We’re still running this book under the Marvel Knights banner, even though it’s not special in any MK kinda way (not adult, not an alternate universe or out of continuity, etc.). But as long as Bruce Jones writes it, I’m happy.
Most of us have figured out that Leader was behind the years-long “Home Base” story that resurrected Betty and has had Bruce Banner on the run for a murder he did not commit, but in this issue he reveals himself to Banner.
Lookin’ mighty suave there!
The big reveal is more than a little deflating. Leader tells Banner everything, and seems to say that the entire conspiracy was just designed to get a blood sample from Hulk—and all the other aspects of it were just to keep Banner confused so he wouldn’t guess Leader was behind it. But what difference does that make, really, in the long run? It seems like if all he wanted was a drop of blood, he could have accomplished that in a few issues—not 20. At the end of the day, though, who cares? The stories were good.
Turns out, though, that this is all a fake-out. Leader has managed to get into Banner’s mind and trick him into believing he is in the future, and must go back in time to save the world from an apocalypse.
OK. That’s pretty good.
Under Leader’s control and hallucinating, Hulk goes crazy.
He attacks Doc Samson, Betty Ross and Nadia Doronova. Tony Stark is along for the ride, too, continuing his role from the last arc.
And now we see that Leader is trying to get Hulk to blow up a bomb. The whole cast ends up in Leader’s underground base and we see that Leader is NOT as suave as he appeared above…
Gross. Part 2 of his plan was to put his brain into a clone Hulk body.
There is a big fight as the heroes try to stop Hulk, during which Leader’s glass case is shattered and a fragment pierces Nadia’s heart. Thus Leader is dead (not) and Nadia is dead (yup). This causes Hulk to go ballistic, blaming Samson. He beats Samson to a pulp and stops only when Betty screams at him.
Harsh. But I can’t say I blame her. Hulk has caused lots of misery over the last 550 issues.
Banner runs away.
And Bruce Jones’ run is over. That makes me sad. But you know what makes me less sad. Peter David returns next issue—after a several-month hiatus for the book.
The last panel of Bruce Jones’ brilliant run. Peter David’s Hulk used to be my favorite, but I think Jones’ stories may be even better in some ways. In any event, his run is vastly underrated and underwritten about, at a minimum.