Marvel Comics has no shortage of classic stories. All Marvel fans have a favorite character or series they’ve been reading for a long time, but every now and then Marvel creates a story that draws everyone’s attention and stands out above the rest.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to take a look back at these classic stories and maybe help you decide whether or not you would like to check them out. Our next series sees the return of the big green guy and he’s angrier than ever before. After being cast away from Earth, Hulk has returned with a vengeance, and an army.
World War Hulk
As we learned during “Planet Hulk,” the Hulk was banished from Earth and sent to an alien planet by Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Doctor Strange and Black Bolt. After he overthrew an oppressive ruler and became the king of that world, his ship exploded, killing millions of his people including his queen.
Now the Hulk has taken his remaining soldiers, his warbound, and returned to Earth to get revenge on those who have taken everything from him. He gives them 24 hours to evacuate Manhattan, limiting his anger to those four heroes and not wanting to hurt anyone who he sees as innocent. Of course, our other favorite heroes are not willing to let the Hulk come back to Earth and start making orders.
However, even with all of the power of the military and Earth’s mightiest heroes, there is no match for the power of the Hulk. He is angrier than ever and therefore stronger than ever, and anything they throw at him just makes him angrier and stronger. There is only one hero who is a match for the might of the Hulk, and he isn’t exactly the most stable or reliable. But when it comes down to it, the fate of the world may lie on the shoulders of the Sentry.
This is a very unique story in that it carries the scope of those major crossover events but doesn’t call on a major Marvel villain to do so. Instead, it uses one of Earth’s mightiest heroes as the big bad. Hulk is known by most as an Avenger and a hero, but most are also aware of his destructive tendencies. He’s a polarizing character and there has never been another story that focuses on that so much.
“World War Hulk” is also a divisive story, in that there really is no right or wrong side. If you’ve read “Planet Hulk,” it’s hard not to feel for Hulk and his warbound after everything they’ve been through. However, if you’ve seen some of the other things Hulk has done, you can completely understand the decision made by Stark and company. It’s a lot like “Civil War” in this sense.
This story is also loaded with action, as most Hulk stories are. This one though, is a little different because you get to see a lot of fights you wouldn't normally see. Sure, we’ve seen the Hulk tangle with the Hulkbuster armor in the past (it has that name for a reason after all). This story gives us so much more than that though. For example, the Hulk goes toe-to-toe and fist-to-fist with She-Hulk, the Thing, Hercules, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt and many more.
None of those fights compare to the big finale though. The Sentry may not be the most well known hero in the Marvel Universe, but he’s definitely one of the most powerful. When he and the hulk finally come together, it makes for one of the most epic fights in Marvel history. Of course, the ending still has a little more to off than just the fireworks of that big battle, and it wraps everything up nicely, including “Planet Hulk.”
You can find “World War Hulk” here. And be sure to check out some of our other looks back at other classic Marvel Comics here.