Marvel Teases Hulk’s Return

It seems Marvel fans only have a short time to wait until the original Hulk returns to the Marvel Universe.

Hot off of the Hulk’s latest appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Thor: Ragnarok, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Axel Alonso shared a teaser on Twitter hinting at the return of the Hulk to the Marvel Universe in the pages of Avengers.

The teaser was accompanied by the word “SMASH” in a tweet pointing towards the “No Surrender” story beginning in January 2018 in the now weekly Avengers comic book series.

Take a look below.

Bruce Banner himself, Marvel Cinematic Universe star Mark Ruffalo, seems excited about the tease as he shared it from his own Twitter account.

Bruce Banner has been out of commission as the Hulk since the Secret Wars event destroyed and recreated the Marvel multiverse. It revealed in the pages of The Totally Awesome Hulk that Banner’s super-smart sidekick Amadeus Cho had used nanites created with super science to siphon the energy that allows Banner to transform into the Hulk from Banner and into himself. As a result, Banner was depowered and Cho became the new Hulk.

However, as part of their plan to take over the United States for Hydra, Captain America and Erik Selvig caused Bruce Banner to doubt that he was truly cured of the Hulk. Banner began testing gamma radiation on his own body. When the superhero community found out about this, they confronted Banner. The standoff ended when Hawkeye shot Banner with an arrow that Banner had created and given to Hawkeye just in case the Hulk ever reemerged.

But somehow that wasn’t the end of the Incredible Hulk.

The Hulk Returns

Banner wasn’t left to rest in peace. The Hand stole his body and resurrected the Hulk, forcing the Avengers Unity Squad – which Captain America had tried to disband – to fight the undead hulk.

Doctor Voodoo was able to cleanse Bruce Banner’s soul of the corruption caused by the Hand, allowing him to revert to human form and die once again.

That still wasn’t the end of it. During the Secret Empire event, when Captain America had taken over the Untied States for Hydra, Cap wanted to eliminate the remaining heroes who were part of the underground. He had Arnim Zola temporarily resurrect Bruce Banner. Captain America told Banner that he should destroy the ungerground’s hideout, the Mount, as revenge for his death.

Banner refused to work with Hydra, but the Hulk was more than willing. The Hulk forced a transformation and attacked the Mount, defeating all heroes who opposed him before Zola’s resurrection waned and he died once again.

Marvel Legacy

It seems the Hulk will be back for real this time, as part of the Marvel Legacy push to restore classic characters to their previous positions in the Marvel Universe. Sam Wilson has already returned to his role as the Falcon, leaving the real Steve Rogers to reclaim the mantle of Captain America. Tony Stark recently woke from his coma, setting him on the path to becoming Iron Man once again, and Marvel has been teasing Jane Foster’s death, which would clear the way for the Odinson to reclaim Mjolnir and his place as Thor.

“No Surrender” is being teased as the culmination of an era of Avengers stories, and many suspect will lead to a new era where a more traditional Avengers team, likely built out of a roster of Marvel Cinematic Universe favorites, will come together just in time for the release of Avengers: Infinity War in theaters. As a founding member of the team, The Hulk would certainly be a part of the tradition.

The “No Surrender” event begins in Avengers #675, on sale January 10, 2018.

Avengers #675
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(W) Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub (A) Pepe Larraz (CA) Mark Brooks

NO SURRENDER Part 1
AVENGERS goes WEEKLY for the stunning sixteen-part saga that will write the end of an era!

The Earth has been STOLEN! The sky burns while mysterious cosmic objects crash down from above, wreaking havoc across the world! The Avengers are the last line of defense between Earth and the mysterious forces threatening to tear it apart. It’s time to ASSEMBLE! The teams you know and love from AVENGERS, UNCANNY AVENGERS, U.S.AVENGERS and OCCUPY AVENGERS come together to face a threat beyond any they’ve faced before in a weekly epic adventure that will define the future of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!

Rated T+
In Shops: Jan 10, 2018
SRP: $4.99