Bruce Banner Is No Longer the Hulk — Marvel Unveils the Terrifying Infernal Hulk
Marvel’s Hulk status quo just flipped: Bruce Banner is no longer the Hulk, and a new, darker version called the Infernal Hulk emerges after events in The Incredible Hulk #30. The change is the result of a possession, eldritch sorcery, and a dramatic body takeover that will carry into a new ongoing series later this year.
- What changed in The Incredible Hulk #30
- Who Eldest and the Mother of Horrors are
- Infernal Hulk design and release details
- Where Bruce Banner ends up
- Creative team and exact quotes
What changed in The Incredible Hulk #30
In The Incredible Hulk #30, the demon known as Eldest possesses the body of Abomination, then tears Bruce Banner out of the Hulk and claims the Hulk’s body for itself. As a result, Bruce is sent to a dimension called the Requiem Plain, where he is left to die. The being that now occupies Hulk’s body eventually becomes the Infernal Hulk after absorbing additional dark power.
Who Eldest and the Mother of Horrors are
Eldest is described as the firstborn of the ancient Mother of Horrors, a figure who has been appearing in the series since The Incredible Hulk #1 (2023). For 30 issues Eldest has been plotting to steal Hulk’s power and free— or otherwise involve—her demonic mother. When Eldest reaches the Mother of Horrors and the Mother does not respond, Eldest devours her and absorbs her essence, which triggers the transformation into the Infernal Hulk.
Infernal Hulk design and release details
The Infernal Hulk’s look intentionally splits the creature down the middle. On the left is a blue-gray Hulk form; on the right is Eldest’s twisted purple demonic body. A shiny green gamma scar burns down the center where the two halves divide. Readers will meet this incarnation in its own first issue this November, with the new series launching on Nov. 26.
Where Bruce Banner ends up
After being pulled from the Hulk, Bruce Banner is cast into the Requiem Plain, described in the issue as a dimension beyond reality. The comic frames this as Bruce being left there to die, while memories of Banner are absorbed into the new Hulk entity as part of the possession.
Creative team and exact quotes
The new series Infernal Hulk is by writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artist Nic Klein, and it is set to launch on Nov. 26.
Johnson said: “I’ve been promising Hulk fans the biggest, boldest status quo change in Hulk’s history, and that time is finally here.”
He also stated: “There are monsters way worse and more powerful than anything we’ve seen so far,” and added, “Bigger and stronger than Hulk, with origins that go back to the foundations of the Earth. It’s time to take this story to the next level, and no corner of the Marvel Universe will be left untouched before the end.”
