The Red Hulk is an alias that is used by different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. While the first two were created from members of the United States army, the third one is a form of Hulk's Joe Fixit personality.
The first incarnation of Red Hulk (also known as Rulk) [1] first appeared in the Hulk series that debuted in 2008. [2] The 2010 "World War Hulks" storyline reveals that this being is United States Army General Thunderbolt Ross , [3] the father-in-law and longtime nemesis of the original Hulk (Bruce Banner). [4] The story line reveals that Ross was given the ability to transform into Red Hulk by the organizations A.I.M. and the Intelligencia and that he did this in order to better fight the original Hulk. [3]
The origin of the second Red Hulk appears in the 2017 debut issue of U.S.Avengers . Four-star General Robert Maverick is selected for his genetic profile to create a being who is "halfway to a Hulk". A device called the Hulk Plug-In, created by Avengers Idea Mechanics (a legitimate technology company created from the defunct supervillain organization's remnants), is implanted in Maverick's wrist. When triggered, it turns him into a variation of Red Hulk for one hour approximately every day and a half. Unlike the original Red Hulk, Maverick retains his mustache in his Hulk form and wears his sunglasses. He joins the U.S. Avengers. [5]
Hulk's Joe Fixit personality later gained the ability to transform into his version of Red Hulk form when in the Below-Place. [6]
Red Hulk has superhuman strength, durability, and endurance, comparable to that of the Hulk. He is capable of absorbing radiation, which his body can metabolize for increased strength. Unlike the Hulk, increased anger does not make him stronger but causes him to emit increasing heat. The upper limit of this heat has not been specified. When fighting the Hulk, during Red Hulk's first story line, this heat created an aura of light around the two behemoths and melted the desert sand on which they stood into a glass disc at least dozens of feet in diameter. At this level, Red Hulk weakens and is vulnerable to being knocked unconscious by the Hulk. [7] [8]
Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
Hulk: Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk | Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk #1-4 and material from Incredible Hulk #606-608 | August 2010 | 978-0785147954 |
Red Hulk: Scorched Earth | Hulk (vol. 2) #25-30 | May 2011 | 978-0785148968 |
Red Hulk: Planet Red Hulk | Hulk (vol. 2) #30.1, 31-36 | October 2011 | 978-0785155782 |
Fear Itself: Hulk/Dracula | Hulk (vol. 2) #37-41, Fear Itself: Hulk vs Dracula #1-3 | November 2011 | 978-0785155805 |
Red Hulk: Hulk of Arabia | Hulk (vol. 2) #42-46 | April 2012 | 978-0785160953 |
Red Hulk: Haunted | Hulk (vol. 2) #47-52 | August 2012 | 978-0785160991 |
Red Hulk: Mayan Rule | Hulk (vol. 2) #53-57 | October 2012 | 978-0785160977 |
In the unified Marvel 2099 reality of Earth-2099, a space explorer named Ross Romero is dispatched with his crew by Alchemax to explore a rogue planet that appeared around the Sun. When the planet attacked his crew and one of them abandoned Ross on the planet, he worked to survive on it. One day, he ate a red fruit that appeared before him and it transformed him into the 2099 version of Red Hulk as he figures out that the planet he's stranded on is Ego the Living Planet who empowered him as his last act. Ego's pursuer Terrax the Planet Hunter arrived after killing the crew member that abandoned Ross and fought Ross' Red Hulk form. Red Hulk defeats Terrax the Planet Hunter who finds himself unable to manipulate Ego's soil. Now with his new powers, Red Hulk leaves Ego to protect the galaxy as he taps into Hyperspace and heads into the unknown. [9]
The 2015 "Secret Wars" story line features the Battleworld domain of Greenland and contains some Red Hulks who are part of the different Tribal Hulks. One Red Hulk rules Greenland as the Red King. A variation of Captain America called the Captain is sent into Greenland by God Emperor Doom and Sheriff Strange to kill the Red King, who is holding Bucky Barnes prisoner. [10] After the Red King reveals to that group that he already killed Barnes, [11] the Captain kills the Red King. [12]
Red Hulk will appear in the 2025 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain America: Brave New World . [13]
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.
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Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an American film and television writer, producer and comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost, writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf, and a writer and co-executive producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its premiere in 2006 to November 2008. From 2010 to 2019, Loeb was the Head of and Executive Vice President of Marvel Television.
Ego the Living Planet is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Thor #132 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.
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.
Captain America is a superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He appears in the Ultimate Marvel line of books, and is an alternative version of Captain America. The character first appeared in The Ultimates #1, and was created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch.
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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.
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