Talent Writer: Al Ewing

Artist: Joe Bennett

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Release Date: June 6, 2018

Cover Price: $4.99 Get a Copy:

HORROR HAS A NAME.

You’d never notice the man. He doesn’t like to be noticed. He’s quiet. Calm. Never complains. If someone were to walk up and shoot him in the head… all he’d do is die.

Until night falls. And someone else gets up again.

The man’s name is Banner.

The horror is THE IMMORTAL HULK. Marvel comics

Immortal Hulk has been on shelves for a while now with fans going berserk for it. It’s been hovering over the greatest comic of the year to the greatest comic of the decade with Bruce Banner fans lining up the comic book stores to get there hands onto a copy of the series.

So here comes the great question. Where did it all start?

Bruce Banner was dead for pretty much a couple of years before we got a glimpse of what’s to come in Avengers #684 which featured the face of Hulk after weeks of hints over his apparent resurrection.

What Led to the Immortal Hulk?

What you must understand is that Hulk hasn’t always been conceived as a superhero but mainly a monster. In some cases fighting supervillains and in some terrorizing cities depending his emotional state. Much like Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hide which as also the inspiration for his creation.

Though the decades though Hulk and his alter ego Bruce Banner changed a lot from a Monster to a Hero to a Super Intelligent Doctor fighting crime to this moment which is a combination of all of the above.

At the start of the All-New, All-Different Marvel Comics series we find out that Bruce Banner was no longer the Hulk but just a scientist which was now dedicating his time to helping humanity.

Amadeus Cho, a long time friend was able to extract the Hulk from Banner and absorb it himself in order to help Banner. Amadeus Cho was also able to maintain his intelligence while on the Hulk form.

Unfortunately not long after his separation from Hulk, Banner became the center of attention at Civil War II #5 where the Inhuman Ulysses had a vision which saw Bruce Banner regaining power and slaughtered the majority of superheroes on Earth.

A team led by Captain Marvel tried to find and stop Banner’s transformation and during the standoff which was basically a heated argument of Banner trying to explain he no longer possess the powers of Hulk, Hawkeye releases a special arrow that instantly kills Bruce Banner. The arrow was specially made from Bruce Banner and given to Hawkeye in order to make sure that if he ever loses control to the Hulk, Hawkeye will end it for him.

After Banner’s death Hawkeye swore that he saw a green spark in Banner’s eyes which caused him to release the arrow. Unfortunately he terminated his services from the Avengers not long after.

First Appearance of the Immortal Hulk

There has been a number of resurrections since his death but this one seems to be the last and most permanent.

In the Uncanny Avengers #15, Daniel Drumm, brother of Brother Voodoo, resurrected the Hulk powered by a demonic force, and used him as a weapon against the Avengers while they tried to recruit Elektra. That concluded fast with Hulk’s lifeless body since the connection to the demonic realm was broken.

Soon thereafter in Secret Empire, the evil version of Steve Rogers resurrected the Hulk and used him against the rebels hiding within the Nevada mountains. Even though the use of the Hulk was a success it was revealed that the method used was only temporary and only gave life to the Hulk for a few hours.

The main attraction came later on at the Avengers: No Surrender event, a 16 issue mini-series that took place from Avengers #675 till Avengers #690 that saw two great forces of the universe the Grandmaster and Challenger, steal and transform Earth into a “chessboard” for their next game.

During those events we see the Hulk resurface as a secret pawn of the Challenger and… well he is a little bit different and a little bit all the same. As we mentioned above the “new” Hulk is all about revenge, rage, and fury and resembles more the first Hulk than anything else.

Immortal Hulk Series

As expected right after the events of Avengers: No Surrender and with the conclusion that the Hulk just cannot die, came the new series of the Immortal Hulk and soon thereafter became one of the best comics series of 2018 as well as holds a top position at the Best Marvel Comics of 2019 so far and how could it not.

The Immortal Hulk brings out what we hoped for many years to come, portraying one of Marvel’s oldest and fan favourite superhero into something that barely resembles anything that we have seen before.

The Immortal Hulk is something in between all the variations we have seen. Al Ewing and Joe Bennett made it clear that they wanted to create something unique and they did. There is a horror vibe in the comic story and the art it self which was the pain point missing from Hulk’s previous stories and we love it.

Hulk is not roaming the earth fighting crime in a way that is strangely small for his size but in all reality it makes sense. He was used from so many forces before that he just wants to be left alone and yet it seems that he can’t find the peace he wants. From one adventure to the other Bruce Banner finds himself in trouble and when that happens he simple, dies.

Well, that’s the twist, Bruce Banner dies for the Hulk to live and dig out of his grave to get the revenge it seeks. The story is closely related to the initial story of the Hulk (being mostly portrayed as a monster) instead of a hero and what better analogy for Bruce Banner and the Hulk than the one of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hide.