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Who is Red She-Hulk? The Origin Story of Marvel’s Red Monstress

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The Hulk Family Tree has expanded as more people got poisoned by Gamma radiation. The Marvel Universe is full of monsters, but all are certainly not green ones. Since the first incarnation of Red Hulk (also known as Rulk) first appeared in 2008, we know they also can be red ones.

Announced in a shroud of mystery during the 2009 Comic Con, Red She-Hulk followed Red Hulk’s path as his real identity was hidden for some time (nearly two years). Once again, Marvel threw a few “red” herrings on the readers’ path with clues leading to Domino of X-Force and Elektra. So, at the beginning, there only was the character design:

What [Jeph] Loeb did reveal was the process by which the character was created by [Ed] McGuinness and “Code Red” arc artist Ian Churchill. “Ed did the design, but Ian certainly made it his own. The two of them sent stuff back and forth until everyone was happy. Ed’s big contribution to it was that he wanted this big, long, flowing mane of hair that was black and had a red streak in it -sort of like the Bride of Frankenstein. It makes her look super cool. We worked a long time on what it is that she wears because we didn’t want her to be wearing what Jen wears, and we didn’t want her to be wearing a white torn shirt. What she has on is very specific.” —Introducing… Red She-Hulk (CBR.com)

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The Hulk Family Tree: Who’s Who? From the Banners to the Walters

If you are a reader of Marvel’s Hulk’s Adventures, you may already be familiar with the fact that Bruce Banner has family issues and not just with his abusive father. His extended family is not always on good terms with him—even his own multiple personalities can’t seem to tolerate each other. It’s complicated.

Dr. Robert Bruce Banner was introduced in Incredible Hulk #1 in 1962—and you can read a lot more about his origins in the article dedicated to his creation. Since then, his family has grown, he made new friends, and a lot of monsters appeared, some were totally normal family members and acquaintances at first, which can complicate things even further.

Anyway, after more than 60 years of smashing, Hulk’s family evolved and, today, we are taking a look at it, exploring Bruce Banner, Jennifer Walters, and others, plus their green (or red) monstrous alter egos.

Read More »The Hulk Family Tree: Who’s Who? From the Banners to the Walters

She-Hulk Origin Story or the Sensational Idea by Stan Lee

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With a TV show on the streaming service Disney+, a new comic ongoing series at Marvel (and reprints of old stories in new omnibuses), appearances in animated movies and TV shows, and probably some action figures, Jennifer “She-Hulk” Walters is more visible than ever.

Of course, she’s not a new character, and she was always quite hard to miss on the pages of comics—being green sets you apart. She-Hulk was always popular and that led her to have her own series, naturally, but also to join multiple teams like The Avengers, The Defenders, the Fantastic Four, Heroes for Hire, A-Force, and more! A notable success for a character that was primarily created to be trademarked by Marvel.

Read More »She-Hulk Origin Story or the Sensational Idea by Stan Lee

The Story of The Hulk: From Gamma Radiation to World-Breaking Power

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The Story of The Hulk

The year was 1962. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were changing the face of the comics industry with the Fantastic Four—even if they probably didn’t suspect up to what point at the time. Of course, when it was time to find a replacement for the recently canceled Teen-Age Romance, the team came up with something that didn’t really have anything romantic in it: The Hulk.

Who is the Hulk? The story goes like this: Bruce Banner is a brilliant scientist who was exposed to gamma radiation during an experimental “accident.” As a result, he can transform into a massive, green-skinned (or gray!), superhuman creature with incredible strength and durability known as The Hulk.

The problem is that Banner struggles to control the transformation and as the unpredictable Hulk, he often causes widespread destruction in his wake. But not always. In fact, through the years, the Hulk has not always been a destructive rageful monster, his nature evolved as well as his relationship with the puny Banner.

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Amadeus Cho Reading Order, from sidekick to Totally Awesome Hulk and Brawn

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Amadeus Cho is a 19-year-old Korean-American genius, one of the smartest people on earth. Actually, he was credited as the 7th smartest person in the world, a title he obtained after winning the Excello Soap Company’s “Brain Soap” competition (he’s maybe only the 8th or 10th smartest person in the world, but who’s counting?). It’s also where his story begins, as the game’s creator tries to kill Cho to preserve his ranking. His attempt failed but Cho’s parents were killed, and our young man had to flee for his life.

It didn’t take long for him to run across The Hulk who saved his life. As a result, Amadeus became his sidekick, a sort of modern-day Rick Jones before moving on to Hercules. But Amadeus Cho was too smart and too cocky to stay in this sidekick role and was destined to become a hero in his own right. Cho became the Totally Awesome Hulk but lost control at some point. He was somehow depowered when he finally succeeded in destroying the rage monster inside him. Amadeus chose to be called Brawn in this new form. He has also been a member of two superhero teams: The Champions and Agents of Atlas.

This reading order was requested by one of our readers! Don’t hesitate to leave a comment or write to us with some other suggestions!

Read More »Amadeus Cho Reading Order, from sidekick to Totally Awesome Hulk and Brawn

The Defenders Reading Order (Marvel Comics)

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The Defenders Reading Order

When the Dr. Strange series was canceled in the middle of a story arc in 1970, Roy Thomas searched for a way to tell the end of his crossover storyline. This led to  Marvel Feature #1 (December 1971) in which Doctor Strange, Namor, and The Incredible Hulk formed a team named The Defenders to battle the alien techno-wizard Yandroth. The Silver Surfer soon joined them, as well as Valkyrie.

Steve Englehart, Len Wein, Steve Gerber, Gerry Conway, David Anthony Kraft, J. M. DeMatteis, and more wrote The Defenders series for a long time and, after 124 issues, the title was renamed The New Defenders – a roaster that didn’t include the Strange, Namor, Hulk and the Surfer. The first three will later reunite in pages of The Incredible Hulk, then again a bit later with Silver Surfer in a crossover storyline.

It was nevertheless necessary to wait a bit longer to see The Defenders come back, in 1993, but with a new formula and a different roaster – Wolverine, Darkhawk, Spider-Woman, Spider-Man, Hulk, Ghost Rider, and others. At that time, even the name was not the same as they were called The Secret Defenders.

During the 2000s and 2010s, there were multiple attempts at launching a new Defenders series, even one that was an echo of the TV series – that was The Defenders only by name.

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World War Hulk Reading Order, a Smashing Marvel Event

Published by Marvel Comics in 2007, and written by Greg Pak at the end of his run on the character Hulk with art by John Romita, Jr., World War Hulk rapidly became one of the most famous crossover storylines about the green monster.

Here is the official synopsis: Hulk versus the world, in an epic story of anger unbound! Exiled by his so-called friends, the Hulk has raged, bled, and conquered on the alien planet Sakaar. Now, he returns to Earth to wreak terrible vengeance on Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Doctor Strange, and Black Bolt—and anyone else who gets in the way! Madder than ever, stronger than ever, and accompanied by his monstrous Warbound allies, this time the Hulk may just tear this stupid planet in half!

What to read before World War Hulk?

When people talk about World War Hulk, they often include Planet Hulk in the package, but it’s a different storyline. Planet Hulk is where the story really begins. It’s not completely indispensable, but it’s still recommended to read it before going into World War Hulk. For more information, I refer you to our main Hulk Reading Order.

  • Hulk: Planet Hulk Omnibus
    Collects Fantastic Four (1998) #533-535, Incredible Hulk (2000) #88-105, Giant-Size Hulk (2006) #1, What If? Planet Hulk, Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook And Material From New Avengers: Illuminati (2006) #1 And Amazing Fantasy (2004) #15.

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Hulk Reading Order (Peter David, Immortal Hulk, and more…)

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In 1962, Marvel put an end to the title Teen-Age Romance after 86 issues. Its replacement was not romantic, it was The Incredible Hulk #1. It was obviously a comment on the arms race coming from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Scientist Bruce Banner created a g-bomb—“g” is for gamma!—and was not the one who wanted to test it as fast as possible (it was General “Thunderbolt” Ross), but it happened.

During the experimental detonation of a gamma bomb, the life of teenager Rick Jones was put in danger. Bruce Banner saved him but, by doing so, was hit by the blast resulting in the absorption of gamma radiation.

Banner didn’t die, but something changed in him. He became the Jekyll/Hyde of the Marvel Universe, two “men” in one body, transforming from the mild-mannered bespectacled physicist into the gray-skinned monster named “the Hulk” when he loses control.

Feeling guilty, Rick Jones stayed by his side, helping him to become a superhero. You can read a lot more about all that in our article about the story of the Hulk, his creation, and a lot more. And if you want to learn a bit more about The Hulk entourage, check out The Hulk Family Tree.

Read More »Hulk Reading Order (Peter David, Immortal Hulk, and more…)

She-Hulk Reading Order aka Jennifer Walters, lawyer and Bruce Banner’s cousin

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Meet Marvel’s own Jennifer Walters. She’s a lawyer and Bruce Banner’s cousin (aka The Hulk, see reading order). After an injury, she received an emergency blood transfusion from him and acquired a milder version of his Hulk condition. She became She-Hulk, a large, powerful green-hued version of herself and, unlike her cousin, still largely retains her personality.

Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, She-Hulk first appeared in The Savage She-Hulk #1 in 1980, and you can read a lot more about that in our article about the origins of She-Hulk in the comic books.

During the past 40 years, she has been a member of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Heroes for Hire, the Defenders, Fantastic Force,  S.H.I.E.L.D., and also at the center of multiple solo series.

Where to start with She-Hulk aka Jennifer Walters? The Recommended Reading List

  • Sensational She-Hulk by John Byrne Omnibus – John Byrne’s run is quite divisive. A humorous book with Jennifer breaking the Fourth Wall, it’s not to the taste of everybody so it’s up to you to decide if it’s your cup of tea.
  • She-Hulk by Dan Slott Omnibus – Dan Slott’s run continues the characterization of Jennifer Walters as a fun and loving super-heroine but with also more focus on her career as a lawyer. It’s the inspiration behind the TV show.
  • She-Hulk by Soule & Pulido: The Complete Collection – A short but well-loved run by Charles Soule following Jennifer as she opens a new practice and still has to confront a mounting number of super villains she’s racking up as personal enemies.

Read More »She-Hulk Reading Order aka Jennifer Walters, lawyer and Bruce Banner’s cousin