The Ω Hulk: Chapter Nine

Then

Bruce Banner gets a phone call from a reporter asking for his opinions on artificial intelligence. At first, Banner doesn't want to comment because this isn't his area of expertise. However, the reporter tells Bruce that he is getting opinions from people in different scientific fields. Banner opines that artificial intelligence might be able to develop human traits such as creativity. It's then that General Ross enters the office and tells Banner that they need to get going. Bruce ends the call, asking the reporter to send him a copy of the article when it is done.

Now

... The "reporter" in question actually turns out to be Doc Green calling Banner on a device that allows him to place phone calls to the past. With that out of the way, he checks in on Daman Veteri and Randall Jessup who are searching the timestream for the location of Lyra, who had been banished to another reality by the artificial intelligence he created. Later, Doc Green goes to Twigs Pub in Midtown Manhattan to meet with Steve Rogers, the man who used to be Captain America. Green explains that he is no longer under his orders as an Avenger since he was enhanced by Extremis. He also says that he is not stopping his plans, so Rogers should save his breath. With that out of the way, Doc Green asks the old man what he wants from him. Steve sternly tells Doc Green to stay away from his cousin Jennifer Walters, the She-Hulk. Green mocks the elderly man's outburst. Steve then demands that he stop his crusade against Hulks and tries to strike the Doc with his cane. Doc grabs the cane and mockingly asks if Steve will try to stop him. Suddenly, Green is jolted with electricity from the cane. With Doc Green temporarily knocked out from the jolt, Steve thanks him for the drink and departs.

Meanwhile, out west, Deadpool rides a horse out into the middle of the desert searching for the Red Hulk. He discovers that he is on the right track when he finds a spot where the Red Hulk landed from one of his gigantic leaps. He swipes his finger on the ground and tastes it, and says he cannot forget the taste of the Red Hulk. As he continues on the trail, he calls Steve Rogers and tells him how Doc Green hired him to track down the Red Hulk and asks if this is something he should follow through on. Rogers is not concerned with Doc Green going after Thaddeus Ross, particularly after hearing about his Thunderbolts operation. He tells Deadpool to continue helping Doc Green, but keep him updated on the situation.

Back at the Baxter Building, Daman Veteri, and Randall Jessup continue searching the multiverse to try and find the location of Lyra after Doc Green's A.I. dumped her in a random universe instead of sending her back home. When they open the portal to one dimension massive tentacles come out and try to pull them in. They are saved in the nick of time by Doc Green. Daman is upset as this is not what he signed up for. He wanted to work for Bruce Banner, and he wonders if Lyra is dead or not and if they are complicit in her demise. Doc Green admits that he has made some terrible mistakes while on his quest to cure all gamma mutates and releases his two assistants from their obligation to work with him. When Daman asks what they are going to do about Lyra, Green assures them that he will find her somehow. He thinks their best bet is finding his A.I. With time running out, Doc Green decides to continue on his mission, with one of his last cures. He opens a portal, but before he leaves, he tells Veteri and Jessup that they did good work, and any mistakes -- especially with Lyra -- are on him and him alone.

Doc Green teleports himself to the Leader's secret hideout and his long time foe instantly attacked by his latest gamma mutate. As the creature pummels Doc Green, the Leader gloats over how the creature is controlled by his telepathy. However, Doc Green easily knocks the creature into a jutting piece of metal, fatally impaling it. Doc Green then tags the Leader with a cure, reverting him from his red form to a normal human once again. He warns Samuel against toying with gamma radiation in the future and departs. No sooner is Doc Green gone does fail-safe kicks in, changing Sterns back into his original green mutation. He contacts his benefactor and thanks to him for helping him find a means of counteracting the Hulk's attempt to cure him. As it turns out, it is the Doc's A.I. which has grown so much that it has given itself a name, Gammon.

Meanwhile, Doc Green arrives in the southwest, meeting up with Deadpool who tells him that the Red Hulk has hidden out in Yucca Flats so he can take advantage of the abundance of radioactive waste to boost his powers. When Deadpool begins asking about payment, the Doc says he needs to make a call first. Taking the merc's cell phone he dials Rick Jones' number, but he is actually using the voice mail as a means of communicating with his A.I. He tells his creation that he does not wish to stifle his growth, all he wishes is to learn the location of Lyra and he will leave it be. He tells it to choose to help, otherwise, he will make it his point to stop it. Getting ready to face the Red Hulk, Doc Green has one more task for Deadpool. He hands him a bullet that can nullify the Red Hulk's ability to absorb radiation and tells Deadpool that he must hit Ross in the ear and tells him not to miss. He then leaps across to the facility where the Red Hulk is hiding out so he can end his threat once and for all.

Recurring Characters

Doc Green, Daman Veteri, Randall Jessup, Steve Rogers, Deadpool, Red Hulk, Leader, Gammon, Rick Jones (voice)

Continuity Notes

• In this story, Steve Rogers is depicted as an old man. He had recently been brought to his natural age following the events of Captain America Vol 7 #25. This condition that lasts until Captain America: Sam Wilson #7.

• Deadpool's comment about not forgetting the "taste" of Deadpool is an obscure reference to the two times the Red Hulk hired him in Hulk Vol 2 #15-17 and Hulk Vol 2 #21.

• Deadpool explains how he tried to show Doc Green a basket full of puppies in the hopes of causing him to revert back into Bruce Banner. This was a method that was used to calm the Hulk in Indestructible Hulk Special #1.

• Steve Rogers talks about the Red Hulk's Thunderbolts operation. The Red Hulk led this team from Thunderbolts Vol 2 #1-32. Deadpool was a founding member until Thunderbolts Vol 2 #28 when he quit the team to spend time with his wife.