Hulk Smash Avengers #1
By Banner Betrayed!
The Avengers have tracked down the Hulk in an attempt to convince him to rejoin the Avengers. However, the Hulk has no interest in rejoining the team especially after they forced him out of the team. Since the Hulk doesn't want to go peacefully, Captain America orders the Avengers to take him down. Although the Hulk struggles, Iron Man, Giant-Man, and Thor managed to restrain him. Before Captain America can call the military to bring in special restraints for the Hulk, the gamma-spawned brute stomps his foot, putting the Wasp in harms way from falling rock. This distracts the Avengers enough to allow the Hulk to break free and leap away. He warns the heroes to stop hounding him. When the Thor offers to follow after him, Captain America declines that they should come up with a new tactic to convince the Hulk to rejoin them.
Meanwhile, the Hulk is being watched by the Masters Evil thanks to the magics of the Enchantress. Baron Zemo has decided to use the Hulk to destroy their mutual enemies in the Avengers. When the Enchantress and the Executioner balk at this scheme, Zemo explains that it is the best way to get revenge against Thor for their exile from Asgard and for him to destroy Captain America. Although he has developed a weapon to stop the Avengers, he wants to recruit the Hulk into their group as an additional ace-in-the-hole. Convinced, the Enchantress teleports them from Baron Zemo's mansion in South America to the deserts of New Mexico. They appear before the Hulk who reacts with hostility until Baron Zemo tells him that they are also enemies of the Avengers. When he offers to work together to defeat them, the Hulk decides to listen to what the Baron has to say.
Elsewhere the Avengers have gathered with the military and brought the Hulk's longtime ally Rick Jones along with them. Cap wishes that Rick would stay on the sidelines, but Jones still feels responsible for the creation of the Hulk when Bruce Banner risked his life to save Rick from the gamma bomb explosion that created the Hulk. Their conversation is interrupted when their convoy is suddenly attacked by the Hulk and the Masters of Evil. While the Executioner clashes with Thor, the Enchantress uses her spells against Giant-Man and the Wasp. The Hulk attacks Iron Man, who tries to convince the Hulk to stand down, but the brute refuses to do anything but fight. The battle takes a turn as Iron Man's armor begins to run out of power, allowing the Hulk to easily overpower him. Baron Zemo then unleashes his latest weapon to destroy Captain America, a remote control Killbot. Meanwhile, the members of the Avengers are gaining ground against the Masters of Evil. While the battle between Cap and Zemo's Killbot comes to an end when the Star-Spangled Avenger manages to decapitate the robot.
With his plan falling apart, Zemo grabs Rick Jones and holds a gun to his head. This turns out to be a big mistake, as the Hulk quickly turns on Zemo when he notices that Rick is being threatened. Hulk slams his fist on the ground, knocking Zemo away from Rick. Meanwhile, Giant-Man and the Wasp manage to harm the Enchantress, causing the Executioner to stop his battle with Thor to come to her side. With the battle lost, Enchantress teleports her allies away. Seeing his would-be allies abandon him, the Hulk is not overly surprised and leaps away. With the battle over, Captain America calls off the hunt for the Hulk as a number of the team are out of commission. In the aftermath of it all, Captain America couldn't help but notice that the Hulk genuinely cares about Rick Jones and wonders what horrors face someone trapped in the living nightmare that is the Hulk.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp), Rick Jones, Masters of Evil (Baron Zemo, Enchantress, Executioner)
Continuity Notes
The narrative of this story states that this story takes place between Avengers #7 and Avengers #14, however, it specifically takes place prior to Avengers #11.
The Hulk mentions his departure from the Avengers, that happened in Avengers #2.
At the time of this story, the Enchantress and the Executioner were exiled from Asgard as seen in Avengers #7.
Baron Zemo recounts how Captain America was responsible for his mask being glued to his face. This was revealed in Avengers #6.
Rick Jones recounts the origins of the Hulk, as seen in Incredible Hulk #1.
Baron Zemo states that he killed Captain America's former partner Bucky. Bucky seemingly died in World War II as seen in Avengers #4. However, unknown to everyone at the time of this story, Bucky actually survived as revealed in Captain America Vol 5 #8.
