[[{“value”:”
The Hulk is an incredibly popular Marvel character, having shown up in many movies and shows across the MCU. The character is a household name, which is why it’s so surprising that Marvel has continually fumbled the exploration of the Hulk teaming up with another majorly popular character, Venom.
On the surface, Venom and the Hulk should be a match made in heaven.
A horrifying potential outcome for the Hulk was revealed in the story “Host” by Benjamin Percy, Brian Level, Ruth Redmond, and Travis Lanham from Venomverse Reborn #1. In this story, the Venom symbiote crash lands on Earth and immediately takes over the body of Captain America. From there, it slowly jumps to each subsequent Avenger, taking over Tony Stark and Black Widow, looking for the perfect host.
Eventually, the symbiote decides that the perfect host is none other than the Hulk. Despite doing his best to fight it off, the Hulk eventually succumbs and is taken over by the Venom symbiote, becoming the perfect killing machine. Hulk presumably goes on to destroy the world, and surprisingly, this story is one of the few times readers get to see a Hulk fused with Venom.
Hulk-Venom Is a Surprisingly Untapped Idea
Second Printing Cover for Absolute Carnage: The Immortal Hulk #1 by Felipe Amdrade and Chris O’Halloran
When it comes to physically strong characters in the Marvel Universe, the Hulk and Venom are usually at the top of the list. Venom even defeated Juggernaut, another major heavy hitter, to prove that he deserves to be at the top. The Hulk and Venom have rarely fused over the years, with the most notable instance being when Venom fused with the Hulk to try and defeat Dark Carnage in the lead-up to Knull’s invasion. But this fusion didn’t even work, as the Venom Hulk was quickly defeated.
Hulk Gets His Own Mech Suit to Face A Terrifying New Venom Form
The Incredible Hulk gets his own mech to take on a monstrous version of Venom in an action-packed new series from Marvel Comics.
Another disappointing aspect of this could-be-iconic team-up is that it’s usually pretty boring. While the form always looks incredible from an art perspective, Venom Hulk just ends up being a bigger, more muscular version of the Hulk. The last thing Hulk really needs is more muscles. The Venomized version in Venomverse Reborn #1 does do something new, though, by adding a ton of new muscular arms to the Hulk’s traditional form. Increasing his muscle mass isn’t special, but increasing his number of arms and the range of his attacks would be a seriously terrifying addition to the Hulk’s abilities.
The Hulk and Venom Deserve a True Bond Together
This Team Up Should Be a Winning Combination
On the surface, Venom and the Hulk should be a match made in heaven. With Venom’s abilities, the Hulk would have a whole new level of agility and ranged abilities. The fusion could make him incredibly dangerous, but for some reason, Marvel has never committed to fully exploring this particular “team up.” The few times a Hulk/Venom fusion shows up, they’re quickly and easily defeated, or the story takes place in an alternate universe that fans will never see again. Hopefully, some day, Marvel will realize that this concept is pur gold and finally give fans the Hulk and Venomteam-up that they’ve been wanting.
Venomverse Reborn #1 is available now from Marvel Comics!
Hulk
The Hulk, a Marvel Comics superhero created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, is physicist Bruce Banner transformed by gamma radiation. He morphs into a giant, green-skinned creature of immense strength and invulnerability when angered. Struggling with his transformations, Hulk allies with other heroes, battling villains while balancing his intellect with uncontrollable rage, making him a central figure in Marvel’s universe.
“}]] Marvel needs to capitalize on this idea. Read More