The Indestructible Hulk, Agent of SHIELD

SUMMARY PAGE: HULK, PART I, MARVEL NOW!

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~Excerpt from Indestructible Hulk #5 (2013), part of Marvel NOW!

Analysis: Hulk, once a rampaging monster, it now a tool of SHIELD. Maria Hill and Bruce Banner have someone worked out a method for pointing the gamma-empowered behemoth in villainous directions for purposes of good. The main way we can tell if it's old Hulk or new Hulk is the armor he's wearing.

Indestructible Hulk #1 (Banner mentions that the Avengers faced the X-Men approximately one month ago. The Hulk now appears to be briefly separated from the Avengers again, starting with this issue. Meeting with SHIELD Director Maria Hill, Bruce Banner makes a pitch for their organization to use the Hulk as a weapon. In return, he wants a super-lab with state of the art equipment. To prove his worth, Banner is "aimed" at The Mad Thinker and dismantles his hideout and weapons. By the end of the issue, Ms. Hill decides to hire Banner on for future assignments.)
Indestructible Hulk #2 (Continues from Indestructible Hulk #1, but points out that Stark and Banner have separated and not seen much of each other, which may mean this issue and title could be moved in the future. Iron Man shows up at the SHIELD facility, looking for a reason why Maria Hill would employ Banner. She lets him look in on Bruce, and the two geniuses share a bonding moment. Banner has Tony escort him out to area where he can show off one of his inventions, but it turns into a brawl as, secretly, he Hulks out, and takes on Iron Man. The invention being tested, a gamma fracker, goes off an explodes, and the fight is over. By the end, Maria breaks in to communications and tells Stark that Banner is needed for a mission.)
Indestructible Hulk #3 (Follows Indestructible Hulk #2 after an unknown period. In the backdrop of finding a lab team to work with Dr. Banner, his next SHIELD mission is to replace a man named Professor Burke before AIM can extract him. Once captured, the villain named Colin Thirty-Three comes forth to find Banner becoming the Hulk. SHIELD then breaks in on the AIM operations, but not before Thirty-Three finishes his master plan, becoming The Quintronic Man. He fights Hulk, but, hey, this is the Hulk, and loses. Once Banner awakens, he's back in a hospital bed. Maria Hill tells him he'll be working with a bot that records all his actions. On the last panel, the bot gets smashed by a green hand when she leaves.)
Indestructible Hulk #4 (Continues from issue #3 after an undisclosed period, but points out that Banner makes weekly calls to Director Hill. This coordinates with the She-Hulk title here. Banner is now set up in a remote, desolate town with only his lab assistants, as promised by SHIELD. Maria Hill calls him away, though, once Attuma attacks the oceans with legendary creatures of Lemuria. Banner is transported to a Chinese underwater-version of the Helicarrier where he is armored and transformed into the Hulk. Indestructible as he may be, though, Attuma uses the undersea to his advantage, dragging Hulk further and further below.)
Indestructible Hulk #5 (Continues shortly after the previous issue. Although about to die, Hulk is freed by Rebel Lemurian forces. He changes back to Banner and assesses the situation, learning that Attuma is using Lemurian Alchemy to make the Universal Solvent. An acid, he'll use it to destroy the surface world population and take over Atlantis. Changing back to Hulk, the Lemurian Rebels lead a small raid on Attuma's base. The Hulk is swallowed by a gigantic monster, but it doesn't stop him. He reaches Attuma and throws him in the monster's maw. At the end, having saved the day, Banner leaves the Lemurians behind, but takes a Lemurian artifact with him.)

This is a Story Arc Summary Page provided by The Superheroes List. If you're just arriving, Marvel NOW! is a reformation of the Marvel Comics Publishing Group, reinventing and revitalizing their great superheroes and villains to the latest era. Are you interested in what's happening with Marvel NOW!? Well you're not alone. You can find the Reading Order and more information at The Marvel NOW! Reading Order. Twitter #MarvelNOW

Hulk Smash....Iron Man!

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #4: The Incredible Hulk

~Iron Man's biggest fear. From World War Hulk.

If there's one thing in the world that any superhero or villain wearing armor fears, it's the Incredible Hulk. Standing nearly 8ft. tall and weighting three-quarters of a ton, he's a enraged weapon of mass destruction. The Hulk is so fearsome as a foe, that word of presence is enough to drive most superheroes away, and to this date, no metal structure (except perhaps Adamantium) is capable of withstanding his onslaught.

Being one of the premiere icons of the Marvel Universe, The Hulk is actually not a super-villain. They call him a superhero most of the time, and he probably fits the definition of an anti-hero nearly all of the time. But Tony Stark and his iron-clad alter ego have good reason to add him to this list. Ever since Stark Industries, Stark Enterprises, and Stark Resilient have been supplying inventions and weapons to the government, military, and SHIELD, this unstoppable behemoth has been destroying them and proving their failure.

Most people will acknowledge the first Iron Man/Hulk encounter in Iron Man #305 (1994); that's when we saw the first Hulkbuster armor. Actually, though, they clashed much earlier, as far back as 1963 in Avengers #1, and the result ended up forming the supergroup of  Earth's Mightiest Heroes. As history has chronicled over the years, Iron Man and Hulk will consistently battle due to the nature of their origins: Hulk will inadvertently lose control and go on a city-destructive rampage (Re: The World War Hulk event), and Iron Man and his resources will be tasked with stopping him.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

The Avengers Give The Hulk His Shot

SUPERFUNNIES

Spider-Woman Draws The Short Straw

~Avengers Assemble #10 (2013)

Part of the Marvel NOW! event, the Incredible, or Indestructible, Hulk is still part of The Avengers in this issue. Unfortunately, he's contaminated. And angry.

Avengers Assemble #10 reveals it all when Tony Stark and Bruce Banner have a bet that turns a bit sour. By the end of this issue, the Hulk is host to an organism from the water he drank.

Are heroes and villains smart? Naw. #SuperFunnies updates every week on The Superheroes List. Here are the bloopers, flip-flops, and all-together moments of levity during exchanges of humor and snapshots of utterly ridiculous decisions in comic books.

The Avengers Movie Review

Somewhere out there, other worlds exist. And they have no intention of being friendly, especially when a power-hungry demigod Asgardian is looking for some payback. In a nutshell, this is the villainy you're going to see in the May 4th, 2012 release of the movie, The Avengers. I had the privilege of viewing an early release: It had everything you'd expect. And more. If you're a fan of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, you're going to get your money's worth; and if you've never heard of Thor, Iron Man, or any of the rest of these legendary heroes, you'll in for an action-packed story.

Let's get to the meat, though. Here's the important notes.

The Plot: Loki, Thor's brother, has made a pact with an alien race to invade the planet Earth. To get them across the cosmos, he steals the Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract. Fearing for the planet's safety, Nick Fury calls in Earth's Mightiest Heroes and forms The Avengers, who work together with difficulty, but eventually mesh together to fight for their survival.

First off, the characters. Most were top-notch, but I felt a couple of them were weak. At this point, I can now say that nobody plays Tony Stark better than Robert Downey Jr.; the two were made for each other. And Samuel L. Jackson actually was the inspiration for this version of Nick Fury, so we needed to look no further. Chris Hemsworth as Thor: perfect. I was also surprised how great Mark Ruffelo did as a burdened Bruce Banner; he came across perfect, had clever quips, and probably to the rest of us, became the most scrutinized actor because he only recently got the part after we learned Edward Norton was not asked to fill the role. Overall, we had reasonable expectations from them due to their appearances in all the prequel movies.

My disappointments came from some of the character designs and writing. Nick Fury: in my book, he's a no holds barred son of a gun. He plays with the big dogs; on the battlefield, he's as ruthless as The Punisher. I didn't see that, unfortunately. Captain America was mediocre to my liking. I'm a big Cap fan and didn't like the costume that much; he looked stiff and kinda thin. (I do realize that the Cap uniform is a tricky, though.) What redeemed the super-soldier was near the end when he started taking aliens down, barking orders, and coordinating the Avengers counter-attack. That's my guy!

Black Widow and Hawkeye were never billed as main draws to the movie; I felt they played well in the mostly supporting positions. I knew Scarlett  Johansson was going to have short hair, but I made amends. She played Black Widow well and the scene were she beat up a russian mob boss and his flunkies while tied to a chair was brilliant. Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) was interesting to me; I wasn't sure how they were going to pull off an archer superhero in a real life movie. Thumbs up, though; he was actually quite good and I loved how he could set his quiver for specialty arrowheads at a moment's notice.

The Action was great: If you ever want to make a successful superhero movie, add aliens or robots; something you can beat up on, which doesn't make you look like a killer. That's what happened here as Loki allied himself with the Chitauri to invade earth. This movie ran almost two and a half hours; although the first hour was slower paced, it seamlessly lead into a much more frenzied last half. Many of the battles were actually disputes between the heroes. The best solo fights in my opinion were Thor vs. Iron Man and Hulk vs. Thor; they really threw down. (No, I mean threw down through buildings, trees, battleship hulls, etc.)

The CGI and Special Effects were excellent. Hulk stole the show, not just with the renditions of the monster, but the writer's portrayal. In the beginning, he was surprisingly psycho-scarey, but by the end, you're laughing at the behemoth's aggressive nature. In all the cases, it worked. Superb.

My only problem, what surprised me the most, was the size of the handguns. I'm thinking Fury and Black Widow would be packing some sizeable heat; instead they were firing off pea-shooters that produce little "bang". I'm not sure why it was decided that they carry very small firearms, but that's how it ended up.
Tied into all this, you had the background and scenery, which I thought was a little dull at times. Much of the film took place on the SHIELD heli-carrier, a floating "city" where they ran their operations; this put us in grey and battleship steel sequences, aircraft cockpits and flight decks. But don't fret; the last half of the movie, aliens are destroying Manhattan, and you can never go wrong when New Yorkers are fleeing for their lives.

Overall, this movie was a success. I though it was going to be difficult to pull off a plot with this many superheroes; there's always a lot that gets left on the cutting room floor when you have a huge cast like this. In my opinion, it was better than any in the X-Men trilogy. There was a great deal of action, and even great moments of humor (sometimes very unexpected, like when Loki calls Hulk a stupid monster and gets throw back and forth before he can finish his sentence. That was incredible.) If you really want an experience, go for the 3D; it adds to the dimensional, sci-fi content because the special effects were great.

Last Note: Stay for the Easter Egg. Most Marvel flicks have a brief scene at the end; The Avengers followed the same pattern and you'll see a surprising character between the credit rolls. And yes, this means more Avengers to come!

This review is a supplement from the Superheroes List Blog, The Superheroes List website, and the Spotlight On The Avengers Movie fan page. If you enjoyed this movie or have another opinion, please feel free to chime in and Check out The List!

Hulk Will Smash For Pants!

~Incredible Hulk #7 (2012)

In the past, it's always come down to the tattered pair of purple pants. Not today, though, as we see in the most recent issue of Incredible Hulk.This time it's...grey? Khaki?

For once the Hulk critics can be at ease; they don't have to speculate how the big, green gargantuan can fit in Banner's trunks.

SuperFunnies updates every week (usually Thursday) on The Superheroes List.These are the moments of levity and humor, sometimes utterly ridiculous. You can also look for #SuperFunnies on Twitter.

Avenger #5: The Mighty Thor

~Excerpt from, Secret Invasion #6 (2008)

His legacy comes from folktales and Norse mythology, a deity of storms and unheralded prowess, the son of Odin All-Father. And then, one day, after centuries of technology, a mystical walking stick in the hands of Dr. Donald Blake brought back his return. Of all the Avengers, he remains one of the most powerful and unstoppable. He is Thor, God of Thunder, wielding his enchanted hammer, Mjolnir.

Thor's first appearance to Marvel Comics is Journey Into Mystery #82 (1962), at the time it was pure luck that a debilitated doctor would find a gnarled cane in the wilderness and be transformed into an immortal being of immense strength and fury. But when he struck it to the ground, he enacted the Asgardian powers within, transforming to the god who would eventually become and Avenger.

An original , Thor is one of the founding members who created the group in Avengers #1; it was his muscle which helped stopped the Hulk, but also his relationship to Loki, God of Mischief, which brought the entire villainy upon the team. After their formation, Thor has been a constant appearing force when they are in trouble; there have been occasions where he was on hiatus, but he is never gone long. And to be honest, it's hard to think of the Avengers without him.

The Top 10 Greatest Avengers is a countdown list provided by The Superheroes List. This is an event coinciding with the release of the 2012 Avengers Movie premiering May 4th. If you're big with Avengers trivia or superheroes, then Check out this List!

We've Found Steve Rogers

Fury's Big Week #8 (Agent Phil Coulson is wandering through SHIELD headquarters and runs into Nick Fury with some groundbreaking news; they've found the body of Steve Rogers! Apparently, he's alive and in suspended animation. All this suspense mounts in the backdrop of Stark's power source, the Asgardian wormhole event, and Banner's DNA. Hawkeye arrives at Project PEGASUS and meets Dr. Selvig; who Fury says has been acting strange. They exchange some words and we learn he is truly Loki, Thor's half-brother, in disguise.)

This is a running article which will be updated Mondays on the Superheroes List Blog, The Superheroes List website, and the Spotlight On The Avengers Movie fan page. If you're interested in this movie, keep your eyes open and Check out the List!

Nick Consolidates His Power

 ~excerpt from Fury's Big Week #7

Fury's Big Week #7 (After a shakeup around the northern hemisphere, Black Widow walks away from the devastated scene left by Hulk and Abomination, warning Fury that SHIELD isn't on this level of play against these gods, monsters, and machines of war. Nick contacts his superiors and begins a serious rundown of his week, telling them he'll need more authority, a bigger budget, and wider mandate; he also tying his operations into the restart of The Tesseract, also known as The Cosmic Cube. By the end of the conversation, he's given full consensus.)

This is a running article which will be updated Mondays on the Superheroes List Blog, The Superheroes List website, and the Spotlight On The Avengers Movie fan page. If you're interested in this movie, keep your eyes open and Check out the List!

It's Banner Time!

~Incredible Hulk #6 (2012)

This is the second time this year the Incredible Hulk has featured some of the most diabolical and twisted forms of malevolence. In this panel, this time, it's the unfortunate persona of Dr. Bruce Banner. Normally, he's the rational-but-tormented side of the big green machine; this time, however, he's gone completely mad.

In the Incredible Hulk series, Banner and Hulk are totally separated; each has his own entire body. The problem is, Bruce wants Hulk back. And he's been working on everything and anything gamma-related to reacquire the disease which once, not too long ago, had him rampaging across the globe.

In this panel, Dr. Banner is firing one of his deadly arsenal of weapons. Who's at the other end? Well, you can guess, but I can guarantee he big, olive-hued, and as mad as heck!

Villainous Moments is a column from of The Superheroes List, updated weekly (usually Tuesday). What are the bad guys doing this week? Macabre and unthinkable, grotesque and unbearable; here's your answer! Look for #VillainousMoments on Twitter.

Fury Spots Hulk and Thor

 Fury's Big Week #5 (In this Avenger Movie prelude, Nick Fury has his hands full with superhuman activity. Back at Culver University, Natasha Romanoff, The Black Widow, manages to sight Dr. Bruce Banner just as he transforms into the green gargantuan known as The Hulk. Back in New Mexico, SHIELD agents are reporting the appearance of a huge metallic monster (one that we know of as The Destroyer). Clint Barton, otherwise known as Hawkeye, arrives on scene just as The Mighty Thunder God, Thor, lays the magical golem flat.)

The Top 10 Greatest Avengers is a countdown list provided by The Superheroes List. This is an event coinciding with the release of the 2012 Avengers Movie premiering May 4th. If you're big with Avengers trivia or superheroes, then Check out this List!

Hulk On Scene!

Fury's Big Week #4 (When the hammer is discovered, Fury calls in Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, to act is part of the security in New Mexico. That's when Thor shows up, a scene from the movie, and attempts to grab the weapon. Meanwhile, Fury also has Black Widow on detail to pick up on Banner's trail before General Ross can get to him. We see the scene at Culver University where Banner transforms. The Hulk is the latest "batter up!")

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This is a running article which will be updated Mondays on the Superheroes List Blog, The Superheroes List website, and the Spotlight On The Avengers Movie fan page. If you're interested in this movie, keep your eyes open and Check out the List!

The Top 10 Greatest Avengers

 If you're a fan of superhero teams, you're probably already familiar with The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. We love them all - their brilliant technologies and mystical origins - but when you think about it, who really deserves to be among their best? What if you had to handpick your favorite Avengers for a mission? Who will mostly likely make it on your team? Who will fall by the wayside?

This Top 10 List answers that question.Gathered before us will be the ten greatest Avengers ever assembled in Marvel superhero history. This is not based on power-scales or good lucks; it's not just a popularity contest or a simple list of the original team. This will be an honest collaboration of all those important qualities, including the members who deserve nomination. Consistency, symbolism, contribution; it all counts.

Avenger #10: The Hulk

He's huge, incredibly easy to anger, and quite possibly the strongest creature on the face of the earth. That's right, you guessed it, he's The Incredible Hulk. From years way back, this green gargantuan was born out of a gamma radiation explosion which sent poor Dr. Bruce Banner into a tailspin of adventures. Once he loses his temper, he turns into this monstrous, often misunderstood, hero.

But why is Hulk one of the Greatest Avengers? Well, that's a fair question. Although the Avengers movie is premiering with this emerald behemoth, Hulk rarely works with the supergroup. (In fact, you could probably list the issues on both hands.)

What really puts him on this list is his infamy, level of power, and the Avenger's origin. Hulk is unquestionably popular and has already had his own TV series, a few movies, and cartoons honoring his status; he's also the top contender for "strongest" superhero in Marvel Comics. And finally, coupled with his appearance in Avengers #1 (1963), Hulk became one of their founding members. (Ironically, though, he quit the team around issue #2.). If he had spent more time with them, his position would be much higher.

And if you doubt Hulk's placement, recognize one fact: the Hulk has a consistent appearance in the Avenger's cartoon and a starring role in the 2012 movie.

The Top 10 Greatest Avengers is a countdown list provided by The Superheroes List. This is an event coinciding with the release of the 2012 Avengers Movie premiering May 4th. If you're big with Avengers trivia or superheroes, then Check out this List!

Dr. Doom and Hulk Means Mad Science

~Incredible Hulk #5 (2012)

Since the arrival of the new issues of The Incredible Hulk, out of the Shattered Heroes event, there's been a question in the minds of comic book readers: How can Banner and Hulk be separate entities?

Well, guess what? It's finally been revealed! In issue #5, it turned out that Dr. Doom, that notorious monarch of Latveria, literally separated the personas.

It's all part of the story. The Hulk is a true barbaric character now, no longer binded by the will that was Banner's. Yet, even though they are separate, we find that something continues to bring them together.

Villainous Moments is a column from of The Superheroes List, updated weekly (usually Tuesday). What are the bad guys doing this week? Macabre and unthinkable, grotesque and unbearable; here's your answer! Look for #VillainousMoments on Twitter.