The Mind of the Monster!

The Hulk is bounding through New York, wondering why he came to New York again when he didn't really want to go. Falling asleep in an alley, the Hulk changes back into Bruce Banner. When Banner awakens, he finds that he's near the Baxter Building and decides to pay a visit to Reed Richards to see if he can cure him of being the Hulk.

When Banner is admitted into the Baxter Building, the only Fantastic Four member he finds there is the Thing. While talking with Ben, he learns that Reed has been developing a psi-amplifier device, and Bruce suddenly has an inspiration of how to cure not only himself of ever turning into the Hulk again, but also cure Ben of being the Thing as well.

While rigging Ben up to the machine, Bruce begins its cycle when he suddenly begins to change into the Hulk. The Hulk tries to smash the machine which causes a large explosion. Although the two power-houses survive the blast, it did have one unforeseen side-effect: The Thing and Hulk's minds have swapped bodies. This, however, doesn't stop the Hulk from picking a fight with the Thing.

As the other members of the Fantastic Four rush to the Baxter Building, the Thing, and Hulk's battle rages on. As their battle takes to the streets, they also run into Thundra, who also joins the fight. Unaware that the Thing and the Hulk have switched bodies, Thundra tries to help the "Thing" only to get clobbered for her trouble. The Thing and Hulk's fight takes them to a wrestling arena, where they duke it out in the ring.

As the fight rages on, Reed deduces what has happened and finds a solution: Getting a large amount of tranquilizer, Reed injects it into the Hulk's body. This causes the Hulk to pass out and revert back into Bruce Banner, and it also reverses the mind swap. Ben's happy to be back in his body, however, Thundra revives and returns the blow that the "Thing" delivered to her earlier before walking off.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Medusa, Human Torch, Thing), Thundra, Hulk, Walter Collins

Continuity Notes

• The Hulk complains about regularly being summoned by Doctor Strange to fight with the Defenders. The Hulk has been a member of that team since Marvel Feature #1. At the time of this story he is still a member of this team.

• The last time the Thing and the Hulk battled it out was in Fantastic Four #111-113.

• This is the third time Banner pays a visit to the Baxter Building under his own power. The Thing mentions the last time he did so in Incredible Hulk #122, but he also did so earlier in Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl #1.

• Thundra mentions her previous battles with the Thing that occurred in Fantastic Four #128-129 and 133.

• The reason why Thundra is so intent on fighting the Thing is that:

  • Thundra comes from the 23rd Century wherein a possible future the Earth -- rennamed Femezonia -- is a world where the entire world is dominated by women. Her reality was first seen in Savage Tales #1. This reality was identified as Earth-715 in Marvel Encyclopedia: Fantastic Four.

  • As revealed in Fantastic Four #151, the reason why Thundra is seeking to defeat the Thing in combat is that her world is merging with the world of Machaus, a future world where men are the dominant gender. Thundra believes if she defeats the world's strongest mortal male in the modern age, she will prevent this merger from happening.

• The flying vehicle that Reed and Medusa are testing is a new version of the Magnetic Wave Rider given to them by the Black Panther back in Fantastic Four #52.

• Medusa mentions Johnny's break up with her sister Crystal. She and Johnny dated between Fantastic Four #65-105. When Crystal was forced to return home, she met and fell in love with Quicksilver of the Avengers as revealed in Fantastic Four #131-132.

• Reed's romantic woes are also referenced in this story. Reed and his wife Sue had separated over marital problems in Fantastic Four #130, a separation made all the more worse when Reed was forced to shut down the mind of his son Franklin in Fantastic Four #141.