Template:Future comic

World War Hulk is a comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics beginning in May 2007.^[1] The series is comprised of five main issues titled World War Hulk, with Greg Pak as writer and John Romita, Jr. as penciller, and three other limited series: World War Hulk: Frontline, World War Hulk: Gamma Corps, and World War Hulk: X-Men. It also runs through several other regular Marvel comics series, primarily The Incredible Hulk and Heroes for Hire.

The plot is the culmination of a series of events that began with the Hulk being tricked by the Illuminati and a life model decoy of Nick Fury into space, his subsequent exile seen in "Planet Hulk" and his imminent return to Earth to seek revenge on the Illuminati.

Publication history

The crossover begins with the one-shot World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker (May 2007), written by Peter David and penciled by Sean Phillips, Alvaro Rio, and Lee Weeks. Marvel announced this will be followed by Incredible Hulk #106-110 and World War Hulk: Frontline #1-6^[2] as parallel stories that follows the impact of the Hulk's return on various characters, such as J. Jonah Jameson, Ben Urich, and Sally Floyd. The crossover extends to regular issues of Avengers: The Initiative, Ghost Rider, Heroes For Hire, Irredeemable Ant-Man, The Punisher War Journal, and Iron Man, as well as a miniseries starring the Hulk and the X-Men and a newly created group, the Gamma Corps.^[3] The stories are scheduled to run through summer to early fall, beginning in issues cover-dated July 2007.^[4]

Synopsis

In his time spent on the planet Sakaar the Hulk has become stronger than ever before, and he wants revenge on the Illuminati. In his spaceship headed for Earth the Hulk is blinded by rage at The Illuminati, blaming them for the death of his wife, his unborn child, and the million citizens of planet Sakaar without confirming if it was actually the Illuminati who caused the warpcore to explode or some third-party. Each member of the Illuminati has expressed their innocence. Seeing his Warbound friends as enemies while training, he almost kills Korg and the Brood.

Reaching the moon, the Hulk defeats the Illuminati member Black Bolt. The Hulk proceeds to New York City, where he demands the presence of the Illuminati and that the city be evacuated.

Leaving for a short while, he travels to the nearby X-Mansion, home of the X-Men, where Professor X, one of the members of the Illuminati absent when they decided to send the Hulk off-planet, admits he would have agreed to send the Hulk away. The Hulk proceeds to defeat several teams of X-Men, and the Juggernaut. When Mercury led Hulk to the graveyard and told Hulk about the loss of some of their allies and mutants during Decimation, Hulk spares Professor X and leaves.

The Hulk returns to Manhattan to complete his ultimatum. Iron Man engages him in battle, wearing an enhanced "Hulk-Buster" armored suit, but is defeated after trying to subdue the Hulk with sabotaged anti-Hulk nanotechnology. At the same time, Ant-Man III tries to defeat the Hulk from within and is sneezed out and injured. Stark Tower is destroyed in the ensuing battle. After this battle, the Hulk battles the Ghost Rider and is beating him before the Ghost Rider leaves saying that Hulk is not bad guy here but the Illuminati are. The remaining Avengers teams engage the Hulk and his Warbound but are defeated, as are Doc Samson and the Fantastic Four. Mister Fantastic's plan to simulate the Sentry's presence in order to calm the Hulk also fails, as Invisible Woman attempts to have the real Sentry intervene. The Hulk crushes the hands of Doctor Strange (who was tring to get through to Bruce Banner), preventing the sorcerer from employing mystic spells.

After the Hulk becomes allies with Mastermind Excello, Hercules, Namora, and Angel, General Thunderbolt Ross calls in the U.S. Army, The Hulk defeats them, and with the Warbound transforms an area near Madison Square Garden into a gladiatorial arena.

At Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, Warbound members Hiriom and Elloe Kaifi defeat Iron Fist, Ronin and Echo. Doctor Strange, mystically invoking a powerful old enemy, Zom, restores himself, his shattered hands replaced by spiked maces, and defeats Hiroim. In the gladiator arena, Doctor Strange throws Hiriom's body in front of the Hulk and attacks him, barely able to hold back the influence of Zom. Strange punches the Hulk out of the arena onto a group of bystanders. Strange then knocks the Hulk into a building, which causes it to collapse on him and even more onlookers. Strange, aware that he could have hurt someone, flies down to find that the Hulk protected the people. Strange, now doubting his ability to control his powers, is beaten by the Hulk and imprisoned.

The Warbound has turned Madison Square Garden into a gladiatorial arena. At the arena, Hulk has a lion fed to an alien. Then Hulk then places Black Bolt, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, and Dr. Strange, all outfitted with obedience disks, up against a gigantic tentacle monster. The four defeat the monster using teamwork, but the Hulk turns the tables on them and sets them up against each other in a series of gladiator matches, the first fighters being Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man. Mr. Fantastic defeats Iron Man, and is then ordered by the Hulk to kill Iron Man. Meanwhile, in the Sentry's home, he sees the battle and leaves to fight the Hulk, declaring that it was time for him to play God.

Reception

World War Hulk #1 was at the top of the Diamond Comic Distributors' sales chart for June 2007, selling an estimated 178,302 copies.^[5] The first issue rapidly sold out and Marvel announced that a second print run would have a variant cover by John Romita, Jr.^[6]