No More the Monster!
MARVEL SUPER-HEROES — Issue no. 75, July 1978
Book: Marvel Super-Heroes
Issue No.: 75
Published: July 4, 1978
Title: “No More the Monster!” (reprint of Incredible Hulk no. 123)
Cover Price: 35¢
Format: Original paper copy
This Silver Age Hulk story (it was originally published in late 1969) opens with the Hulk strapped to one of Reed Richards’ (AKA Mr. Fantastic, AKA genius leader of the Fantastic Four) machines. The machine (built by Richards in collaboration with Hulk’s scientist alter-ego, Bruce Banner) is supposed to “cure” Banner of turning into the rampaging Hulk whenever he gets angry. It does this by completely disintegrating Hulk, then reassembling all of his atoms. And it works! The Hulk disappears, and Banner reappears in his place. You’d think a guy might want to chill for a minute after all that, but no. Banner says, “thanks for the help, folks,” and then heads out to see his long-suffering girlfriend, Betty.
Actually, first he changes into the Hulk again, but he does so on purpose, and the new Hulk isn’t a near-brainless monster — this Hulk retains Banner’s intelligence. If you know anything about the Hulk, you know this is a big deal. Then he changes back to Banner and says he’ll never become Hulk again. Banner is retiring from the Hulk business.
But! You know there’s gonna be a “but” in a story like this. Betty’s father (and certified Hulk hater) Army General “Thunderbolt” Ross needs Banner to Hulk out one more time. The military is transporting a fancy assault vehicle (it’s a tripod walker, kind of like a smaller version of the Martian tripods from War of the Worlds) to a testing site, and the General wants Banner/Hulk to protect it from any bad guys who might attempt to steal the vehicle.
Banner reluctantly agrees, and a couple of pages later Hulk arch-enemy the Leader (he’s kind of the opposite of the Hulk — he’s a little green guy with a big, gamma-powered brain) steals the tripod walker and then attacks Banner with it. Banner Hulks out and destroys the vehicle and starts regressing into the old, angry, not smart Hulk. But Banner regains control and un-Hulks himself. The Leader runs away in defeat. And Banner promises this time he’s really really done forever with being Hulk.
I’ll be surprised if he makes it through the next issue of Marvel Super-Heroes without Hulking out. But we’ll see.
Next time — The Fantastic Four fight the Mole Man!