Savage Hulk (Vol. 2) #4

Mar 17

Mar 17 Savage Hulk (Vol. 2) #4

The Man Within: Conclusion

The Leader has captured Bruce Banner and the X-Men during a failed attempt to cure Banner of the Hulk. Now with Bruce strapped into the device they hoped would cure him, the Leader has modified it so it will turn Bruce into a gamma battery that he will then completely drain. As the Leader marvels over the possibilities of this device, Professor X tries to contact Marvel Girl telepathically. However, she is unable to respond due to the sensory deprivation device strapped to her head. In order to bypass this, she established a telepathic link through Cyclops and Angel so she can see through their eyes and remove the device blocking Cyclops' visor. Meanwhile, Banner begins to transform into something completely different. When the Leader demands to know how Professor X affected the device with his telepathy, Charles only agrees to do so if their foe removes the explosives from himself and his students. In order to try and get Charles to talk, the Leader orders one of his Humanoids to begin tearing Angel's wings off. Hearing Warren's screams of pain, Banner wakes up and refuses to allow someone to get hurt because of him.

Turning into a warped version of the Hulk, Banner somehow uses telekinesis to free the X-Men from their bonds. Having become fed up with the situation, the Leader orders his Humanoids to destroy his enemies. As the X-Men try to hold the androids off, a group of them swarm the Hulk. However, the Hulk smashes free and grabs what he thinks is the Leader. However, he quickly realizes that it is merely a drone and channels his excess gamma radiation back to the Leader's lair causing an explosion. With the Leader defeated, the Hulk smashes the mental device, despite protests from Professor X. With his intelligence dropping, the Hulk destroys the remaining Humanoids until he is back to his normal self. As the Hulk begins trashing the lab, the X-Men flee outside just moments before the cave explodes. When the Hulk smashes free from the rubble he is back to his savage self. Still angry, the Hulk approaches the X-Men. Charles tells his students to remain calm. The Hulk soon towers angrily over them after a tense moment screams in Xavier's face and leaps off. When Iceman thanks the Professor for using his telepathic powers to send the Hulk away, Charles tells his students that he didn't do anything, that it was Banner who turned the Hulk away.