WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Hulk #1, now on sale
Following the events of Immortal Hulk and the massive loss of life that followed his recent actions, Bruce Banner has decided it's time for a change. To that end, he recently attacked M.O.D.O.K. and stole a large amount of equipment from A.I.M. to design a new (and totally unexpected) means of controlling the Hulk.
Hulk #1 (by Donny Cates, Ryan Ottley, Frank Martin, and VC's Cory Petit) reveals that Bruce Banner has effectively transformed the Hulk into a giant biological mech suit -- transforming Marvel's Jade Giant into a fleshy Gundam.
Most of Hulk #1 is told mid-action, focusing on the new way Bruce Banner perceives his place within the Hulk. Seemingly taking place in a hyper-advanced control room, the setting is later revealed to be a personification of the Hulk's brain. Having come to the conclusion that the Hulk is immortal but Bruce Banner is not, Banner has decided it's finally time to take full control of the Hulk.
Despite his internal doubts (in the form of his ex-wife Betty) and fear that this plan will inevitably blow up in his face, Banner continues on undeterred. The plan effectively turns the Hulk into a three-pronged system, reminiscent of giant mechs from across science-fiction: the Hulk's body is the armor, containing the crew and interacting with the physical world.
Operating everything from the brain is the Bruce Banner persona, treating the room as if it were a cockpit. Meanwhile, the "Engines" for this new take on the Hulk are revealed to be the actual Hulk persona, trapped within his own mind. Confronting the Hulk with a series of threats to increase its rage, Banner has found a way to fuel the body with the nigh-unstoppable and limitless power this affords the Hulk.
Using this system gives Banner a degree of control over the Hulk that he's perhaps never had before. Even compared to something like Professor Hulk -- which saw the various splinters of the Hulk's persona united into a single unified person -- this Starship-Hulk is firmly under the control of Banner.
This gives the Hulk a ruthless and inventive edge that he's often lacked -- with this variant of the Hulk quickly proving strong enough to contend with the Hulkbuster while also remaining clever enough to outwit all of Tony Stark's ideas of containment. In effect, this is one of the more dangerous variations of the Jade Giant, a rendition of the Hulk who retains his intellect but isn't hindered by the Hulk's impulsiveness. This has allowed Banner to create a sort of "Mind Palace" that's so advanced, even Doctor Strange and assorted telepaths from across the Marvel Universe admit it's next to impossible to unseat Bruce from the captain's seat.
Even if the heroes could find a way to knock Banner out of control, they'd then be contending with a potentially fully enraged and untethered Hulk. One who likely sees these recent actions from Bruce as the ultimate betrayal of the unity they'd achieved at the conclusion of The Immortal Hulk. By equating the Hulk with a machine rather than a living being, Banner has found a way to do what countless others before him have attempted -- turn the Hulk into a weapon. In the process though, Banner might have found a way to enrage the Hulk more than he's ever been before -- and potentially created the ultimate doomsday scenario if -- and more likely, when -- he loses control of his new mech-like Hulk.
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