The Immortal Hulk

• Core Identity: A groundbreaking redefinition of the Hulk mythos, The Immortal Hulk is a critically acclaimed comic book series that transforms the character from a sci-fi superhero into a terrifying figure of cosmic and body horror, exploring themes of trauma, death, and resurrection through a metaphysical lens.
• Key Takeaways:
• Role in the Universe: The Immortal Hulk re-establishes the Hulk not merely as a product of a gamma bomb, but as a supernatural avatar for a malevolent cosmic entity, the_one_below_all. It posits that gamma radiation is a mystical force that opens a “Green Door” to a hellish dimension, making any gamma mutate functionally immortal.
• Primary Impact: The series, primarily crafted by writer al_ewing and artist joe_bennett, fundamentally altered the Hulk's origin and power set, introducing the concept that he cannot permanently die. It integrated decades of continuity, including repressed alternate personalities like the “Devil Hulk,” into a cohesive and chilling narrative that became one of Marvel's most celebrated works of the modern era.
• Key Incarnations: The Immortal Hulk is a concept exclusive to the Earth-616 comic book universe. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has not directly adapted this storyline. The closest analogue is Professor Hulk's integrated personality in Avengers: Endgame, but this version completely lacks the horror elements, the resurrection ability, and the metaphysical connections that define the Immortal Hulk.

The concept of the Immortal Hulk was seeded in the final issues of the Avengers: No Surrender storyline, specifically in Avengers #684 (May 2018), where a recently deceased Bruce Banner mysteriously resurrects as a more cunning and terrifying Hulk. This served as a prelude to the launch of the dedicated series, The Immortal Hulk #1, which debuted in June 2018. The creative team, led by writer Al Ewing and primary artist Joe Bennett, with inker Ruy José and colorist Paul Mounts, set out to deconstruct the character. Ewing drew heavy inspiration from the Hulk's earliest appearances in The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962) by stan_lee and jack_kirby, where the Hulk was a more monstrous, nocturnal creature. He blended this with psychological elements explored in runs by writers like Bill Mantlo and Peter David, particularly the concept of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) stemming from Bruce Banner's childhood trauma. The series distinguished itself with a sharp tonal shift towards horror. Bennett's art specialized in gruesome “body horror,” depicting the Hulk's regeneration in grotesque and unsettling detail. The narrative leaned heavily into psychological and cosmic horror, abandoning traditional superhero fights for disturbing confrontations with supernatural threats and deeply personal psychological demons. The Immortal Hulk was a massive critical and commercial success, earning multiple Eisner Award nominations and redefining what a mainstream superhero comic could be. The main series ran for 50 issues, concluding in October 2021, leaving a permanent and profound mark on the character's canon.

The origin of the Immortal Hulk is not a new inciting incident, but a radical recontextualization of the established origin of the Incredible Hulk. It reveals that the Gamma Bomb explosion did far more than just unleash a monster from Bruce Banner's psyche.

The core of the Immortal Hulk's origin lies in the revelation that Gamma radiation is not purely scientific; it is a metaphysical energy, a form of “cosmic power” with a dark side. This energy emanates from a hellish dimension known as the Below-Place, which is ruled by the malevolent cosmic entity called The One Below All. This entity is the antithesis of Marvel's supreme being, the One Above All, representing pure rage, destruction, and annihilation. When Bruce Banner was caught in the Gamma Bomb explosion, it did more than rewrite his DNA. It metaphorically “killed” him for an instant, long enough for his soul to perceive the Below-Place. The massive influx of gamma energy permanently connected him to this dimension, painting a target on his soul for The One Below All. It also installed a metaphysical “Green Door” in his psyche. This door is the mechanism for his immortality; whenever a gamma mutate dies, their soul passes through the Green Door into the Below-Place, where they are inevitably resurrected and sent back to the mortal plane. The persona known as the Immortal Hulk is the manifestation of the “Devil Hulk” personality, a concept first introduced in writer Bruce Jones' run. Originally depicted as a purely psychological, serpentine monster representing Banner's darkest impulses and resentment towards the world, Ewing reimagined this persona. The Devil Hulk is now a cunning, articulate, and fiercely protective figure. It is the “father” Banner never had—a monster who will protect the “puny Banner” from a world that hurts him, but whose methods are terrifying and whose protection is suffocating. This Hulk only emerges at night, a nod to the character's earliest appearances. His resurrection is tied to this cycle; if Banner or any other Hulk persona is killed during the day, they will remain dead until sunset, at which point the Immortal Hulk will violently reassemble the body and take control. This origin story recasts the Hulk not as a “freak of science” but as a supernatural “gamma monster,” forever bound to a cosmic cycle of death and rebirth, and a pawn in the horrifying game of The One Below All.

To be unequivocally clear, the Immortal Hulk and his associated lore (the Green Door, The One Below All, resurrection) do not exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU's portrayal of the Hulk has followed a different developmental path focused on the internal conflict between Banner and the “other guy,” culminating in their integration. The closest thematic point of comparison is Professor Hulk (or “Smart Hulk”), who debuted in Avengers: Endgame. Bruce Banner explains that he spent 18 months in a gamma lab, putting “the brains and the brawn together,” merging his intellect with the Hulk's physique. This represents a resolution of his internal conflict, achieving a balance that the comic book Banner has only ever managed temporarily. However, the differences are more significant than the similarities:

• Tone: Professor Hulk is largely a source of comic relief and represents personal growth and stability. The Immortal Hulk is a creature of pure horror, representing unresolved trauma and supernatural dread.
• Power Source: Professor Hulk's power is purely scientific, a result of gamma radiation. The Immortal Hulk's power is explicitly supernatural and metaphysical.
• Immortality: There is no evidence that Professor Hulk can resurrect after death. In fact, he suffers a seemingly permanent, debilitating injury to his arm after using the Nano Gauntlet, a vulnerability the Immortal Hulk's extreme regenerative powers would likely overcome.
• Personality: Professor Hulk is Bruce Banner in control. The Immortal Hulk is a distinct, separate personality—the Devil Hulk—with its own motivations, voice, and sinister intelligence, who often acts against Banner's wishes.

While the MCU's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series touches on Banner's past trauma and the different personas he has dealt with, it frames this as a past struggle he has largely overcome. The MCU has chosen a path of healing and integration for Banner, whereas the Immortal Hulk comic series was a deep, terrifying dive into the opposite: disintegration and the horrifying consequences of his trauma.

The Immortal Hulk persona represents a significant power upgrade and a shift in the nature of the Hulk's abilities, moving them from the realm of science fiction to supernatural horror.

• Gamma-Fueled Resurrection: This is his defining ability. The Immortal Hulk cannot be permanently killed by conventional means. Upon the death of Banner or any other Hulk persona, his body will gruesomely and violently reassemble itself after nightfall. This process is horrifically depicted, with severed body parts crawling back together to reform the whole. He has returned from complete incineration, dismemberment, and even being dissected and stored in multiple jars. This immortality is powered by his connection to the Green Door and the Below-Place.
• Sinister Intelligence and Articulation: Unlike the childlike rage of the Savage Hulk, the Immortal Hulk is highly intelligent, articulate, and strategic. He speaks in full, often menacing sentences and possesses a deep understanding of his own nature and the people around him. He is manipulative and psychologically terrifying, often breaking his opponents mentally before destroying them physically. This persona embodies the “Devil on the shoulder,” a protective but malevolent father figure for Banner.
• Extreme Superhuman Strength: While all Hulks are strong, the Immortal Hulk's strength seems to operate on a different level. It still increases with rage, but it is also amplified significantly during the night. He has demonstrated feats of strength that rival or even exceed those of his other incarnations, such as destroying the entire Shadow Base facility with a single “gamma burst” thunderclap and physically breaking through temporal barriers. His power feels less physical and more cosmic in nature.
• Supernatural Regeneration: His healing factor is far more advanced than other Hulks'. It is a tool of body horror. He can consciously control his physical form to a degree, surviving in pieces and reassembling at will. He has survived having his heart ripped out and continued to function, and can weaponize his regeneration, for instance, by spitting acid generated by his internal organs.
• Gamma Energy Absorption and Projection: He has the ability to sense other gamma mutates and can forcibly absorb the gamma energy from them, effectively “curing” or killing them. He can also expel this energy in massive, omnidirectional bursts of devastating power, as seen in his attack on Shadow Base.
• Weaknesses:
  • Sunlight: Direct exposure to significant amounts of sunlight or UV radiation can weaken him, cause him pain, and may forcibly revert him to Banner. This was a specific weapon developed by General Fortean to combat him.
  • Metaphysical Threats: His greatest vulnerabilities are not physical but metaphysical. Beings with power over the Below-Place, like The Leader or avatars of The One Below All, can sever his connection to the Green Door, inhibit his resurrection, or even possess his form.
  • Psychological State: The delicate balance of power between Banner's personas is a constant weakness. If Banner's psyche is destabilized, it can weaken the Immortal Hulk or allow other, less effective personas to take control at critical moments.

As this version is non-existent in the MCU, we can only compare the abilities of its closest analogue, Professor Hulk, to highlight the conceptual differences.

• Integrated Intellect and Strength: Professor Hulk possesses Bruce Banner's genius intellect within the Hulk's powerful body. This allows him to function as both the team's scientist and one of its heavy hitters. However, it's often implied this “balance” comes at the cost of the raw, rage-fueled power of the Savage Hulk. He is strong, but perhaps not “World-Breaker” strong.
• Standard Superhuman Durability: He is highly durable, able to withstand incredible physical punishment. However, his durability has clear limits. He was significantly beaten by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, and his arm was permanently burned and withered by the gamma radiation of the Infinity Stones when he performed the “Blip” in Avengers: Endgame. This stands in stark contrast to the Immortal Hulk's near-total physical indestructibility and regenerative capacity.
• No Known Weaknesses Beyond Physical Limits: Professor Hulk does not have a specific weakness to sunlight or any known vulnerability to metaphysical forces. His limitations are physical and, as shown with the Infinity Gauntlet, potentially permanent. His greatest “weakness” is arguably a diminished level of raw ferocity compared to his Savage counterpart.

The Immortal Hulk's relationships are twisted, co-dependent, and often tragic, reflecting the horror-centric tone of the series.

• Bruce Banner: The relationship between the Immortal Hulk (as the Devil Hulk persona) and Bruce Banner is the central psychological drama. This Hulk sees himself as the ultimate protector of Banner, a role born from Banner's childhood desire for a strong father figure to save him from the abuse of Brian Banner. However, this protection is possessive and terrifying. The Hulk often takes control against Banner's will, viewing Bruce's attempts at a normal life as a weakness. It's a complex, symbiotic, and deeply unhealthy relationship where the protector is also the cage.
• Betty Ross (Red Harpy): Betty's death and subsequent resurrection as a monstrous, winged “Red Harpy” through the Green Door makes her a mirror to the Hulk. Their relationship becomes a tragic, monstrous love story. They are two beings bound by love, trauma, and their shared curse of gamma-powered immortality. As Harpy, Betty is more aggressive and less sentimental, but she remains one of the few beings the Immortal Hulk demonstrates genuine, albeit twisted, affection for.
• Gamma Flight: This government-sponsored team, initially tasked with hunting the Hulk, slowly becomes his reluctant network of allies. The core members include:
  • Doc Samson: As a gamma-powered psychiatrist, Samson is uniquely positioned to understand the turmoil within Banner's mind. His own death and resurrection through the Green Door force him to confront the horrifying reality of their shared condition.
  • Sasquatch (Walter Langkowski): When it's discovered that the mystical beast Sasquatch is actually a gamma entity that has possessed Walter's body, the Hulk is the only one who can “exorcise” it. This ordeal makes Walter a key ally in understanding the supernatural side of gamma power.
  • Absorbing Man (Carl Creel): A classic villain, Creel is co-opted into Gamma Flight and develops a grudging respect for the Hulk, recognizing him as a force of nature that cannot be controlled.

• The One Below All: The ultimate antagonist of the series and the source of the Hulk's horrifying immortality. It is a cosmic entity of pure hate and entropy, trapped in the lowest level of reality, the Below-Place. Its goal is to break through the Green Door, possess the Hulk (its “strongest” avatar), and use him as a vessel to consume and annihilate all of reality, becoming the solitary being at the end of time. It is not an enemy to be punched, but a conceptual horror to be endured.
• The Leader (Samuel Sterns): The Hulk's intellectual nemesis is reimagined as a master of the metaphysical. Having also passed through the Green Door, Sterns learns to navigate the Below-Place. He becomes a terrifying threat, capable of possessing other gamma mutates and even hijacking Bruce's father, Brian Banner, in the Below-Place. His ultimate goal is to seize control of the Hulk's body and the power of The One Below All for himself.
• General Reginald Fortean: Representing the military-industrial complex's fear of the Hulk, Fortean is the successor to Thunderbolt Ross. He is obsessed with killing the Hulk permanently. His Shadow Base organization uses advanced and sadistic methods to study and try to control gamma power. Fortean's obsession culminates in him grafting the classic Abomination's body parts onto his own, becoming a new, grotesque version of the villain, fully under the control of his hatred.

The Immortal Hulk's primary affiliation is with his own cobbled-together group of outcasts, who could be considered a dark reflection of traditional superhero teams. He briefly leads a faction of gamma mutates and allies during his “world-breaking” phase. For most of the series, however, he is a rogue element, actively hunted by organizations like Gamma Flight (before they ally with him) and the modern incarnation of Alpha Flight. He is considered far too dangerous and unstable to be affiliated with mainstream groups like the avengers. His actions during this period irrevocably damage his standing with the superhero community, who come to view him as a world-level threat rather than a troubled hero.

The 50-issue run of The Immortal Hulk functions as one grand, cohesive epic, but can be broken down into several key arcs that define the character's journey.

This foundational storyline establishes the new status quo. It follows investigative reporter Jackie McGee as she tracks a series of strange sightings of a “devil” who appears at night, dispensing brutal justice. She discovers it is the Hulk, now seemingly immortal and operating with a sinister intelligence. This arc introduces the core mysteries: How is the Hulk alive? Why does he only come out at night? The arc culminates in a confrontation with Sasquatch, revealing the supernatural element of gamma power, and the first mention of the “Green Door” and the malevolent presence behind it, setting the stage for the entire series.

This arc is a masterpiece of body horror and psychological terror. It focuses on the return of Rick Jones, not as the hero A-Bomb, but as a new, horrifying version of the Abomination, resurrected and controlled by Shadow Base. The story delves into the history of gamma mutation, revealing the horrific fate of General Ross's own gamma experiments. The climax sees General Fortean merge with the Abomination shell, becoming a walking monstrosity. The confrontation between Hulk and this new Abomination is brutal and disturbing, solidifying the series' reputation for unflinching horror and exploring the theme of humanity creating its own monsters.

This pivotal storyline shows the terrifying endgame of the Hulk's power. Transported to a distant future at the end of time, Bruce Banner witnesses what he is destined to become: the ninth and final host of the cosmos, now an avatar for The One Below All. As the “Breaker of Worlds,” this future Hulk is a sentient, planet-consuming force of entropy, tasked with devouring the last vestiges of light in the universe. This cosmic horror arc elevates the stakes from personal terror to existential dread, revealing that the Hulk isn't just a threat to Earth, but potentially to all of reality. It is a chilling exploration of destiny and the ultimate consequence of the gamma curse.

The final third of the series focuses on the master plan of Samuel Sterns, The Leader. Having mastered the Below-Place, he manipulates events from the shadows. He possesses Rick Jones, orchestrates the capture of the Hulk, and even takes control of the Green Door itself. This arc is a deep dive into the “inner world” of Bruce Banner's psyche, forcing all the personas—Savage Hulk, Joe Fixit, Professor, and the Immortal/Devil Hulk—to confront their creator and each other. The Leader's goal is to hollow out Banner and seize his body as the ultimate vessel for The One Below All. This storyline serves as the final, epic confrontation, resolving the series-long battle for Bruce Banner's soul.

While the Immortal Hulk is a specific persona from Earth-616, he builds upon and contrasts with previous “intelligent” or “malevolent” versions of the Hulk.

• Devil Hulk (Earth-616, Pre-Immortal): First appearing in The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #13, this original incarnation was a purely psychological construct created by writer Bruce Jones. It represented Banner's repressed rage at his abusive father, Brian Banner. It was depicted as a reptilian, demonic entity that existed only within Banner's mindscape, threatening to take control. Al Ewing brilliantly took this abstract psychological threat and made it a literal, physical persona with a cosmic origin, transforming it from a mental demon into the protector-figure of the Immortal Hulk run.
• The Maestro (Earth-9200 - Future Imperfect): Created by Peter David, the Maestro is the Hulk from an alternate apocalyptic future. After nuclear war wiped out most of Earth's heroes, this Hulk absorbed the ambient radiation, drastically increasing his power but also driving him mad with cynicism and cruelty. He is a genius-level intellect combined with world-breaking strength, ruling his domain as a ruthless tyrant. While both are intelligent, malevolent Hulks, their motivations differ. Maestro is driven by ego, nihilism, and a lust for power. The Immortal Hulk is driven by a twisted, protective instinct for Banner and acts as an agent of a cosmic force.
• Professor Hulk (Earth-616): The primary “intelligent” Hulk in the comics for years, also popularized by Peter David's run. This version was a merger of the Banner, Savage Hulk, and Grey Hulk personas, intended to be the “best of all worlds.” However, he was psychologically unstable, with a built-in failsafe that would revert him to a savage Banner with Hulk's strength if he got too angry. The Immortal Hulk is a far more stable and dominant personality, who doesn't fear his own anger but revels in it. The Professor was an attempt at integration; the Immortal Hulk is the successful dominance of one, specific, terrifying persona.
• Professor Hulk (Marvel Cinematic Universe - Earth-199999): As discussed, this is the MCU's take on persona integration. He represents a successful therapeutic outcome for Banner, where he finds peace. This is the complete thematic opposite of the Immortal Hulk, which argues that Banner's trauma cannot be simply integrated or “cured,” but is an essential, horrifying part of a much larger, darker cosmic picture.

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