue #302, the Hulk is again shown as having been gray in flashback to an early appearance. Furthermore, in 1986, issue #318 states definitively that the Hulk had been gray at the time of his creation, and all subsequent reprints of the first issue have reinstated the original coloring.

In early stories, Banner becomes the Hulk at sunset each day, but he later transforms whenever he becomes angry or panicked. Another method was shown in Fantastic Four #12 (March 1963), featuring the Hulk's first battle with The Thing; Banner uses a gamma ray machine of his own design to intentionally transform into the Hulk. Many early Hulk stories involve General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross trying to capture or destroy the Hulk with his U.S. Army battalion, the Hulkbusters, at his side. Ross' daughter, Betty, loves Banner and criticizes her father for pursuing the Hulk. General Ross' right-hand man, Major Glenn Talbot, also loves Betty and is torn between pursuing the Hulk and trying to gain Betty's love in a more honorable way. Rick Jones serves as the Hulk's friend and sidekick for a time. Later, another teenager, Jim Wilson, also befriends the Hulk.

The original series was canceled after six issues, in part due to a distribution deal Marvel Comics then had with DC Comics that limited the number of titles that could be published every month. Shortly afterward, co-creator Jack Kirby received a letter from a college dormitory stating the Hulk had been chosen as its official mascot.^{[citation needed]} Kirby and Lee realized their character had found an audience in college-age readers. The Hulk had proven a saleable guest-star in three issues of Fantastic Four and an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, and was included, however briefly, as a founding member of the superhero team the Avengers.

The Hulk starred again in his own feature in the "split book" Tales to Astonish, beginning with issue #60 (Oct. 1964), following his appearance the previous issue as the antagonist for Giant-Man, star of the book's other feature. These new stories were initially scripted by Lee and illustrated by the seldom-seen team of penciler Steve Ditko and inker George Roussos. Other artists later in this run included Jack Kirby from #68-84 (June 1965 - Oct. 1966), either as full pencils or, more often, else layouts for other artists; Gil Kane (making his Marvel Comics debut, under the pseudonym "Scott Edwards", in #76; Bill Everett (inking Kirby, #78-84); and John Buscema (one of his earliest Marvel assignments). "Split books" were common in the 1960s, again due to the aforementioned distribution deal.

This early part of the Hulk's run introduced the Leader, who would become the Hulk's archnemesis, and the Abomination, a gamma being stronger than the Hulk. Additionally, in issue #77 (Mar. 1966), the Hulk's identity was rendered public knowledge.

Giant-Man's popularity in the title waned, and he departed the book after issue #69 (July 1965), replaced by Namor the Sub-Mariner beginning with #70 (Aug. 1965). After several years, the distribution deal with DC ceased and the Hulk took over the book, which was re-titled beginning with issue #102 (Apr. 1968). It ran under that name until March 1999, when Marvel restarted the series with a new issue #1.

Peter David became the writer of the series in 1987 (issue 328), beginning a run that lasted nearly 12 years. David's run altered Banner's pre-Hulk characterization and the nature of Banner and the Hulk's relationship. Originally, Banner was written as a normal but shy man whose negative emotions (the normal, repressed anger that all humans have) found expression through the Hulk; David, however, turned Banner into a victim of dissociative identity disorder (DID) who had serious mental problems long before he became the Hulk. David expanded on earlier stories by Roger Stern and Bill Mantlo that established that Banner had suffered child abuse, writing that it fostered a great deal of repressed anger within the character, which in turn triggered a latent case of DID.^{[issue # needed]} In issue #377, Doctor Leonard Samson engages the Ringmaster's services to hypnotize Bruce Banner and force him, the Savage Hulk (Green Hulk) and Mr. Fixit (Gray Hulk) to confront Banner's past abuse at the hands of his father, Brian Banner. Upon finally facing this abuse, a new, larger and smarter Hulk emerges and completely replaces the "human" Bruce Banner and Hulk personas. This Hulk is a culmination of the three aspects of Banner. He has the vast power of the savage, green Hulk, the cunning of the gray Hulk and the intelligence of Bruce Banner.

In 1998, David followed editor Bobbie Chase's suggestion to kill Betty Ross. In the introduction to the Hulk trade paperback Beauty and the Behemoth ,^{[issue # needed]} David said that his wife had recently left him, providing inspiration for the storyline. Marvel executives used Ross' death as an opportunity to push the idea of bringing back the Savage Hulk. David disagreed, leading to his and Marvel's parting ways.

When David left the Hulk, Marvel hired Joe Casey as a temporary writer. Casey brought the character in the direction that Marvel had requested earlier^{[citation needed]}, making the Hulk mute, but his short run found little critical success,^{[citation needed]} and he ended the series. Marvel then hired John Byrne for a second volume of the series, re-titled Hulk, with Ron Garney penciling. Byrne wrote of his plans for the first year,^{[citation needed]} but creative differences led to his departure before the first year was over. Erik Larsen and Jerry Ordway briefly filled scripting duties in his place, and the title of the book soon returned to The Incredible Hulk with the arrival of Paul Jenkins.

Jenkins wrote a story arc in which Banner and the three Hulks (Savage Hulk, Gray Hulk, and the Merged Hulk, now considered a separate personality and referred to as the Professor) are able to mentally interact with one another, each personality taking over their shared body. He also created John Ryker^{[citation needed]}, a ruthless military general in charge of the original gamma bomb test responsible for the Hulk's creation and planning to create similar creatures.

Bruce Jones followed as the series' writer, and his run features Banner using yoga to take control of the Hulk while he is pursued by a secret conspiracy and aided by the mysterious Mr. Blue. Jones focused on a horror theme with the Hulk as a fugitive, influenced by the classic TV series. He appended his 43-issue Incredible Hulk run with the Hulk/Thing: Hard Knocks limited series, which Marvel published after putting the ongoing series on hiatus.

Peter David, who had initially signed a contract for a six-issue Tempest Fugit limited series, returned as writer when it was decided to make the story, now only five parts, part of the ongoing series instead. David contracted to complete a year on the title. Tempest Fugit revealed that Nightmare has manipulated the Hulk for years, tormenting him in various ways for "inconveniences" that the Hulk had caused him. After a four-part tie-in to the House of M crossover and a one-issue epilogue, David left the series once more, citing the need to do non-Hulk work for his career's sake.^[3]

[edit] Planet Hulk

In the 2006 storyline "Planet Hulk" by Greg Pak, after the Hulk destroys much of Las Vegas, a secret group of superheroes called the Illuminati trap the Hulk and rocket him into space to live a peaceful existence on a planet uninhabited by intelligent life. After a trajectory malfunction, the Hulk travels through a wormhole and crashes on the violent planet Sakaar. Weakened by his journey through the wormhole, the Hulk is sold as a slave. In a gladiatorial arena, he makes a deadly enemy when he scars the emperor's face. The Hulk overcomes great odds to become a gladiator, a rebel leader and eventually a king. Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada announced in 2006 that beginning with May 2007 comics, the Hulk will be the focus of the Marvel crossover event World War Hulk.^[4]

[edit] Personality and behavior

The Hulk is the alter ego of Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, a genius in nuclear physics. As a result of exposure to gamma radiation, Banner often becomes a large, superhumanly strong green creature. Although the Hulk is usually classified as a superhero, he and Banner share a Jekyll and Hyde-like relationship. In his most well-known incarnation, the Hulk has little intelligence or self-control, and can cause great destruction. As a result, he has been hunted by the military and other superheroes, and as such, Banner considers the Hulk a curse. The transformation is usually triggered by emotional stress, but at times has been initiated by radiation or other factors, and even at will in later incarnations of the character.

The Hulk initially was characterized as a separate entity from Bruce Banner, a symbol of inner rage and Freudian repression; a distillation of his anger that gradually developed its own personality and memories separate from Banner's.

Due to retroactive continuity established by writers Bill Mantlo and later Peter David in the 1980s, Banner is said to suffer from dissociative identity disorder, which stems from the child abuse he had suffered early in life. The Hulk has many incarnations, each representing a different aspect of Banner's psyche.

[edit] Bruce Banner

The core personality, an emotionally-suppressed genius, rating amongst Reed Richards and Tony Stark as one of the greatest minds in the Marvel Universe. Banner can transform into the different versions of the Hulk, whereas his alter-egos seem to be able only to transform into Bruce Banner. These transformations are usually involuntary, as is the selection of which one emerges.

[edit] Savage Hulk

The "classic" Hulk, the Savage Hulk possesses the mental capacity and temperament of a young child, and typically refers to himself in the third person. The primary drive of the Savage Hulk (other than utterly destroying anything that angers him) is the urge to "get away" and "to be left alone." Indeed, it has been proposed that if the authorities simply let the Savage Hulk escape to the wilderness and isolation he desires, that much less damage would result, as any attack simply angers him further and increases his strength. Characterised by his extraordinarily bulky, muscular physique, his green skin and his loping, ape-like gait, the Savage Hulk is instantly recognizable. Since the Hulk's (all versions) strength is directly proportional to his rage, this is the most powerful incarnation as it possesess extremely little self-control. Indeed, it was so strong that when "freed" from Bruce Banner by Jean Grey it was able to go head-to-head with the psychic being Onslaught.

[edit] Gray Hulk/Joe Fixit

The Gray Hulk, the original Hulk incarnation, worked for a time as a Las Vegas enforcer called Joe Fixit. He has average intelligence, although he occasionally displays knowledge and intellectual ability normally associated with Bruce Banner. He is hedonistic, cunning, arrogant, crafty, and distant with a hidden conscience. In most of his Las Vegas appearances, he appears only at night. According to the Leader in Incredible Hulk Vol. 1, #333, the Gray Hulk persona is strongest during the night of the new moon and weakest during the full moon; this aversion to sunlight and moonlight vanished when the Gray Hulk's night-induced transformation trigger is later removed. Although he is the smallest of the Hulks, the Gray Hulk towers over the average human. He prefers to dress in tailored suits. The Gray Hulk's base strength level is the lowest of all the "Hulk incarnations". However, this strength level can grow as he gets angry, but at a much slower pace than the other "Hulk incarnations." Despite his lower strength, Gray Hulk is able to use cunning and strategy in fights to gain the upper hand against foes expecting a savage Hulk.

[edit] Merged Hulk/The Professor

The merger of Bruce Banner and the Savage and Gray Hulks in Incredible Hulk #377 (written by Peter David). The Merged Hulk is later ret-conned into The Professor. The Professor, rather than being a merger of the three core personalities, was interpreted as a fourth, separate personality that represented Banner's ideal self. The primary difference between the two is that the Merged Hulk demonstrated aspects of the Banner, Grey Hulk, and Savage Hulk personalities (also possessing Banner's intelligence, Joe Fixit's cunning, and the Savage Hulk's size and strength), while the Professor did not. The Merged Hulk is even prone to uttering "Hulk smash!", which is the Savage Hulk's most common catchphrase. The Merged Hulk is an associate and leader of the team of superheroes called the Pantheon. Despite his exaggerated musculature, the Merged Hulk had a relatively normal-looking face, resembling that of Bruce Banner, and straight-backed posture that gives him the appearance of being the tallest and least beastial Hulk incarnation. The Professor personality is defined during Paul Jenkins' run as a "revelation" that the Merged Hulk is not actually a merger of the three personalities but rather a separate personality altogether. Unlike the Merged Hulk, the Professor is physically distinguished by having a pony tail, which the Merged Hulk did not. Jenkins justified this by ret-conning into the Hulk's continuity a new character named Angela Lipscomb (modeled after Jenkins' own girlfriend) who knew more about Bruce Banner than even Doc Samson. Lipscomb confronted Doc Samson with her observations of the Professor and Doc Samson validated them, despite events presented in previous issues to the contrary.

[edit] Mindless Hulk

After the Hulk confronted Nightmare, a new personality began to develop out of Banner's worst visions of the Hulk. This new Hulk was based on a dark image made of all of Banner's worst fears and the worst possible vision of the Hulk he could imagine. It is unknown whether this new Hulk was created by Nightmare or by Banner's will power, which was strong among all Secret Wars participants. It became its own personality after Banner made his "psychic suicide", allowing it to break free of Banner's domination. Eventually, with the assistance of three creatures created by his subconscious, (Glow, Goblin, and Guardian), this Hulk gained the ability to speak and behave much less savage. Since then, this personality has not been seen again, and it has been suggested that it is no longer a part of Banner's personality. Some have suggested that the Mindless Hulk represents' Banner's babyhood. In "Web of Spider-Man #7", a part of the Hulk, with the assistance of Doctor Strange, entered the Dimension of Nightmare as a similar manifestation as Mindless Hulk, threatening to kill him. Nightmare was forced to seek out Spider-Man's help, as this Hulk was destroying the whole domain. Spider-Man eventually pushed the Hulk into another realm, but he pulled Nightmare in with him. Nightmare has since been seen still alive, but this Hulk seems to have disappeared.

[edit] Devil Hulk

The Devil Hulk is the malevolent personality of Bruce Banner, personifying all of Banner's resentment at the way he is treated by the world. He is also one of the Hulk's enemies, constantly threatening to escape confinement in Banner's mind and destroy the world that has tormented and abused them, simultaneously leaving nothing intact that Banner holds dear. He first appeared when Banner was dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease, and Banner used a machine to travel into his own mind and make a deal with the three dominant Hulks that they would gain control of his body once the disease became too much for him to bear. The Devil Hulk was revealed at this point, but escaped a short while afterwards when the machinations of General Ryker shattered the barriers keeping the Devil Hulk imprisoned. Fortunately, he was contained long enough for a cure for Banner's condition to be found, before finally being contained in Banner's subconscious by Banner, the Savage Hulk and Joe Fixit; the Professor Hulk remaining out in the real world to help scientists such as Doctor Samson and Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four find a cure for the disease.

[edit] Guilt Hulk

The Guilt Hulk, also known as "The Beast" is another, malevolent persona of the Bruce Banner, created from his guilt and regret. The Guilt Hulk originally manifested itself in Bruce Banner's mind as his father, Brian Banner and tormented Bruce, the Savage Hulk and Joe Fixit by making them relive memories of Bruce's traumatic childhood, with it in place of Brian Banner. Eventually, the Guilt Hulk was defeated by Bruce, who faced it and defeated it.

The Guilt Hulk later returned, in a more bestial and mindless state and having become more powerful due to feeding off Bruce's emotions after the death of Betty. After brutally beating the Professor and Joe Fixit, the Guilt Hulk was eventually subdued again by the Savage Hulk.

Due to it's monstrous size, the Guilt Hulk was ridiculously powerful physically, it also possessed claws and spikes all over it's body. Additionally, the Guilt Hulk also showed the ability to breathe fire on one occasion.

[edit] Powers and abilities

The Hulk possesses incredible levels of physical strength. According to Marvel, the Hulk's "capacity for physical strength is potentially limitless due to the fact that his strength increases proportionally with his level of emotional stress, anger in particular" [1]The most well-known incarnation, the Savage Hulk, possesses the greatest potential for immeasurable superhuman strength, again depending on his emotional state, spawning the famous quote: "the madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets." The Hulk is capable of supporting, with the assistance of leverage, a 150 billion ton mountain range while in an enraged emotional state.^[5] During combat with the psionic entity known as Onslaught, Jean Grey psionically disables Bruce Banner's persona, bringing out the true Savage Hulk. While trading punches with the Hulk, the psionic being Onslaught angers him to a point where he was able to break through Onslaught's armor.^[6] The Hulk has also been shown shattering an asteroid twice the size of Earth with a single punch.^[7] The Hulk possesses highly developed leg muscles and is able to leap several miles at a time. Since the Hulk's strength increases with anger, he is able to leap distances much greater than he normally could while in a "calm" state. For instance, he has been shown covering a distance of 1,000 miles in a single leap^[8] and even leaping into a low-Earth orbit.^[9] There are examples of the Leader^[10] and Doc Samson^[11]attempting, unsuccessfully, to measure the limits of the Hulk's strength using the advanced technology at their disposal.

The Hulk is depicted with extremely high levels of superhuman stamina and resistance to physical injury. He's been shown withstanding the impact of high-caliber artillery shells, falls from orbital heights, and powerful energy blasts without sustaining injury and resisting extreme temperatures, poisons, and diseases with no ill effect. The Hulk is capable of surviving a ground zero nuclear explosion.^[12]

Despite his body's high resistance to injury, it is possible to injure the Hulk. He has been injured numerous times by opponents using weapons composed of adamantium.^[13][14] However, the Hulk can regenerate damaged or destroyed tissue with far greater efficiency than an ordinary human. He has proven capable of regenerating all of his skin and most of his muscle tissue, after having them flayed from his body, within a few minutes.^[15]. It has also been stated that the Hulk's durability (resistance to physical injury), stamina and the efficiency of his healing powers fluctuates with his emotional state, much like his physical strength.^[16]

The Hulk is extremely resistant to drugs, but they can affect him, although his near-impenetrable skin makes gas a more reliable method of administering them. He can also be immobilized, put to sleep, transformed into Banner (or other Hulk manifestations), or pacified against his will, either by the use magic or by the powers of certain superhuman individuals (such as the radiation emitted by the Missing Link, the psionic abilities of a high-level telepath like Professor X, or the powers of Robert Reynolds, the Sentry).

In addition to his physical power and healing ability, the Hulk has demonstrated the ability to "home in" on the desert base where he was empowered.^[17] He also has a unique ability to see and hear spectres, such as the astral form of Doctor Strange.

[edit] Related characters

[edit] Allies & friends

• Betty Ross Banner – Bruce Banner's love interest, and later his wife.
• Marlo Chandler - former girlfriend to Mr. Fixit, now wife of Rick Jones.
• Jarella – The Hulk's lover from another planet. Deceased.
• Rick Jones – A teenager whom Banner saved, causing Banner to be caught in his life-changing explosion.
• Doc Samson – The Hulk's occasional psychiatrist. A gamma-powered strong man with a working knowledge of nuclear biology, he got his power from an experiment he conducted on the Hulk.
• She-Hulk – AKA Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banner's cousin, to whom he gave an emergency blood transfusion when she was critically wounded.
• The Thing - AKA Ben Grimm, member of the Fantastic Four.
• Jim Wilson – A friend of Bruce Banner and sometime sidekick. He was the first character in mainstream comics to be HIV positive. Is deceased due to full-blown AIDS (Incredible Hulk #420).
• Sam Wilson – AKA The Falcon. He has defended the Hulk on a few occasions due to the Hulk's comforting his nephew, Jim Wilson, during his last moments alive.

• The Defenders - a super-hero group of "non-joiners", including the Hulk, the Sub-Mariner, Dr. Strange, the Silver Surfer, Nighthawk, Valkyrie, Hellcat and others.

• Warbound from Planet Hulk
  • Korg - A stone man of the Kronan race who once fought Thor.
  • Miek - A meek insectoid who becomes king of his freed people before transforming into a behemoth.
  • No-Name, the Broodspawn - Sole survivor of a pack of Brood warriors that landed on Planet Sakaar.
  • Elloe - Daughter of a high ranking Sakaaran official whom the Red King tries for treason.
  • Hiroim, the Shamed - a fallen "Shadow Priest", he was expelled from his order for the heresy of believing he could be the Sakaarson, the fabled savior of planet Sakaar.
  • Caiera, the Oldstrong - former personal bodyguard to the Red King, betrayed due to the Red King's desire to destroy the Hulk; now the Hulk's queen.

[edit] Enemies

• The Abomination – The Hulk's primary physical rival, also gamma-spawned
• Absorbing Man - Thor villain, able to magically "absorb" the properties of things/people he touches
• Bi-Beast - a giant two-headed android
• The Juggernaut- After a battle with the X-Men in their mansion, Hulk was discovered by Apocalypse and became the third incarnation of War. Apocalypse set him against the Juggernaut to test his strength. Hulk was able to knock back Juggernaut with the huge celestial energy boost that Apocalypse had given him.
• The Leader – Gamma-irradiated super-genius
• Tyrannus - Would-be world conqueror and long-time Hulk villain, who once possessed the body of the Abomination
• The Red King – The emperor of the planet Sakaar, dethroned and killed by the Hulk and his Warbound.
• The Rhino- A Rhinoceros-based villain with super strength, speed, and tough hide like a rhino.
• General John Ryker - A ruthless military leader, who is also hunting for the Hulk.
• General Thaddeus Ross – Betty Ross' father, a military leader often on the hunt for the Hulk.
• Major Glenn Talbot – Betty Ross' ex-husband, a military officer who tries to kill Bruce Banner and destroy the Hulk. Currently deceased.
• Wendigo - A large savage cannibalistic monster from the Canadian north woods.
• Zzzax – Electricity-based villain/monster

[edit] Other versions of Hulk

[edit] The Maestro

The Maestro, who first appears in Hulk: Future Imperfect #1 (Jan. 1993), is a version of the Hulk from an alternate future timeline, approximately a hundred years into the future, combining Banner's intelligence with the Hulk's more malevolent aspects. After a nuclear war kills almost all of Earth's superhumans and brings the world to the brink of extinction, the Maestro seizes control.

Gray haired and balding, the Maestro is clearly older than the Hulk, but is also significantly stronger due to the radiation he has absorbed since the war. He rules the city of Dystopia, built to his own designs and protected by radiation shielding. Brutal soldiers with hi-tech equipment keep the "peace" and impose the Maestro's iron will. The Maestro himself dwells in a grand palace, where a Bacchanalian atmosphere reigns. Other gamma-irradiated beings, She-Hulk (now calling herself "Shulk") and the Abomination, survived the war and seem to have conquered other areas of the world.

Not long after the war, an elderly Rick Jones encounters the reality-hopping mutant Proteus, who has possessed the body of an alternate reality Hulk from the year 2099. Proteus intends to discard his current body and possess the Maestro. Jones, unaware of his plan, provides a weapon created by the X-Man Forge, which might be able to kill Maestro. However, the plan fails when the Maestro is warned by the Exiles, who are pursuing Proteus. Proteus possesses a new host and flees to another world, breaking the Maestro's neck during his escape.

Years later the Maestro, fully recovered from his injury, encounters a time-travelling Genis-Vell and Spider-Man 2099. Manipulated by the supervillain Thanatos, the three battle - but Captain Marvel and Spider-Man eventually return to their own time, with no consequence for the Maestro.

Acquiring Doctor Doom's time machine, the rebels opposing the Maestro (led by Rick Jones) eventually decide to bring the 'Professor' Hulk forward from the past, hoping that he can defeat the Maestro. The Hulk agrees to help them and confronts the Maestro, but loses due to the Maestro's greater experience, and his ability to predict the Hulk's moves in combat (Although the Hulk does manage to deliver a few good punches). The Maestro breaks Hulk's neck to immobilize him, then tries to persuade the incapacitated Hulk that he should side with his future self, telling him that nothing will change when he returns home and he will still be persecuted.^[18]

After the Hulk's recovery, the two clash once more; but despite the Hulk's best efforts, the Maestro is still far too powerful for him. At the last minute, the Maestro is defeated by the use of Doom's time machine, and sent back to the time and place that the Hulk was created: ground zero during the testing of the atomic Gamma Bomb, the only bomb that the Hulk knew the ground zero location of. (It was speculated that such an explosion was the only thing that could kill the Maestro.) Appearing next to the bomb itself, Maestro is seemingly killed in the same moment that creates the Hulk,^[18] but some part of his consciousness still remains, tied to the skeletal fragments at the Gamma Bomb site.

Eventually the Hulk learns that the "homing sense" which has always allowed him to locate ground zero, his "birth" place, is actually attracted to the Maestro's spirit and remains. The Maestro has also been absorbing gamma radiation from the Hulk each time he returns to the site, gradually restoring himself. When the Hulk returns, shortly after the Heroes Return crossover, he is radiating vast amounts of energy. Maestro finally absorbs enough radiation to restore himself to life, although in a weakened and emaciated form.

Shortly thereafter, Maestro is captured by Asgardian trolls, who place his soul into the Asgardian Destroyer. As the Destroyer, he battles the Hulk - but as the Hulk and Maestro share the same DNA, Hulk is able to enter the Destroyer and defeat the weakened Maestro, who is seemingly killed by an avalanche.

Creator Peter David has stated^{[citation needed]} that the Maestro is intended to be an evil and insane alternate Hulk - not a separate personality within Bruce Banner.

[edit] The End

The Incredible Hulk: The End one-shot, set almost two hundred years into an alternative future, portrays Bruce Banner as the last human and the sole survivor of a nuclear war. In the aftermath of the war, Hulk retreats to a cave - emerging to find that the only other life left on earth is a swarm of mutated (and extremely dangerous) cockroaches. Banner, now extremely elderly, has gained a little of the Hulk's regenerative ability, but has lost his will to live. In the moments before heart failure Banner halucinates the sight of all his loved ones, the ones that Hulk has struggled constantly to be left alone by while defending. Banner wants to embrace final demise. Hulk, on the other hand, is still not ready to die, even transforming himself as Banner finally dies, leaving him sitting on a deserted mountain as he reflects on how, at last, he is alone.

[edit] Ultimate Hulk

A version of the Hulk appears in the Ultimate Marvel series, first in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #2 (2001), written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Phil Hester. "Ultimate Hulk" amplifies Banner's emotions, particularly wrath, seeking to destroy those who wrong Banner. He also exhibits extreme sloth^{[issue # needed]}, lust (Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk #1), and gluttony; several stories mention his devouring people (Ultimate War #3). Ultimate Hulk has also been portrayed as being able to break ultimate adamantium.

In Ultimates, Banner works for S.H.I.E.L.D., attempting to re-create the super-soldier formula that created Captain America. When Captain America is recovered from a block of ice, Banner's funding seems likely to be cut. The team forms without Banner's input, but S.H.I.E.L.D. faces heavy criticism for its extensive budget and lack of purpose. Banner, ridiculed by members of the Ultimates and rejected and taunted by his ex-girlfriend Betty Ross, combines Captain America's blood with the Hulk formula, and injects it into himself (Ultimates #4). He then calls Betty to warn her, saying that his intention was to give the Ultimates a visible enemy, but then breaks down and admits that he "just missed being big". He becomes a grey-skinned Hulk that tracks down Betty Ross, destroying everything in his path and murdering hundreds of people. The Hulk overpowers the Ultimates until the Wasp fires her bio-electric sting directly into his brain, which changes the Hulk back into Banner, who is restrained and imprisoned in the S.H.I.E.L.D. base the Triskelion - in a cell Banner had designed.

During a fight with an invading alien race called the Chitauri, Captain America orders that Banner be thrown from a helicopter high in the air. Captain America uses Banner's jealousy to make him fight the Chitauri commander, Herr Kleiser, whom the Hulk pounds to a pulp and then eats. Captain America then tells the Hulk that the aliens had called him a "sissy-boy", and Hulk destroys an entire fleet of spaceships. After top-secret information regarding the Hulk/Banner connection is leaked to the press, Banner is convicted for the deaths of the more than 800 people who died in his New York City rampage and sentenced to death by nuclear weapon. After consuming a sedative designed by Hank Pym, his unconscious body is left on a ship in the ocean. Just before the explosion, Banner wakes up and transforms into the Hulk. It is implied that Hank's sedative deliberately wore off too soon, and Bruce makes a secret phonecall to thank Hank Pym after the incident.

Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk shows that after travelling through France, Ireland and India, seeking a means to control the Hulk within, Bruce Banner finally arrives in Tibet, seeking the Panchen Lama whom he hopes can reveal the true relationship behind Banner and the Hulk. In this series, he is shown ripping Wolverine's body in half. Whether or not the adamantium laced to Wolverine's spine was damaged is unclear at this time. However, there is an example of the Hulk breaking Ultimate Marvel Universe's version of adamantium. In Ultimates vol1. #5, the Hulk breaks a needle composed of adamantium that Captain America attempts to use against him.

In Ultimates 2 #11, Bruce Banner appears in Washington D.C. He allows a giant robot to step on him and mentions being "in touch with [his] inner sociopath" before ripping the robot in two. He then continues to aid the Ultimates against the Liberators in issue #12, by dismembering, killing, and eating the Abomination.

[edit] Marvel Zombies

The Marvel Zombies series, set in an alternate world, features the Hulk as one of its main characters. Like almost every other superbeing on the planet, the Hulk has been affected by the zombification virus - although he retains his strength and invulnerability, he no longer heals, does not feel pain and now craves human flesh.

The zombie Hulk's transformations are controlled purely by his appetite - after feeding, he transforms back into Banner (also a zombie) until the hunger returns. As Banner is much smaller than the Hulk, one such transformation also causes his stomach to burst.

Hulk later succeeds in killing the Silver Surfer and is one of the zombies who devours the Surfer's corpse, absorbing some of its cosmic powers by doing so. He is actually the first to consume the Silver Surfer by biting off his head. After they later kill and consume Galactus himself, enhancing their powers even further, Hulk and the other five remaining zombies are able to leave the earth and seek food elsewhere. Ravaging and devouring entire planets, the six zombies eventually become the cosmic threat known as The Galactus.

[edit] House of M

In the altered reality of the 2005 company wide crossover House of M, Bruce Banner disappears in Australia, where he befriends an Aborigine tribe, and attempts to control his dark side. When the mutant rulers of the Earth attack his tribe he retaliates, and eventually conquers Australia with the aid of Advanced Idea Mechanics, most notably his former college girlfriend Monica Rappaccini, her daughter Thanasee, Dr Isaac Aaronson, and his son Adam.

[edit] 1602

In the Marvel 1602 setting David Banner is introduced as a courtier at the court of James VI of Scotland. When James becomes king of England, he sends Banner to the New World to kill Sir Nicholas Fury, who has betrayed the crown by saving the "witchbreed" (mutants). In the same way as Bruce Banner saved Rick Jones, David dives in front of Peter Parquagh when the Anomaly that has affected the universe explodes. The radiation of the Anomaly transforms him into the Hulk.

[edit] 2099

Main article: Hulk 2099

In Marvel 2099, the Hulk is John Eisenhart, a selfish film producer in "LotusLand" (future Hollywood). He is inadvertently exposed to gamma radiation by the Knights of the Banner, who intend to create a Hulk of their own. As the Hulk, Eisenhart finds himself representing freedom to a closed-off society.

[edit] Earth X

In this reality, due to the continuing absorption of gamma radiation, the Hulk and Bruce Banner have finally achieved separation. However, they still rely on each other. Banner is now a child, and blind. He can only see through the Hulk's eyes. Banner also seems to have control over the Hulk's movements. The Hulk is more gorilla-like now, and he seems incapable of speech besides a growl. It is said of this Hulk that he is "always angry".

[edit] Parodies

The television show Saturday Night Live uses the Hulk character in several sketches. In the March 17, 1979 episode hosted by Margot Kidder, Lois Lane and Superman hold a dinner. One of the guests is the Incredible Hulk, played by John Belushi as a rude and offensive boor. In the November 21, 1992 episode hosted by Sinbad, Chris Farley plays the Incredible Hulk in a sketch about Superman's funeral. Farley's Hulk protests the suggestion of his giving a eulogy in broken English but then puts on a pair of glasses and delivers an erudite, impassioned farewell. In the December 17, 1994 hosted by George Foreman, Tim Meadows appears as Bruce Banner, who repeatedly has laboratory accidents and then changes into the Hulk, played by Foreman, who proceeds to further trash the laboratory before asking for the sketch to end because of its boring repetition.

The character Russell in the video game Bully has the most hulking figure of any character in the game, is the toughest character to take down during normal gameplay, has the mind of a small child, and even constantly refers to himself in the third person. Russell's catchphrase is "Russell smash!"

The "Justice Friends" sketch of Dexter's Laboratory follows three parody superheroes. One of them is a Hulk spoof, The Infraggable Krunk, an overgrown muscle-man with arrested mental development that has a purple skin and wears green pants - reference to Hulk's green skin and usual purple pants.

[edit] In other media

[edit] Television

The Hulk started out in television as part of the Marvel Super Heroes animated television series in 1966. The 39 (10-minute) episodes were shown along with those featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Sub-Mariner episodes based on early stories appearing in the Hulk and Tales to Astonish series.

The most famous TV adaptation is the live-action The Incredible Hulk TV series and its spin-off TV movies, starring Bill Bixby as David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. After the live-action show ended in 1982, the Hulk returned to cartoon format with 13 episodes of The Incredible Hulk, which aired in a combined hour with Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. The series featured more characters from the comics than the live-action series, including Rick Jones, Betty Ross, and General Ross.

Typical of many superhero cartoons of the era,^{[citation needed]} the show used stock transformation scenes which include Bruce Banner transforming back with his clothing somehow restored intact. The She-Hulk and the Leader made an appearance in the show. This series featured Stan Lee as a narrator. Bruce Banner and the Hulk also appeared in the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode, "Spidey Goes Hollywood."

In 1996, Marvel Studios and Saban Entertainment brought the Hulk back to animated form in the animated series The Incredible Hulk, with Lou Ferrigno providing the voice of the Hulk. The first season's stories are exceptionally dark, but in 1997, the show's name changed to The Incredible Hulk and She-Hulk, and featured She-Hulk in several episodes with the Gray Hulk. In the episode "Mind Over Anti-Matter", Banner turns into a monstrous Dark Hulk. The series became much lighter during this season and was cancelled quickly. The show aired briefly on ABC Family following the release of the live-action movie in 2003.

The Hulk also appeared in episodes of the Fantastic Four and Iron Man cartoons that also made up the Marvel Action Hour, although the character design for both Banner and Hulk were markedly different, with Ron Perlman playing both roles.

[edit] Movies

In 2003, Ang Lee directed a film based on the Hulk for Universal Pictures. Eric Bana played Bruce Banner, and the Hulk was created with CGI. Here, Banner's father, David Banner (played by Nick Nolte), is partly responsible for the Hulk's origin as before Banner was born, he experiments on himself and passes his mutated genes onto his son. When Banner grows up, believing his real parents died (this is only half-true, as only his mother dies and his father is incarcerated for thirty years), he saves a co-worker from being killed by gamma radiation and takes the impact of the rays instead, mysteriously surviving the onslaught.

The Hulk causes a lot of destruction, wounding Glenn Talbot, killing his father's mutated dogs in battle, makes a path of danger from the Desert Base to San Francisco, and finally in a final battle against his insane father who had morphed into an amorphous cloud of energy. General Ross decides to end the battle by having one of his soldiers drop a gamma bomb at the site of the battle, ending the confrontation. It kills and disintegrates David, with the Hulk/Banner presumed dead from the event, but it is revealed at the very end of the movie that he did survive and is living as a secret doctor in South America, protecting the innocent from any intruders.

In 2006, the Hulk appears in the animated movie Ultimate Avengers, which is based on the comic book The Ultimates. The second Ultimate Avengers movie was released on August 8, 2006.

A second Hulk movie is in pre-production and scheduled for release on June 27 2008. Titled The Incredible Hulk, it will be directed by Louis Leterrier. At the 2006 Comic-con Incredible Hulk panel, Letterier revealed that Abomination will be the villain.^[19]

[edit] Video games

The Incredible Hulk appears in video games for many different systems, including the Sega Genesis, SNES, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and personal computer.

• A Hulk game was going to be The Incredible Hulk for the Atari 2600, but apparently the game was never released to the public.[2]

• The first released Hulk game was called Questprobe featuring The Hulk[3] for the PC.

• The first console Hulk game was The Incredible Hulk. It was followed by The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga, Hulk (which was loosely based on the 2003 film rather than the comic books) and finally The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. Neal McDonough, who voiced Bruce Banner in the 1996 animated series, reprises the role in Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. In this game, the Hulk is so uncontrolled that he kills both the Desert Base soldiers and civilians in his path. Conversely, the Hulk also keeps the supervillain the Abomination from destroying a dam and the soldiers guarding it have safely evacuated.

In addition to his own games, the Hulk appears as a playable character in several games by Capcom. The first was a SNES game for the home consoles called Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems. After this the Hulk appeared in several arcade fighting games, starting with Marvel Super Heroes in 1995, followed by Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes and concluding with Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.

The Hulk also has a cameo in the Fantastic Four (1997 video game) for the PS and Sega Saturn

The Hulk is also in a cutscene in the Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects game for the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube.

According to TK, the Hulk is one of the first revealed characters in Marvel Universe Online, a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game for PC and Xbox 360.^{[citation needed]}

Hulk was set to play a role in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance,^{[citation needed]} but had to be left out as a playable character because of the character's licensing agreement with Sierra Entertainment. He makes an appearance as Bruce Banner (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes in the Xbox versions, and Arin Hanson in the PS3 and Wii versions.), working on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s gamma bomb project. Muscular green arms and legs are seen (with the torso and head under rubble) during a cutscene detailing Dr. Doom's defeat of many of Earth's heroes, perhaps implying that the Hulk was one of the heroes who failed to stop Doom. More recently, the Hulk has been confirmed as one of eight downloadable heroes available for purchase on the Xbox 360 version of the game.

The Hulk will be in the upcoming Marvel Trading Card Game, for the various handheld consoles.

[edit] Themed products

Hulk-themed products include action figures, clothes, jewelry, video games, cards, pins, posters, cars, games, lunchboxes, toys, a pinball machine [4], all types of collectibles and even the Incredible Hulk roller coaster at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida.

[edit] Bibliography

• The Incredible Hulk #1–6 (Marvel Comics, May 1962–March 1963)
• Tales to Astonish #59–101 (Marvel Comics, September 1964–March 1968)
• The Incredible Hulk #102–474 (Marvel Comics, April 1968–March 1999)
• The Incredible Hulk Annual #1–20 (Marvel Comics, 1968–1994)
• The Incredible Hulk #-1 (Marvel Comics, July 1997, ISSN 0274-5275)
• Hulk #1–11 (Marvel Comics, April 1999–February 2000)
• The Incredible Hulk #12–76, #77–present (Marvel Comics, March 2000–September 2004, January 2005–present)
• Hulk Weekly #1–69, Marvel UK title published between 1979–1981. Features new material produced by the likes of Paul Neary and Steve Dillon.

Collections

• Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Vol. 1 Written by Peter David; Pencils & Cover by Todd McFarlane; collects Incredible Hulk #331-339 Vol. 1.
• Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Vol. 2 Written by Peter David; Penciled by Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen & Jeff Purves; collects Incredible Hulk #340-348 Vol. 1.
• Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Vol. 3 Written by Peter David & Steve Englehart; Penciled by Jeff Purves, Alex Saviuk & Keith Pollard; Collects Incredible Hulk #349-354 Vol. 1, Web of Spider-Man #44 and Fantastic Four #320.
• Incredible Hulk: Dogs of War Written by Paul Jenkins; Penciled by Ron Garney and Mike McKone; collects Incredible Hulk #12-20 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 1: Return of the Monster Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by John Romita, Jr.; collects Incredible Hulk #34-39 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 2: Boiling Point Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by John Romita, Jr.; collects Incredible Hulk #40-43 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 3: Transfer Of Power Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by Stuart Immonen; collects Incredible Hulk #44-49 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 4: Abominable Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by Mike Deodato, Jr.; collects Incredible Hulk #50-54 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 5: Hide In Plain Sight Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by Leandro Fernández; collects Incredible Hulk #55-59 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 6: Split Decisions Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by Mike Deodato Jr.; collects Incredible Hulk #60-65 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 7: Dead Like Me Written Bruce Jones & Garth Ennis; Pencils by Doug Braithwaite & John McCrea; collects Incredible Hulk #65-69 Vol. 2, and Hulk Smash #1 and #2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 8: Big Things Written Bruce Jones; Pencils by Mike Deodato, Jr.; collects Incredible Hulk #70-76 Vol. 2.
• Hulk: Tempest Fugit Written by Peter David; Penciled by Lee Weeks & Jae Lee; collects Incredible Hulk #77-82 Vol. 2.
• House Of M: Hulk Written by Peter David; Penciled by Jorge Lucas & Adam Kubert; collects Incredible Hulk #83-87 Vol. 2.
• Hulk: Planet Hulk Prelude Written by Daniel Way; Penciled by Keu Cha & Juan Santacruz; collects Incredible Hulk #88-91 Vol. 2.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Hulk comics at marvel.com
• MDP: Hulk (Bruce Banner) - Marvel Database Project
• One of Stan Lee's Best Article on the Incredible Hulk's Popularity
• The 1982 Incredible Hulk Cartoon @ Toon Zone
• Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards
• Hulk Library