World War Hulk saw the green goliath at his strongest and angriest, as he returned to Earth to make the Illuminati pay for the death of his wife.
World War Hulk was a massive crossover storyline that showed just how powerful Hulk was, especially when he was angry. It also brought an entire group of heroes who considered themselves the judge, jury, and executioners of the Marvel Universe, which they brought to its knees.
The massive crossover event contained some major moments that changed everything about Hulk’s place in the Marvel Universe. By the end, the battles with Hulk and his allies left several heroes in a state of disarray.
BEFORE WORLD WAR HULK
The entire conflict of World War Hulk started with a betrayal that began in the pages of Planet Hulk. The storyline, which played out in Hulk #92-105, saw a secret group of heroes known as The Illuminati banish Hulk from Earth and rocket him to what they believed was an uninhabited planet. Hulk Vol. 2 #92 by Greg Pak, Carlo Pagulayan, Jeffrey Huet, Christopher Sotomayor and VC’s Randy Gentile saw Reed Richards, Iron Man and Doctor Strange banish Hulk from Earth. Unfortunately, the planet he was banished to was not abandoned, and he ended up fighting for his life in gladiatorial battles.
Hulk persevered in this world and found acceptance, peace, and eventually love thanks to Hulk not only winning his freedom but eventually overthrowing the planet’s overlords and taking leadership over Sakaar for himself and his new bride. The two ruled in peace but it did not last. In the pages of Hulk #105, the ship the Illuminati used to banish Hulk from Earth exploded, killing his pregnant wife and many of the citizens on Sakaar. Hulk blamed the Illuminati and returned to Earth seeking vengeance.
WHAT HAPPENED IN WORLD WAR HULK?
World War Hulk played out across the five-issue limited series by Greg Pak, John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson, Christina Strain and Chris Eliopoulos. In this series, Hulk arrived on Earth with his allies, The Warbound, and humbled the Earth’s greatest heroes. He set his sights on the men who banished him and chose to make examples of them to prove to the world that no one would ever hurt him again. In these issues, he took out Black Bolt, Iron Man, Reed Richards, and Doctor Strange, and made them battle in their own gladiatorial games.
Outside of those issues, other tie-in issues held considerable importance in the storyline. In World War Hulk: X-Men by Chris Gage, Andrea Divito, Laura Villari and VCs Joe Caramagna, Hulk set his eyes on Professor X and worked his way through the X-Men to get to him. He learned Charles Xavier was not there to vote in the decision and spared him due to the recent mutant losses following Decimation. There was also a great battle in the pages of Ghost Rider #12-13 by Daniel Way, Javier Saltares, Scott Hanna, Dan Brown and VC’s Joe Caramagna, which showed why the Spirit of Vengeance chose not to stop Hulk. Finally, the story played out in Hulk’s own title, from Incredible Hulk #106-111.