Savage Hulk (Vol. 2) #1
The Man Within
The Leader watches a news report about the recent battle in Las Vegas between the Hulk and the X-Men. Amateur footage caught at the scene shows Bruce Banner talking to the X-Men. Interested in what Banner had to say, the Leader zooms in and reads his lips, and sees that he is speaking about someone named Xavier. The Leader remembers the name tied into a NASA report about a massive alien planetoid that came to Earth and was repelled by some telepathic force that was able to link the population of Earth into a single mind. He notes that this was shortly before the battle between the X-Men and the Hulk. He reviews the surveillance footage of one of Banner's labs and discovers that the X-Men were seeking a device from within. He then tracks the gamma ray signature from the device to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in Westchester, New York.
Meanwhile, in the Nevada Desert, the Hulk is being bombarded by missiles launched at him by the military. The concussive blasts of the explosions merely knock the Hulk off his feet, angering him. He then picks up a rock and tosses it back at the soldiers, smashing their rocket launchers and then leaps away. While back at Xavier's Mansion, Professor X is busy working on altering the gamma device that saved his life. Marvel Girl tells him that he should be resting, but Xavier intends to keep working on the device as it may hold the key to curing Bruce Banner of the Hulk. When Cyclops asks why Banner didn't use the device to cure himself already, Charles explains that the device requires a telepathic component. However, with the gamma charge in the device depleted they need to find the Hulk to get more. When his students question the urgency on this matter, Professor X explains that the device contained a lingering psychic imprint that allowed Xavier to feel the torment that Bruce Banner has experienced and cannot rest until he does everything he can to try and cure Bruce Banner.
Back in the desert, the Hulk has long since escaped the military and as nightfall, the sad creature sits and gazes at the stars. Mesmerized by their beauty, the Hulk begins to calm down and reverts back into Bruce Banner. A few hours away, the X-Men have returned to Banner's secret cave and discover that it is still intact, but buried under tons of rubble. In order to clear it out, Havok uses his powers to blast through the debris. At that same moment, Bruce Banner has wandered to the Cactus Rose RV Park where he scrounges for clothing out of a dumpster. He is spotted by a man named Jeb who notices Banner is quite downtrodden and offers to take Bruce back to his RV to have a meal with him and his wife. Bruce tries to politely decline, but Jeb insists on it since the military has scared most everyone else out of the area and the nearest diner being ten miles away. With no other choices, Banner reluctantly agrees and goes with Jeb. While back at his lab, Professor X is scanning Marvel Girl's mind to learn what he can about his X-Men's battle with the Hulk. The group finishes preparations to lure the Hulk back to the cave. Cyclops then takes Havok, Angel, and Iceman with him to lure the Hulk back while the others prepare for his arrival. As the four X-Men take off in their jet, they are unaware that they are being observed by one of the Leader's monitoring devices.
Meanwhile, Bruce sits down to dinner with Jeb and his wife when suddenly another round of military carpet bombing happens nearby. Banner begins to panic and then warns the couple to flee as the military is after him. Before they can make sense out of this warning, Bruce begins to transform into the Hulk. Not far away, the X-Men pick up a gamma signature and follow it, being cautious of the missiles being launched. However, instead of finding the Hulk, they find the Abomination leaping toward them.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, X-Men (Professor X, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel, Beast, Havok, Lorna Dane), Leader, Abomination
Continuity Notes
This story takes place after and heavily references the events of X-Men #65-66 wherein Professor X repelled an invasion of Earth by the Z'nox by linking every mind on Earth. This took a heavy toll on Xavier's mind and he needed the gamma device in Banner's secret lab to cure himself.
The appearance of the Abomination in this story is difficult when taking into account the chronology of the time. During the time this was placed, the Abomination was captured and brought to the Stranger's homeworld in Tales to Astonish #91. He later escaped in Silver Surfer #12 thanks to a group of evil sorcerers. He was later returned to the Stranger's planet by the Silver Surfer. He remained as the Stranger's prisoner as seen in Thor #178 until he finally freed himself in Incredible Hulk #137. By the end of Savage Hulk Vol 2 #2 the Abomination was captured by the military. My guess is that the Leader managed to teleport the Abomination to Earth since he had been previously seen developing technology that can teleport people between worlds in Tales to Astonish #75, and the Stranger recaptured him after his defeat at the end of next issue.
