He is a close compatriot to General Thaddeus Ross and an active participant in his operations to capture or kill the Hulk. His most significant blow is discovering and informing his superiors that Doctor Bruce Banner physically transformed into the Hulk, which made the scientist a wanted fugitive. Initially, Talbot was consistently portrayed as a courageous, resourceful, and fiercely patriotic man who puts the good of his country before all else. He is romantically attracted to Betty Ross, who is in love with Bruce Banner, which adds fuel to his enmity for the Hulk. Though Talbot was mostly used as a romantic rival and general adversary for Banner, the two sometimes worked together to battle greater menaces. Eventually, the character came to be portrayed as unsympathetic in his obsession with destroying the Hulk, and was embittered by the failure of his relationship with Betty Ross.
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Glenn Talbot was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1964 and first appeared in the Hulk feature of Tales to Astonish #61. He was a key character in the series' long-running story arc in which Bruce Banner/Hulk is suspected of being a communist traitor, and would remain a part of the Hulk's supporting cast long after Tales to Astonish had been renamed The Incredible Hulk.
Fictional character biography
Glenn Talbot was a career military man. When General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross contacts the Pentagon to request an investigation of civilian scientist Robert Bruce Banner, Talbot is put in charge of reviewing whether or not such an investigation is merited. After two weeks studying records of Dr. Banner's career, Talbot concludes that Ross' suspicions that Banner is a traitor are well-founded, and reports this to the Pentagon. The Pentagon responds by appointing Talbot security chief for Gamma Base, where Ross is the commanding officer. While reporting for duty to General Ross, Talbot meets the General's daughter Betty Ross, who is in love with Banner. He is immediately attracted to her and tries to court her without losing focus on his investigation of Banner. General Ross encourages this, as he objects to Betty's love for Banner all together, whether he was a traitor or not, because he feels that Banner is too timid emotionally and physically. Ross believes that Talbot, a military man like himself, would be a much better suitor for his daughter.[2]
Talbot's suspicions of Banner are heightened when, upon Talbot's arrival at the base, the scientist mysteriously goes missing in the hills nearby.[3] Further suspicious circumstances follow, including Banner disappearing behind the Iron Curtain for a time, but proof that Banner is a traitor continues to elude Talbot.[4] However, when Banner disappears with the vital Absorbatron, orders are given to shoot him on sight, and the scientist is killed by a soldier.[5] Talbot is retained as the base's security chief, and he and Ross continue to pursue the Hulk until he, too, is seemingly killed by a barrage of nuclear weapons.[6] At Talbot's suggestion, the Hulk's frequent companion Rick Jones is taken into custody in order to pressure him into revealing the connection between Banner and the Hulk. When Jones still refuses to talk, he is set free, and Talbot confronts him privately. Persuaded in part by the fact that the Hulk is seemingly dead, Jones confesses to Talbot that Banner and the Hulk were one and the same. Talbot realizes that Banner being the Hulk explains all his past suspicious behavior, and subsequently informs his superiors.[7]
Subsequently, the Hulk is found still alive, and is captured using a plan devised and orchestrated by Talbot. The creature is subsequently freed by the traitor Dr. Konrad Zaxon,[8] and Talbot twice fails to prevent Betty from being abducted by supervillains.[9] However, he redeems himself by facing down Boomerang, preventing the villain from stealing the army's new Orion Missile despite a shrapnel wound. He is awarded one of the nation's highest honors for his heroism on this occasion.[10] Despite this, he is unable to convince Betty to relinquish her feelings for Banner, and he continually hopes that the army will be forced to kill the Hulk, so that Betty will eventually forget him.[11] He finally succeeded and married Betty all the while attempting to keep her away from Banner and the Hulk.[12]
Talbot is taken hostage by the Gremlin,[13] rescued some months later it was discovered that his captivity had left him catatonic. In order to unblock his mind, Doctor Leonard Samson had the Hulk (who was Banner under control by a special helmet) unblock what was keeping him in a mindless state. The process was a success.[14] However, Talbot's marriage to Betty later became strained.[15]
Yet he did take a leave from Gamma Base and soon divorced Betty, who later admitted to Rick Jones that she had never stopped loving Bruce Banner. Talbot continued battling the Hulk and tried to have Banner court-martialed. When General Ross had a breakdown, Talbot was promoted to Colonel. His life remained relatively uneventful until the Hulk stormed into Gamma Base, looking for his deceased love Jarella, who was still cryogenically frozen. It was revealed Talbot had fired a ray gun that sent the Hulk to the Sub-Atomic universe. This incident was the final straw in his already deteriorated relationship with Betty. Soon Congress cut funds from Gamma Base and Talbot decided once and for all to stop the Hulk by using the War Wagon.[16]
Glenn Talbot was killed fighting the Hulk in Japan while piloting the War Wagon prototype.[17] Later, however, he was seen alive and well, in the company of Betty Ross; at the time, the circumstances of his apparent resurrection were not revealed.[18]
As the attempted coup d'état of Washington, D.C. takes place, Colonel Talbot appears on national TV as part of the Intelligencia's plan to seize control - only to be revealed as an L.M.D. himself when the Red Hulk decapitates him.[19] This L.M.D. was so thoroughly reprogrammed that it believed itself to be the resurrected Glenn Talbot, complete with all of Talbot's memories including his love for Betty Ross. The real Talbot is presumed to have remained dead all this time.
During the "Chaos War" storyline, Glenn Talbot returned from the dead after what happened to the death realms.[20] Although, Glenn Talbot and other dead heroes concluded returned to the grave after the Chaos King is defeated.[21]
Family
Since his "death" two of Talbot's relatives have also appeared. He has a younger brother named Brian Talbot who was a member of the Gamma Corps as Grey (who sports the DNA of Hulk and Leader). Trained in martial arts. The Leader DNA does not make Grey as smart as Prodigy but he has a brilliant military strategist and it seems to have been meant as a way to prevent him from losing control. Brian was often bullied and beaten by his older brother and had actually been delighted to hear of his death. He claimed he joined the Gamma Corps because the Hulk was dangerous but really it was to do what Glenn could not - destroy the Hulk.[22]
Talbot also has a nephew named Matt Talbot, who is also a member of the military.[23]
Other versions
In the alternate reality depicted in the 2005 House of M storyline, Glenn Talbot is married to Betty Ross.[24]
In the 2012 miniseries Avengers: X-Sanction, Cable initially mistakes Red Hulk for a foe of his from the future named 'Talbot', suggesting that one of Talbot's relatives will become another Red Hulk at some future.[26] Future versions of Wolverine and Hulk (resembling Old Man Logan and Maestro respectively) speak to the President of the United States who resembles a Red Hulk with Talbot's mustache.[27]
Glenn Talbot appears in The Incredible Hulk (1996), voiced by Kevin Schon. This version serves as General "Thunderbolt" Ross' right-hand man and displays a romantic interest in his daughter Betty Ross, though she always rejects him in part because of his inability to hide his disdain for Bruce Banner and the Hulk. After an encounter with the Ghost Rider, Talbot reflects on his negative personality traits and becomes more serious and selfless.
Glenn Talbot appears in the Iron Man: Armored Adventures episode "Rage of the Hulk". This version is an Asian American S.H.I.E.L.D. agent under Thunderbolt Ross' command.
Glenn Talbot appears in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., portrayed by Adrian Pasdar. Introduced in the first season, this version is initially a colonel before being promoted to brigadier general for his efforts in bringing down S.H.I.E.L.D.'s remnants after the organization was compromised by Hydra.[lower-alpha 1][28] In the second and third seasons, he gradually forms a begrudging relationship with a rebuilt, underground S.H.I.E.L.D. led by Director Phil Coulson before becoming the head of the Advanced Threat Containment Unit (ATCU), the President's front organization for the organization.[29][30] In the fourth season episode "World's End", Talbot is rendered comatose after being shot by a LMD of Daisy Johnson.[31] He awakens in the fifth season, but suffers from sporadic emotional outbursts, and was taken into the custody of General Hale, a Hydra sleeper agent in the Air Force who subjects him to post-hypnotic brainwashing.[32][33] After S.H.I.E.L.D. rescues him, his brainwashing is briefly activated and he betrays their location to Hydra.[34] A guilt-ridden Talbot subsequently infuses himself with the gravity-manipulating substance gravitonium and kills alien warriors attacking S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters,[35] becoming Graviton in the process.[36][37] However, the gravitonium's power exacerbates his preexisting mental instability, causing Talbot to develop extreme megalomania and a messiah complex. As a result, he forces his way into the alien Confederacy that S.H.I.E.L.D. was protecting the Earth from and uses them to find subterranean gravitonium deposits to enhance his power further and unilaterally protect the Earth from Thanos. To this end, he kills Hale[38] and coerces the prophetic Inhuman Robin Hinton to reveal the location of a gravitonium deposit.[39] Eventually, Talbot is killed by Johnson, who uses her powers to push him into outer space.[40] In an alternate timeline where he was not defeated, Talbot destroyed Thanos along with most of the Earth, leaving the surviving humans to be enslaved by the Kree. Due to poor retention of historical records, his name was lost to history, leading to Johnson being scapegoated for the apocalypse he caused.[41]
Film
Glenn Talbot appears in Hulk, portrayed by Josh Lucas. This version is a former military officer-turned-bio-science executive at a Defense Department contractor called Atheon. He seeks to obtain a tissue sample from the Hulk for military supersoldier-based applications, only to be injured at Banner's house. During the Hulk's escape from Desert Base, Talbot fires a missile at the Hulk, which ricochets off of his skin, killing Talbot in the ensuing explosion.
Video games
Glenn Talbot appears as a boss in The Incredible Hulk (2008), voiced by Michael Gannon. This version views both Banner and the Hulk as threats to mankind. Later in the game, his actions against them escalate to the point where Talbot himself becomes a danger to civilian safety, with his strategies varying from attempting to launch missiles in a civilian area to destroy the Hulk to kidnapping Betty Ross and donning a nuclear-powered Hulkbuster suit to fight the Hulk directly; intending to pass off civilian casualties as the Hulk's fault once his foe has been dealt with. When he is defeated, Talbot activates his suit's self-destruct mechanism to kill the Hulk along with himself and an entire city. However, the Hulk throws Talbot's suit into the upper atmosphere, where it explodes safely, killing Talbot.
Miscellaneous
Glenn Talbot appears in the novel The Incredible Hulk: What Savage Beast, written Peter David.[42] This version is the leader a new team of Hulkbusters.
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of The Incredible Hulk. In his comic book appearances, the character, who has dissociative identity disorder (DID), is primarily represented by the alter ego Hulk, a green-skinned, hulking and muscular humanoid possessing a limitless degree of physical strength, and the alter ego Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, a physically weak, socially withdrawn, and emotionally reserved physicist, both of whom typically resent each other.
Deathlok is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first Deathlok, Luther Manning, appeared in Astonishing Tales #25, created by Rich Buckler. At least five subsequent Marvel characters have used the "Deathlok" identity since then: Michael Collins, Jack Truman, Rebecca Ryker, Henry Hayes, and Jemma Simmons. A recurring theme among these characters is that a dead human has been reanimated with cybernetic technology. "Deathlok technology" has also been used thematically by Marvel writers in other stories.
The Absorbing Man is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #114, in the Silver Age of Comic Books. Carl Creel has the power to absorb and become any material he touched. Originally a supervillain, in later years, he has reformed into more of an antihero.
Zzzax is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #166, and was created by Steve Englehart and Herb Trimpe.
Rick Jones is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as a sidekick and friend to the Hulk, Captain America, Mar-Vell / Captain Marvel, Rom the Spaceknight, and Genis-Vell / Captain Marvel.
The Abomination is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Gil Kane, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #90. He is one of the main enemies of the superhero Hulk, and possesses powers similar to his after also being exposed to gamma rays.
Elizabeth "Betty" Ross is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962) as a romantic interest of the Hulk. She is the daughter of General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross. Over the years, the character has undergone multiple transformations, including the Harpy and Red She-Hulk.
Graviton is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Sal Buscema, he first appeared in The Avengers #158, dated April 1977. Over the years, he has mainly opposed the Avengers in their various incarnations.
The Leader is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Leader first appeared in Tales to Astonish #62, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko as the archenemy of the Hulk. He has mainly appeared in Hulk-related comic books over the years and was one of the featured characters in the Marvel NOW! Thunderbolts relaunch.
Doc Samson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a superhero and psychiatrist in the Marvel Universe, known as a supporting character in stories featuring the Hulk.
General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics featuring the Hulk. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, and the ex-father-in-law of both Glenn Talbot and Bruce Banner.
Hulkbusters is the name of three fictional organizations appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. All three groups exist within Marvel's shared universe known as the Marvel Universe and are so-named for their attempts to battle the Hulk.
The Incredible Hulk is an animated television series based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The series ran for 13 episodes on NBC in 1982, part of a combined hour with Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.
The Incredible Hulk is an American animated television series starring the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. It ran two seasons, for 21 episodes, on the television network UPN from 1996 to 1997. Lou Ferrigno, who portrayed the Hulk on the live-action TV series from 1978 to 1982, provided the Hulk's voice.
Victoria Hand is a fictional supporting character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the American espionage organization S.H.I.E.L.D. of which Hand was a member.
The Incredible Hulk is an ongoing comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero the Hulk and his alter ego Dr. Bruce Banner.
"World War Hulks" is a comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics that ran in 2010 following the "Fall of the Hulks" storyline.
Agent Phillip J. Coulson is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longtime partner of Nick Fury.
"The Asset" is the third episode of the first season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., it follows Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they investigate the kidnapping of Dr. Franklin Hall. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by co-showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, and directed by Milan Cheylov.
↑ Gierhart, Billy (director); Paul Zbyszewski and DJ Doyle (writer) (April 29, 2014). "Nothing Personal". Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1. Episode 20. ABC.
↑ Bochco, Jesse (director); Paul Zbyszewski (writer) (September 30, 2014). "Heavy Is the Head". Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2. Episode 2. ABC.
↑ Underwood, Ron (director); Monica Owusu-Breen (writer) (March 8, 2016). "Bouncing Back". Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3. Episode 11. ABC.
↑ Gierhart, Billy (director); Jeffrey Bell (writer) (May 16, 2017). "World's End". Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4. Episode 22. ABC.
↑ Brown, Garry A. (director); James C. Oliver & Sharla Oliver (writer) (April 13, 2018). "The Honeymoon". Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5. Episode 17. ABC.
↑ Lynch, Jennifer (director); George Kitson (writer) (April 20, 2018). "All Roads Lead...". Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5. Episode 18. ABC.
↑ Tancharoen, Kevin (director); Nora Zuckerman & Lila Zuckerman (writer) (April 27, 2018). "Option Two". Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5. Episode 19. ABC.
↑ Gierhart, Cherie (director); Nora Zuckerman & Lila Zuckerman (writer) (May 4, 2018). "The One Who Will Save Us All". Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5. Episode 20. ABC.
↑ Tancharoen, Kevin (director); Drew Z. Greenberg & Craig Titley (writer) (May 11, 2018). "The Force of Gravity". Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5. Episode 21. ABC.
↑ Whedon, Jed (director); Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen (writer) (May 18, 2018). "The End". Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5. Episode 22. ABC.
↑ Whedon, Jed (director); Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen (writer) (December 1, 2017). "Orientation Part Two". Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5. Episode 2. ABC.
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