The Hulk has finally revealed his last thread of humanity, and it might just be enough to pull him back from the brink.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Hulk #4, available now from Marvel.
Bruce Banner has left behind his own world and ventured into the unknown, all in the hopes of escaping the horror that has been left in his alter-ego’s wake. Unfortunately, he has found himself piloting the Hulk’s body straight into an even more bleak landscape. The alternate Earth where the Hulk has landed isn’t just a waking irradiated nightmare, it is one entirely devoid of heroes. Things might be worse than ever, but they have also shed a light on the last sliver of true humanity that Banner has left, and it might be the only thing that can save him from himself.
After taking full control of the Hulk and smashing his way through to another dimension, the primary Marvel Universe’s Bruce Banner has come face-to-face with a timid, clearly traumatized version of himself. It turns out that this alternate Banner has been forced by his world’s President Thunderbolt Ross to exile all of its Gamma Mutates to the same void the Hulk arrived from. Not only that, but President Ross even went so far as to eradicate the rest of his world’s heroes as well. As Hulk #4 (by Donny Cates, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, Frank Martin, and VC’s Cory Petit) reveals, the primary Banner can’t believe that everyone he ever cared about could have been wiped out so callously, even on another world.
Despite how much Bruce Banner might like to think he doesn’t need anyone, he is clearly distraught by the deaths of this other world’s heroes. He may brush it off after taking a moment to come to terms with that fact, but the truth is perfectly clear. This wouldn’t be all that surprising if not for the exceptionally violent way the Hulk left his own world behind. Besides leaving an entire city in ruins after some still unseen catastrophe, the Hulk very nearly killed Iron Man during his escape into the space between dimensions. Of course, the Hulk has plenty to be mad about after being exiled by the same heroes who claimed to be his friends more than once over the years. Still, the connection that he has to the likes of Tony Stark goes far deeper than whatever animosity he bears towards them at any given time. Although he doesn’t have any friends of his own left where he has ended up, that doesn’t mean there aren’t people who still care about Banner back home, and they might just be his way back to it.
Assuming he doesn’t delve so far into his egotistical madness that he loses it completely, the key to Bruce Banner’s salvation has to lie within that last iota of empathy he feels for his fellow superheroes. For how long they have spent fighting alongside one another, and in spite of however many times they have fought among themselves, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes still share a camaraderie that has survived far worse situations. Considering how much he has seen this other world suffer without its heroes, Banner might even start remembering how important they are to his world as well.
About The Author
For all the latest Comics News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
