After facing down his new, "deadliest" incarnation Titan, Hulk will go even bigger when he meets Monolith - the ruler of an entire 'Hulk Planet'.
'Hulk Planet' is, not coincidentally, the name of the next arc of writer Donny Cates and artist Ryan Ottley's Hulk run, kicking off in July's Hulk #9. And true to the title, the story takes Bruce Banner and "Starship Hulk" to an entire planet of Hulks orbiting a Gamma-emitting star.
(Shades of Kal-El and Krypton, anyone?)
'Hulk Planet' kicks off in the wake of Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War, in which Hulk and Thor battle in a story marking the shared 60th anniversary of their respective 1962 debuts, with Bruce Banner reeling not just from his clash with Thor, but "by Titan's impact on his friends," as described in the announcement.
Banner finds the still unnamed 'Hulk Planet' while on a quest for total isolation, instead meeting Monolith, the planet's queen, who offers him a place among other Gamma beings where Hulk can exist in peace - but there seems to be more to Monolith's agenda than meets the eye.
"I’ve been designing and creating new characters with Donny on this run and issue #9 will be some completely new faces, with the most impactful being Monolith," explains Ottley in the announcement, going on to describe Monolith, seen on Ottley's cover and in his design sheet.
"She is a tall hulkish woman that became leader of this strange world our Hulk showed up on. And I can’t wait to show you all what we’ve made, the smashing shall be insane!"
One can't help but be reminded of the classic story 'Planet Hulk', in which Hulk found a home as a gladiator and freedom fighter on the planet Sakaar, which was partially adapted into the film Thor: Ragnarok. However, just as the title is an inversion, 'Hulk Planet' seems to be setting up a sort of thematic mirror to 'Planet Hulk' in which Bruce Banner attempts to finally find a life of peace.
Hulk #9 is due out July 13. Stay tuned to Newsarama for Marvel's full July 2022 solicitations, coming later this month.
While you wait, make sure you've read all the best Hulk stories of all time.
