Marvel boasts an incredibly long list of iconic and beloved characters. Everyone knows Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk. But what happens when everything is taken from one of those characters? What happens when one of those characters is plunged into darkness and forced to face the future alone? Well, in the case of the Hulk, we know the result is Maestro.
A new series from legendary “Incredible Hulk” writer Peter David dives into the mysterious creation of this even scarier version of the Hulk known as Maestro. Finally, we’ll get to see just what happened to Bruce Banner for him to become this futuristic monster.
Life is good for Bruce Banner. After years of dealing with the monster that is the Hulk, he has finally achieved balance and is living with his wife Betty and his sons. But is it too good to be true? Can the Hulk really be happy? Things aren’t exactly what they seem.
As Hulk learns the dark truth about the not-so-distant future from a very unlikely source, it becomes clear his life will never be the same. Now, he has to decide if he should try to make things right or give in to the darkness and become the monster he knows he can be.
“Maestro #1” is just the start of the origin story of the futuristic Hulk villain. So naturally, we’re left with things still very much up in the air for the Hulk and his surprise potential new partner.
One thing Marvel Comics does very well is create stories that fit into the real world. Stories like “Civil War” and “Secret War” take these iconic super characters and drop them into scenarios that allow us to see how things might play out if superheroes really existed. This new series feels as though it will fit that mold.
If we person’s whole world is taken from them and they are thrust into a future in which everything they know and love is gone, how will they react? It’s likely you can’t answer that question, even for yourself, so it stands to reason that the Hulk would be very unpredictable in this situation. So while casual fans of comics might be asking “why is this good guy becoming a bad guy,” it’s important to remember this real world influence.
“Maestro #1” is a psychological look inside the head of the Hulk. I know that sounds like a nightmare, but it’s really a very enjoyable read. It’s far from the typical Hulk story. There is much more thinking than there is smashing and that makes for a great setup for the rest of the series. This first issue certainly laid a very strong foundation for the series moving froward.
Maestro has always been a fascinating character, about whom we’ve known very little. So it’s great that we’re finally getting to learn exactly how this monster was created. It should be very fun to see how this story plays out and how we get from this very level-headed version of the Hulk to the future beast.
“Maestro #1” is available now.