Marvel Teases Gray Hulk

The Hulk has shown many different personalities over the years. Most recently, he’s become the “Devil Hulk,” a version of the Hulk influenced by the One Below All. This version of the Hulk is a kind of violent, protective father figure to Bruce Banner. He can also only come out at night. In the past, the Hulk has manifested other sides of himself, some more or less intelligent and some sharing Bruce’s personality. In the most recent issue of Avengers: No Road Home, there were hints that one of those personalities may be reemerging, though he seems somewhat different from how he was before.

SPOILERS for Avengers: No Road Home #6 follow. Al Ewing, Jim Zub, and Mark Waid write the issue with art by Sean Izaaske.

Avengers: No Road Home #6 brings Conan the Barbarian fully into this Avengers saga. At the end of the last issue, Scarlet Witch escaped through a portal with a shard of Nyx’s heart into the Hyborean age, where Conan comes to her aid. The shard is stolen by bandits, but Conan and Scarlet Witch give chase.

In an earlier issue, Scarlet Witch was blinded by Nyx, but the spell created a connection that allows Scarlet Witch to see through Nyx’s darkness. In this issue, both she and Conan see some of the Avengers that Scarlet Witch left behind. The Hulk killed one of Nyx’s children, Hypnos. He took one of Nyx’s shards for himself. Now the shard seems to be changing him, making him look like his old gray self. Now he plans to create eternal night, where the Hulk and be in control forever.

This gray Hulk seems more sinister than the previous iterations. Hulk was gray in his original appearance and displayed childish savagery. Later he turned gray again and became Joe Fixit, a strongman working in Las Vegas. This gray hulk seems different than either. He’s angry, intelligent, and determined. Conan sees him and believes is a child of Crom, the pitiless god of the mountain that Conan’s Cimmerian people believe in, but do not bother worshipping.

Avengers: No Road Home seems to take place between issues of Immortal Hulk – Banner mentions getting into some craziness while on the way to meet with Betty Ross – so this gray Hulk probably won’t be sticking around very long. It will be interesting to see how he behave while he’s here, especially if it means going up against Conan.

What do you think of this gray Hulk emerging? Let us know in the comments. Avengers: No Road Home #6 is on sale now.