After a String of Letdowns, Marvel Is Finally Ready to Do the Hulk Justice

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After a string of let-downs and near-misses, Marvel is ready to do the Hulk justice once again. One of Marvel’s signature characters, the Hulk’s history is full of peaks and valleys, befitting a hero whose existence spans decades. Immortal Hulk, which concluded in 2022, was a high mark in the Jade Giant’s history, but Marvel has failed to deliver on its promise–yet that is about to change.

As reported here on ScreenRant, Marvel is gearing up to give its cosmic side a shot in the arm in the forthcoming Imperial, which will be written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello. The four-issue miniseries plunges the cosmos into chaos, as galactic leaders begin disappearing or dying, leading to multiple crises of succession throughout the Marvel Universe. Among the assembled groups jockeying for power include the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, the Nova Corps as well as the Hulk and his family. Marvel has remained mum on further details about Imperial.

The Hulk Was a Completely Different Type of Comic Book Character

A Number of Comic Greats, Such as Jack Kirby and Sal Buscema, Took Turns Chronicling the Hulk’s Adventures

One of the first heroes to debut in the Marvel Age of Comics, the Hulk’s arc has been a largely tragic one, full of misery and short on joy. In fact, Bruce Banner’s entire life, even before he was transformed into the Hulk, was full of heartbreak. His father, Brian, regularly abused young Bruce. The internalized hate and guilt were instrumental in creating the Hulk, as the raging monster is those same feelings given physical form. Bruce was already a raging ball of emotions by the time he was subjected to the gamma energy that completed his becoming the Hulk.

The Hulk was unlike other comic book heroes of his day. Most superheroes, particularly those published by Marvel’s cross-town rival DC Comics, were clean-cut, square-jawed and morally perfect. Marvel bucked this trend with their characters: the Thing, who debuted several months prior to the Hulk, was a rock-encrusted monster. The Hulk took it a step further by making the monster the hero and the focus of the book. Furthermore, the Hulk was not a “goody two-shoes” like Barry Allen or Ray Palmer, but instead just wanted to be left alone, which rarely ever happened.

During the Hulk’s 60-year reign in the Marvel Universe, a number of top-tier writers and artists have chronicled his adventures. Greats such as Len Wein, Herb Trimpe, Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema all had enduring runs on the character, each one introducing new and exciting elements to the character. Mantlo’s contributions are of particular note, as it was during his tenure that the Hulk reverted to his original gray color, as seen in his first appearance. Mantlo was also one of the first writers to draw a connection between the Hulk and Bruce Banner’s childhood trauma.

At the Same Time, the Hulk Has Had “Wilderness Years”

Then, in 1987, a then-unknown Peter David, just breaking into the industry, took over writing The Incredible Hulk. Under David’s decade-plus guidance, the Hulk soared to new heights. David ran with some of Mantlo’s innovations, such as the “Grey Hulk,” and, in the process, pushed the character in bold new directions. After David’s run ended in the late 1990s, various creators took turns at the character, including horror comics legend Bruce Jones. Jones drew on his background in the genre to create an unsettling story that took the Hulk across the country and into the heart of darkness.

The next great era in the Hulk’s life came in the late 2000s, under the guidance of Greg Pak, the mastermind behind Planet Hulk and World War Hulk. After an attempt to rid Earth of the Hulk by other heroes goes awry, the Jade Giant becomes a gladiator king on a distant world. In this world, the Hulk has a family as well as peace of mind, but it comes to an end, inadvertently, thanks to the Illuminati. Swearing revenge on the Avengers, the Hulk returns to Earth. These two events laid seeds that will be sown in Imperial.

Then came Immortal Hulk. Written by Al Ewing and drawn by Joe Bennett, the 60-issue series is considered by many to be the definitive take on the Hulk in the modern era. The series explored nearly every aspect of the character, including his childhood trauma and relationship with his abusive father. In addition to being an intensely personal story, Immortal Hulk was also a cosmic epic that stretched all the way to the end of the universe. When Immortal Hulk concluded, many wondered where the character would, or could, go next.

Since Immortal Hulk’s ending, the character has starred in two other books, with mixed results. The first, simply titled Hulk, written by Donny Cates and drawn by Ryan Ottley, took a decidedly different approach than Immortal Hulk. The science-fiction-oriented book failed to land with audiences, and Donny Cates’ car accident and subsequent long recovery put the book permanently on ice. A new Incredible Hulk series, written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and drawn by Nic Klein, leaned back into the horror aspects of Immortal Hulk. While good in its own right, the book still struggled to find a footing.

Jonathan Hickman Is Taking the Hulk Cosmic Once Again

The Hulk Is About to Become a Leader in the Marvel Universe

Now, Jonathan Hickman, who has masterminded a number of successful revamps in his day, is incorporating the Hulk into his new vision for the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. The advanced art for the Hulk as he will appear in Imperial invokes the character’s Planet Hulk gladiator-style look. The Planet Hulk era was a hit with fans, and is still fondly remembered, even after 15-plus years. In the mid-2000s, when Planet Hulk was being published, Marvel was revamping its cosmic side. Now that the publisher is doing so again, it is only fitting that the Hulk has a role in it.

What makes this new era in Hulk history so exciting is that it looks to be taking the character to new places. Planet Hulk demonstrated that he had all the makings of a great leader, but his time as a ruler was tragically cut short. Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley’s Hulk also showed the character could play in the Marvel Universe’s cosmic sandbox, and Imperial is picking this thread up and running with it. In this way, Imperial will not only be an awesome shout-out to Planet Hulk, but potentially redeem Cates and Ottley’s run as well.

Will the Hulk’s Second Tenure as a Cosmic Ruler Be Successful?

The Immortal Hulk was well-loved by fans and critics, and any follow-up was destined to not live up to the book’s greatness. Cates, Ottley, Johnson and Klein all tried to pick up Immortal Hulk’s threads in their own way, to mixed results. The Hulk can be a tricky character to write for, but Hickman has shown time, and again, he understands Marvel’s biggest icons. Imperial looks to restore the Hulk to greatness by trying something new: making the Hulk the head of a cosmic dynasty gunning for power in the Marvel Universe.

Imperial #1 is on sale June 4 from Marvel Comics!

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