Indestructible Hulk: Agent of SHIELD
Following the Hulk’s history is like a roller-coaster ride: he’s been gray, green, developed multiple personalities, gained and lost Banner’s intellect, had an abusive, alcoholic father, got shot off into space, became a gladiator, a rebel and a king, got married, became a widower, fathered a son, joined the Avengers . . . the Hulk’s been through a major wringer. However, the Indestructible Hulk series is the most ambitious plot arc I’ve seen so far.
Ever since the beginning, Bruce Banner has been obsessed with destroying the Hulk. He’s done everything from hypnosis to gene treatment, but nothing works. After so many, many years, Banner accepts the inevitable: the Hulk cannot be destroyed. Instead of letting the Hulk dominate his life, Banner instead decides to use the Hulk in a positive way.
This is a karmic turn for Banner. He’s one of the smartest men in the Marvel Universe, yet his obsession with the Hulk has prevented him from contributing to science. Tony Stark revolutionized human biology by constructing an artificial neural system. Reed Richards discovered an entire alternate universe called the Negative Zone. Banner? All he’s done is destroy things. But not anymore.
Banner strikes a deal with the SHIELD organization. They give him a state of the art lab, extensive resources, and a crack team of brilliant scientists ready to change the world. In return? They put the Hulk in suicide missions to bulldoze wanna-be supervillains with over-developed trigger fingers.
Suffice to say, Banner gets the job. And he hits the ground running. He uses his “Banner Time” (his words, not mine) in a pattern superficially resembling a training regimen. Each week is a new invention. And while the scientific jargon does go over my head at times, each new invention has world-changing potential.
Not that everything is roses and dandelions. Banner still has to prove to the superhero community that he’s not a threat. And while one would think that Banner would go out of his way to appease his colleagues, he’s rather stand-offish. His chip-on-the-shoulder dialogue laced throughout the comic makes him more of an arrogant genius (like supervillain Doctor Doom) than a pro-active anger management guy. His motto is “I’m here. I know what I’m doing. Don’t believe me? Get out of the way.”
After so many years of going back and forth between Hulk-outs and destroyed cities and the “will-he-or-won’t-he” musical chairs of a possible cure, this new set-up is refreshing. Banner finally has the chance to apply his genius to the world. While his attitude concerning the rest of the superhero community does seem like a prelude to Hulking out, he is building a legacy more than just senseless destruction. Whatever or not Banner can keep this new equilibrium is still up in the air.
Ah, what exciting times we live in.
Worldwalker 