Hulk 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

Hulk: 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

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From fighting as a gladiator on another planet to being the last survivor on Earth, Hulk has had quite a wild ride in the 2000s.

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Hulk 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

Marvel’s gargantuan hero Hulk has had a life full of pain and tragedy. The 2000s did touch upon such themes with a more existentialist perspective on Bruce Banner’s constant struggle to balance the human and the monster within him. Comics like Hulk: The End and Boiling Point bear testimony to this.

At the same time, this was a decade filled with unlikely team-ups and violent battles with other Marvel heroes like Iron Man, Wolverine, and The Thing. Towards the later years, Planet Hulk also debuted, leaving a major impact on future Hulk storylines.

10 Planet Hulk (Incredible Hulk #92-105)

Hulk 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

The Hulk can be both a bane and a boon for Earth’s superheroes. In a situation where his rage causes him to attack Las Vegas, the Illuminati take a collective decision to transport Hulk to a whole other planet. In his new world, Hulk goes on to become a leading gladiator while vowing to seek revenge back on Earth.

Planet Hulk continued being one of Hulk’s most popular storylines and inspired other intergalactic Hulk adventures such as Planet Red Hulk. The story was also adapted into an animated superhero movie of the same name, while some parts of it served as inspiration for Thor: Ragnarok.

9 Hulk: Gray (Limited Series)

Hulk 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

Dedicated comic book geeks would remember Hulk as having greyish skin in the initial comics. This reimagined origin story retains his grey skin and focuses on Bruce Banner’s early years as the Hulk.

Similar to other 2000s comic issues like Spider-Man: Blue and Daredevil: Yellow, this limited series found writer Jeph Loeb and illustrator Tim Sale exploring a melancholic and stylish glimpse on their character of choice. The callback to an old-school version of Hulk makes Hulk: Gray all the more unique.

8 Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk (Limited Series)

Hulk 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

When Hulk becomes a rogue warlord in Tibet, Wolverine is tasked by SHIELD to kill him. Hulk has completely taken over Banner’s personality but his monstrous side has still gained some rational perspective. As Wolverine sharpens his claws, he realizes that his mission is about Nick Fury’s secrets instead of his comic book rivalry with Hulk.

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With that being said, this face-off has enough surreal violence to keep readers hooked. Both characters have clashed in the past but not in such a manner. People can expect each of the hero’s healing factors to be tested to the extreme limits.

7 What If General Ross Had Become The Hulk? (One-Shot)

Hulk 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

This What If…? one-shot finds General Ross being subjected to the gamma rays instead of Bruce Banner. Instead of leading to a dual identity like in Banner’s case, Ross immediately turns into a “Hulked” version of himself. However, the violence that ensues with his enhanced state leads to not only the death of innocent civilians, but even his own daughter Betty.

For the first time, the comic gives Ross a taste of his own medicine. He had always been an ardent supporter of hunting down the Hulk. And in this twist of fate, he becomes the hunted. It’s also interesting to read about Ross turning into the creature in a pre-Red Hulk world.

6 Ultimate Human (Limited Series)

Hulk 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

In the Ultimate Universe, Bruce Banner had reworked the Super Soldier Serum with hopes of being the greatest mind on the planet. The side-effects turned him into the Hulk instead. In Ultimate Human, he seeks Iron Man’s help to immobilize Hulk forever. Even though Tony Stark succeeds for some time, Banner has no option but to unleash the monster yet again when Hulk’s comic supervillain The Leader makes an appearance.

Warren Ellis’ miniseries succeeds at creating a more savage and violent version of Hulk that readers have come to associate with the Ultimate continuity. As for his fights with Iron Man, the pages are filled with plenty of iconic panels.

5 Always On My Mind (Incredible Hulk #24-25)

Hulk 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

Betty Ross is definitely the most tragic figure in Bruce Banner’s life. So, when Abomination murders her, both Betty’s lover Bruce and her father General Ross hunt him down. When Bruce finally lays his hands on his foe, Hulk engages in one of his most violent duels ever.

Always on My Mind perfectly balances Hulk’s savage rage and Banner’s traumatic existence. Despite the violence, Bruce knows that he’s destined to lead a life full of pain. The acceptance that comes along with his morbid adventures humanizes his character further.

4 Hulk And Thing: Hard Knocks (Limited Series)

Hulk 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

Hulk and the Fantastic Four member Ben Grimm AKA The Thing have often clashed against each other in the past. But this time, the colossal heroes agree for a compromise. Grimm plans to use one of Reed Richard’s inventions to free each other of their monstrous selves.

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And yet, the plan backfires, leading to another adrenaline-fueled duel between the two Marvel titans. While the action is definitely worth witnessing, the comic also touches upon the similarities between Banner and Grimm. Both men have lost a lot ever since they turned into ‘monsters’. This comic shows their desperate attempts at leading a normal human life.

3 World War Hulk (Incredible Hulk #106-112)

Hulk 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

Set in the aftermath of Planet Hulk, World War Hulk covers the final moments of the green beast’s exile and his subsequent return to Earth. As he comes back to his planet, an over-the-top clash with Illuminati is bound to take place. Still donning his gladiator armor, he turns into a powerful version called ‘World Breaker Hulk’.

Just like many other Hulk stories, this one too carries a personal angle. Banner doesn’t just want revenge for being banished to a new planet. In their mission, the spacecraft that Illuminati used was planned to explode. But what the Illuminati failed to see was that the spacecraft also carried Banner’s pregnant wife. It’s this traumatic event that triggers him further. It goes on to show how Banner is destined to face one tragedy after the other.

2 Hulk The End (One-Shot)

Hulk 10 Best Comic Issues of the 2000s

A part of The End series of Marvel one-shots, this comic imagined a dystopian future for Bruce Banner and his evil Hulk self that manages to completely overpower him. Instead of facing any high-profile enemies, Banner just has to deal with himself as he lives in a world where all of humanity has been replaced by robots monitoring barren landscapes.

As he has lived for many years all alone in this desolate environment, Banner plans to give up on life because there is nothing left to live for. This is when the Hulk side of his personality kicks in and forces him to stay alive. This lonely existence makes for several introspective moments in the storyline. It is definitely a disturbing read but also gives one of the most personal glimpses of the scientist and the green beast he’s forced to face.

1 Boiling Point (Incredible Hulk #40-49)

After Hulk’s rage results in a televised murder of a child, Bruce Banner becomes a wanted fugitive. The meek camera-shy scientist is now America’s Public Enemy No. 1 and must do everything that he can to control his anger

True to its name, Boiling Point shows the disastrous extent to which Banner’s alternate personality can go. To make his troubles worse, he’s being chased by not only law enforcement but also a mysterious gun-wielding assailant. Such extreme situations test his patience to a great extent, making it one of Hulk’s most challenging adventures.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/hulk-best-marvel-comic-issues-2000s-decade/

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