Marvel Officially Confirms Powerful Hulk Ally For Bruce Banner’s Next Appearance

Bruce Banner seeks the help of Marvel’s most underrated sorcerer to stop the Hulk once and for all. The psychological codependency between Bruce Banner and all his different Hulks is the heart of Banner’s lifelong curse. Lately, the Fractured Son harbored a lucid hatred for Banner’s perceived weakness, whereas the traditional Savage Hulk learned to tolerate his puny human counterpart. Bruce’s desperate attempts to reason with this specific manifestation failed because the Fractured Son views Banner as a cage, resulting in a bitter internal war where the loser is trapped in the hellish Hulkscape.

Neutralizing a rampaging Hulk through sheer violence is rarely an effective strategy. When conventional force fails, reality-warping methods like temporal displacement and physics manipulation can starve Hulk of momentum and keep him from wreaking havoc. However, regular magic is enough to at least slow down the Jade Giant. Heroes like Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch hold the magical knowledge and power needed to banish Hulk to abstract dimensions or soothe Hulk temporarily. On the other hand, these methods aren’t always accessible, as Strange and Wanda Maximoff are often unavailable.

It’s only a matter of time until Marvel’s ticking time bomb detonates again, and the road to 2027’s Hulk War sees the Infernal Hulk requiring heroes from all over the Marvel Universe to brainstorm new plans to stop him.

Brother Voodoo Is Bruce Banner’s Last Hope To Stop The Infernal Hulk

The Infernal Hulk #9; Written By Phillip Kennedy Johnson; Art By Adam Gorham & Matt Wilson

None of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have been able to stop the Infernal Hulk, and not for a lack of trying. The biggest signal of an inevitable apocalypse is Iron Man’s failure, considering Tony Stark failed to draw blood even with a power-up from the One Above All. Bruce Banner can’t contribute anything to the conflict, as he lost all connection to the Green Goliath when Eldest took possession of the Hulk’s body. However, Banner knows who can help. In The Infernal Hulk #9, Banner teams up with Brother Voodoo, seemingly to find the Fractured Son and bring it back from the depths of the Infernal Hulk’s psyche.

The Infernal Hulk has already proved he’s impossible to hurt through traditional means. However, in Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s The Incredible Hulk, which preceded The Infernal Hulk, Brother Voodoo made it clear that he could help Hulk and Banner deal with their complicated relationship in the Hulkscape. Banner knows this, and The Infernal Hulk #9’s cover suggests that Brother Voodoo and Banner will find the Fractured Son in the Hulkscape, either trapped by or hiding from Eldest and the Infernal Hulk. Freeing the Fractured Son may be the only way Eldest loses control over the Hulk’s body, but not before the Infernal Hulk launches an apocalyptic takeover in Marvel’s Hulk War next year.

Brother Voodoo Is One Of Marvel’s Most Underrated Heroes

Jericho Drumm Should Be Much More Consistently Relevant Than He Currently Is

Brother Voodoo has often been sidelined despite his having an esoteric mystical arsenal that sets him apart from many of his fellow sorcerers. Jericho Drumm’s mastery over the dark mystic arts allows him to command Loa spirits, manipulate the life force of the deceased, and bind together the material world and the afterlife through methods that the Avengers’ magical advisors simply can’t comprehend, let alone replicate. Brother Voodoo also fights independently of powerhouses like Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch, which makes him an unpredictable asset, as his methods can clash with those of more traditional magic wielders.

Jericho Drumm’s chronic underutilization is especially frustrating during massive crossovers where his unique spiritual mastery could easily turn the tide. This may finally change in the impending Hulk War, where the Infernal Hulk’s defeat may lie within the Green Goliath’s mind. While regular superhero factions prepare to throw fists and high-tech weaponry at Eldest’s corrupted abomination, Jericho Drumm may approach the conflict from a completely mystical angle. After ripping Eldest from the Hulk’s body, Brother Voodoo could summon an army of vengeful spirits to sever the Eldest’s parasitic hold for good. Unfortunately for Bruce Banner, this may also mean that he’ll be tethered to the Hulk permanently again.

How do you think the Infernal Hulk will be stopped?

The Infernal Hulk #9 is available July 15 from Marvel Comics

First Appearance

The Incredible Hulk (1962)

Alias

Robert Bruce Banner

Alliance

Avengers, Defenders, Horsemen of Apocalypse, Fantastic Four, Pantheon, Warbound, S.M.A.S.H., Secret Avengers

Franchise

Marvel