Hulk #13

[Cable]

We finally find out the secret of how Spaceship Hulk came to be

Full Spoilers:

Spoiler: show

The book opens with a flashback of Dr Strange helping Bruce Banner construct his 'mind palace,' an internal world where Bruce can shape reality. This will finally allow him to solely be in control and wield the power of the Hulk. But this is breaking all kinds of rules of magic so Bruce is not to tell this to anybody. Fast forward to right after the events of El Paso when a bloody Banner is speaking to Strange and is confused about what happened. He says it must have something to do with the magic but Strange says that isn't so and he will look into what is going on. Banner instead Hulks out and says he is leaving this place rather than hurt any more people. Strange should not look for him he says as he leaps away; Dr. Strange is left saying "that wasn't part of the plan." We then see a page recapping Hulk stealing MODOK's space-travel tech and turning himself into Spaceship Hulk. Now in the present a badly wounded Monolith wakes up to find the city in ruins. Pave and Brutal are still alive but also horribly mutilated. Pave is gathering pieces of all the destroyed gamma beings so they can heal back together again. But he says Hulk is in so many pieces he may never come back. Out of the rubble then comes Hulk, but in his dark Titan form. He throws a boulder at Monolith but Brutal intervenes and tries to fight. Hulk kills him. Monolith orders Hulk's death. By this point the astral form of Dr Strange shows up, Stephen having cast it through a portal while Doc Sasquatch looks on. The astral form enters into Hulk's mind and can detect a familiar magical energy. He encounters Titan in the control room and tries to bind him up with a spell. Titan is able to cast him out all the way back into his physical body. Strange tells Sasquatch he knows who is responsible here and disappears through a different portal. Back on the gamma planet the Titan-Hulk is murdering everyone. Pave wants to flee but Monolith resolves to fight. The astral form of Strange shows up again and he is holding an orb. He speaks to the orb, saying he will free the being inside but they must dismantle what they built or continue suffering his new powers of containment. Out of the orb comes D'Spayre, and Strange accuses him of masquerading as Stephen in order to trick Banner into building the mind palace. D'Spayre claims to have just acted as a servant to another, as he begins dismantling the mental structure. Outside, Monolith is pleading for Bruce to fight against Titan but he is ripping her apart. Inside Hulk, Titan has captured Strange and the sorcerer's physical body begins to be pulled through the portal. Sasquatch grabs him to try to stop this but as they are both pulled through Strange says that planet, this planet, everything is doomed!

I like the reveal of the secret villain this issue. Though were there any clues to this? If there were they flew over my head. But it is almost like this issue is a follow-up to Incredible Hulk #360 where at the end he promised to get revenge on Banner. Then did nothing about it for over 30 years. He plays the long game. Though this issue does suggest he is only acting at the direction of someone else. Who could that be? Nightmare seems too easy of a guess. But I suppose we will never know since the world ends at the end of this issue.

[BardicOne]

This whole run has been a wild ride of "I feel like this sounded so much better in outline form when it was pitched." There is a lot of good going on but it's felt poorly managed and paced at times. Still anytime we get a villain who isn't a given heroes "Rogues Gallery Top 3" I'm happy.