Summary

• Incredible Hulk's power puts the Marvel Universe at risk, leading to his exile by the Illuminati.
• Hulk's fight with Thing in Fantastic Four #535 highlights his indestructibility and triggers the "Planet Hulk" storyline.
• Hulk's final crime is a result of trauma and fear, and is not entirely his fault. His exile from Earth highlights the tragic nature of the character.

The Incredible Hulk is undoubtedly one of the most powerful forces in Marvel Comics. Many times, Bruce Banner’s strength has been used to save the world, but it’s just as often put the citizens of the Marvel Universe in unparalleled risk. And when a devastating rampage pit the Hulk against the Fantastic Four, it became clear that Hulk was too dangerous to remain free – and according to the Illuminati, too dangerous to remain on Earth.

Fantastic Four #535 by J. Michael Straczynski, Mike McKone, Andy Lanning, Cam Smith, Paul Mounts, and Rus Wooton finds the Hulk disoriented after surviving a Gamma Bomb at point-blank range. Traumatized into hallucinating some of his worst memories and greatest fears, Hulk lashes out against the nearby Thing, kickstarting a brawl that tears through Las Vegas.

Confused and angrier than ever, Hulk nearly murders the Thing, until a supernova attack by Human Torch brings him to his senses. And while the heroes deescalate the situation without any further damage, this near-disaster proved to be the Hulk’s final strike.

Hulk’s Fight With The Thing Leads Directly To "Planet Hulk"

Following this misadventure, the Hulk is almost immediately tricked into space on a mission from Nick Fury. This in turn opens the window for the Illuminati to permanently exile the Banner from the Earth in the pages of Incredible Hulk #91 by Greg Pak, Carlo Pagulayan, Jeffrey Huet, Chris Sotomayor, and Randy Gentle and kickstarting the fan-favorite “Planet Hulk” and “World War Hulk” storylines. But it’s interesting to note that it's not the damage caused by this conflict against the Four that pushes Marvel’s heroes towards getting rid of Bruce Banner for good – it is Hulk’s own durability.

The most unfortunate aspect of Hulk’s final crime is the fact that he himself is a victim.

Not only does Hulk batter Thing to near-death, but he withstands a supernova attack from the Human Torch at point-blank range without so much as a scratch. All the while, Hulk’s own worst fears remind him that he’s an unkillable monster, egging him on to even more destruction. The Thing even acknowledges Hulk’s indestructibility at the end of the issue by joking that the only way to get rid of the Hulk is to send him into space – a plan that Mr. Fantastic clearly takes too seriously.

Hulk’s Rampage Is Not His Fault

The most unfortunate aspect of Hulk’s final crime is the fact that he himself is a victim. The only reason he is exposed to the Gamma Bomb that addles his mind is his own attempt at being a hero, and after the detonation, Bruce is goaded by his greatest fears and traumas into lashing out. What the Hulk actually needs is the of his friends, and instead, they tragically take the opportunity to exile him because of a disaster that isn’t even the Hulk's fault.

The Hulk has always been a tragic character, and with persistent speculation of a World War Hulk movie coming to the MCU, it would be interesting to see the silver screen finally re-embrace that tragedy by exploring the potential of a Hulk falsely accused. Until then, Bruce Banner’s trauma will confine itself to the comics. With any luck, the Green Goliath will never be victimized by his own friends ever again. But given the history of Marvel’s own Incredible Hulk, that’s highly unlikely.

Fantastic Four #535 and Incredible Hulk #91 are available now from Marvel Comics.