The Hulk is known as a misunderstood monster, but one version of Bruce Banner’s inner behemoth isn’t misunderstood – he’s a straight up cannibal killer, and Marvel is officially unleashing him just in time for Spider-Man to deal with the fallout.
Introduced in 2001, Marvel’s ‘Ultimate Hulk’ isn’t like the mainstream version. Grey-skinned and green-eyed, this version of the Jade Giant is Bruce Banner’s insecurities and repressed urges run wild, killing his enemies and eating innocents whenever he bursts loose. Fans thought the character was forgotten, but Marvel confirms he’s back with style.
Now, the grey-skinned Ultimate Hulk is taking lives once again, and Spider-Man has to clean up the fallout…
The Ultimate Hulk Finally Returns, As Brutal as Ever
In the recent What If…? Secret Wars #1 – from Alex Paknadel, CAFU, David Curiel and Ariana Maher – the mainstream Spider-Man of Earth-616 finds himself permanently stranded on Earth-1610, aka the original Ultimate Universe. Peter Parker being who he is, he quickly signs up with SHIELD, becoming a member of the Ultimates alongside this world’s Falcon, Iron Man and Hulk. However, Peter quickly realizes they’re not the type of heroes he knows.
Conceived in the aftermath of 9/11, the Ultimate Universe of the 2000s was a deeply cynical imprint where death was both shocking and permanent. In this world, Bruce Banner is no hero – he’s a selfish, self-hating creep with repressed rage at everyone around him. On a mission to defeat the villainous Kraken, Hulk plunges a hand through his heart then rips him in two, making Peter all too aware he’s in the wrong universe.
The scene references the iconic moment in Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk where Ultimate Hulk tore Wolverine in two, flinging his legs miles up a mountain. In this case, however, his target doesn’t have a healing factor to save their lives.
The Ultimate Hulk ate several people over the course of The Ultimates, including medical staff, the villainous Herr Kleiser and a group of farm workers.
Spidey’s loss of faith in SHIELD leads to events that kill several major heroes, with Peter starting a new iteration of the Ultimates to give power to the people, rather than Nick Fury’s hired killers.
Ultimate Hulk Is Too Unique to Forget
It’s no secret that a lot of the Ultimate Universe has aged poorly, especially some of the ‘grim and gritty’ developments like Cyclops’ assassination and Iron Man and Black Widow’s sex tape leak. However, this version of the Hulk – as characterized by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch – did something new and compelling with the character.
Millar and Hitch took the idea of Hulk as a modern-day Jekyll and Hyde seriously, imagining the kind of person with enough repressed rage to turn into a towering monster, and what that monster would be. Ultimate Hulk was a bundle of neuroses – the living embodiment of Bruce Banner’s rage, lust and cruelty. While he helped America’s heroes on multiple occasions, it wasn’t so much as a teammate as a living bomb they could drop on their enemies.
Marvel has been teasing the return of the Ultimate Universe since 2017, with that year’s Ultimates 2 actually bringing the Ultimate Hulk into Earth-616 canon. However, for almost a decade now, nothing has been done with this universe or character. It’s past time Marvel made use of this unique character, especially since What If…? Secret Wars shows how at odds his brand of heroism is with Marvel’s other heroes.
Spider-Man’s latest appearance brings him face to face with the Ultimate Universe’s brutal ‘cannibal Hulk,’ and the experience is so jarring that Peter Parker starts a worldwide revolution off the back of it – showing just how much the Ultimate Hulk has to offer if Marvel grants him a true, ongoing return.
What If…? Secret Wars #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
- First Appearance
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The Incredible Hulk (1962)
- Alias
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Robert Bruce Banner
- Alliance
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Avengers, Defenders, Horsemen of Apocalypse, Fantastic Four, Pantheon, Warbound, S.M.A.S.H., Secret Avengers
- Franchise
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Marvel