Immortal Hulk reached a milestone issue in March. It was Immortal Hulk #33, but also Hulk #750 according to Marvel’s legacy numbering system. The issue took a trip through Hulk’s history as he battled the “Hulk before the Hulk,” Xemnu. In the end, it turned out another old enemy of the Hulk’s was hiding beneath the surface. Xemnu and the Minotaur Daario Ager may be gone, but one of the Hulk’s greatest foes, his archnemesis, has returned once again. SPOILERS for The Immortal Hulk #750 by Al Ewing, Joe Bennet, Nick Pitarra, Ruy Jose, Paul Mounts, and Michael Garland follow.
A while back, Bruce Banner’s close friend Rick Jones died at the hands of an evil, Hydra Captain America. But Immortal Hulk established that what is gamma-irradiated can never die. Having once been A-Bomb, Rick Jones fits that bill. Jones returned to life, but he’s not like he was. He isn’t like A-Bomb either. Instead, he’s a ghastly figure that floats through the air and emits gamma beams.
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The last page of Immortal Hulk #33 reveals the truth of this change. After dealing with Xemnu and the Minotaur, Rick Jones sheds his skin. Beneath is the Hulk’s old foe, the Leader.
Those fans who read the milestone issue Immortal Hulk #25, will remember that it foreshadowed Leader’s return. In that issue, he received a message from alien beings in a future where the Hulk has become a destroyer of worlds. What the Leader plans to do with that message is still to come.
The Leader has long been the inverse of the Hulk. Exposure to gamma increased the Leader’s intelligence by the same measure that it increased the Hulk’s strength. The Leader died and went to hell for a time only to make an unexplained return. The new, immortal status of gamma-infused beings may account for that resurrection. He hasn’t appeared much since his resurrection, but it seems he’s now ready to square off with the Hulk once again.
Immortal Hulk #33 is on sale now.
Immortal Hulk #33
JAN200899
(W) Al Ewing (A) Joe Bennett (CA) Alex Ross
• Celebrating 750 ISSUES of the INCREDIBLE H%LKTM! Something is wrong. Something has compromised the simulacrum.
• EXTRA-SIZE HULK-SM&SHING ACTIONTM! Banner is refusing to yield. Something is wrong.
• PL#S! ENTER – THE THOUGHTFUL MAN! Something is wrong. Something is wrong. Something is wrong.
Rated T+
In Shops: Mar 25, 2020
SRP: $5.99
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