No one ever accused comic writer Donny Cates of doing anything small and his new run on the Hulk proves that he’s willing to swing for the fences. To summarize, like each issue does, Bruce Banner has somehow been able to segment his mind into a few different “parts,” with the Hulk’s body acting as a starship, which is piloted by Banner within the mind of the Avenger, and the Hulk’s rage fueling the entire thing by battling bad guys within deep levels of his psyche. This creation of “Starship Hulk” has sent him down a wild path and has now brought him to a deadly alternate universe.
In Hulk #3 Starship Hulk made it way into this alternate universe, leaving us with a world where Bruce Banner isn’t the Hulk, Gamma-radiated monsters roam the world, and Thunderbolt Ross is the President. The latest issue of the series, last week’s Hulk #4, offers a little more insight into this universe, revealing what happened to Tony Stark and the X-Men, spoiler it was bad. In the issue it’s revealed that Tony Stark went bankrupt and eventually passed away from “severe liver toxicity and complications from severe and chronic pancreatitis.” The very next page reveals the fate of the X-Men, revealing that the US Government exterminated them with a nuclear bomb.
This all comes as a shock to Banner who inquires about other heroes from the 616 universe, asking about Blade, Moon Knight, and Captain America. The Banner from that version of the universe however scratches his head, unaware of at least the first two on that list.
Throughout the issue there’s a lingering threat to Hulk though, someone referred to by President Ross as simply “The Boy,” who is revealed to be this universe’s version of Peter Parker. The Spider-Man from this universe however isn’t a regular Spider-Man but a giant, Hulk-infused Spider-Man. It’s wild, and he’s getting ready to tear the Hulk a new one.
You can find the cover and solicit for the next issue of Hulk below.
Hulk #5
(W) Donny Cates (A/CA) Ryan Ottley
“SMASHSTRONAUT” PART 5 OF 6!
• As President Thunderbolt Ross rains down gamma-irradiated hell, Bruce Banner’s Starship Hulk experiment faces its toughest field test yet – this time, it might crack under the pressure.
• Bruce Banner thinks his control over the Hulk is now absolute… but what if he’s wrong?
