Marvel’s New Hulk is Scarier Than Ever Before

Published 3 days ago

John Dodge is an MTV Writer for CBR who specializes in movies, television, comics, and pop culture. He has a deep knowledge of franchises likeMighty Morphin Power Rangers,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,Marvel, andDC Comics, along with a passion for indie and horror titles. An expert on obscure productions from the ’80s and ’90s, John is known for his encyclopedic recall of cult classics likeBeetleborgs.

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The following contains major spoilers forThe Infernal Hulk#1, on sale November 26 from Marvel Comics.

The Marvel Universe has a brand new Hulk, and it has no idea how to deal with him.

In a preview ofThe Infernal Hulk#1 (by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Nic Klein, Matthew Wilson, and VC's Cory Petit) from Marvel Comics, readers find a band of soldiers bracing themselves for the impending arrival of Bruce Banner, better known as the Hulk. At least, that is who the soldiers think they have been sent to collect, and they are partially correct in so much as it is indeed the Hulk they are facing. Unfortunately, Bruce Banner is nowhere to be seen, and the Infernal Hulk as he stands today is anything but one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

The Infernal Hulk #1

Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art by NIC KLEIN
Colors by MATTHEW WILSON
Letters by VC's CORY PETIT
Design by CARLOS LAO
Main cover art by NIC KLEIN
Variant covers by DAN PANOSIAN; NIC KLEIN; and STEPHEN SEGOVIA & JESUS ABURTOV

The official solicit synopsis forThe Infernal Hulk#1 from Marvel Comics reads, "The evil known as Eldest has literally torn Bruce Banner and the Hulk apart and taken the Hulk's body as their own. This new, unstoppable Infernal Hulk is ten times the monster that everyone always feared Hulk would be. Their diabolical plan is to plunge the world back into ancient horrors by transforming our heroes into nightmarish beasts! Meanwhile, the indomitable Bruce Banner, though powerless, will stop at nothing to thwart their evil schemes!"

The ancient evil known as the Eldest was first seen in Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Travel Foreman's "Epilogue" from the pages of 2023'sHulk Annual#1. One of the few entities not created by the One Above All, the Eldest wasbirthed from Vinruviel, aka the Mother of Horrors. After countless eons of biding her time and searching for a fitting vessel, the Eldest set her sights on the Hulk as the one potential host who might actually be capable of freeing her mother.

In a devastating turn, the Hulk was ultimately possessed by the Eldest, who was finally able to reach the ancient prison where the One Below All had held the Mother of Horrors all this time. Rather than finding a fierce and vengeful force of nature, however, the Mother of Horrors had been reduced to a mere husk of her former self, leaving the Eldest to quite literally consume her monstrous mother and gain every ounce of power that Vinruviel let slip away.

Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson previouslyopened up about what fans can expect fromThe Infernal Hulk ahead of the series' release, noting that "I’ve been promising Hulk fans the biggest, boldest status quo change in Hulk’s history, and that time is finally here...Infernal Hulkis the beginning of a terrifying new normal, not just for the Hulk series but for the entire Marvel Universe."

The Infernal Hulk#1 goes on sale November 26 from Marvel Comics.