Hulk Family: Green Genes #1

Mar 14

Mar 14 Hulk Family: Green Genes #1

Your Lucky Day

Years ago, somewhere on a stretch of highway in the Nevada desert, two mutants named Discordia and Tantrum murder everyone inside of a diner and then steal a Firebird. They then head into the city of Las Vegas.

At the Colosseum Casino, the She-Hulk is attending to her law school class reunion. The moment makes her think back to the early days of her law career where she was given an emergency transfusion from her cousin Bruce Banner and how the irradiated blood turned her into the She-Hulk. Suddenly, she sees the casino's enforcer, Joe Fixit. His massive gray-skinned frame reminds her of her cousin the Hulk. Joe Fixit also notices his cousin and hopes that she didn't see him as the entire world believes him dead after the Leader detonated a gamma bomb. Wanting to keep his survival a secret so he can his ideal life uninterrupted by his enemies. Unfortunately, She-Hulk did see him and runs after to confront him and find out if this bruiser is really her cousin or not.

Meanwhile, outside, Discordia and Tantrum stall the car outside of the casino and take it as a sign to go inside. When one of the casino staff tells them that they can't park their car there, Discordia uses her mutant powers to send him crashing through the front window. Discordia then orders everyone in the casino to hand over their valuables, using her powers to strike fear into the hearts of everyone in the room. This fuels Tantrum's powers, increasing his strength, allowing him to start trashing the casino. Elsewhere in the building, She-Hulk confronts Joe Fixit but he denies the fact that he is really the Hulk. Before Jennifer can press him for more answers, he gets a call from his boss, Michael Berengetti, who tells him of the situation down on the casino floor. Joe Fixit uses this as an opportunity to get away from She-Hulk, but she is not so easily dissuaded.

While Joe Fixit clashes with Tantrum, She-Hulk follows behind him insisting that he is actually the Hulk. Joe continues to deny it, and when She-Hulk is distracted, she is struck by a slot machine tossed by Discordia. Tantrum then gets the drop on the Hulk and the force of his attack sends them crashing through the floor. They land in the middle of the mock gladiatorial arena that serves as one of the casino's attractions. As the two fight it out, Tantrum tries to convince the Hulk that this battle was ordained by the gods. That causes the mind of Bruce Banner to begin speaking in Joe's mind, telling him that his birth was a freak accident, a random chance incident. This anger the Hulk and he lashed out on Tantrum even harder than before. Back up on the casino floor, She-Hulk recovers from Discordia's attack and easily knocks her out. Down below, Joe Fixit pounds into Tantrum in submission, bellowing to Banner how he will never give up control of his body ever again. Suddenly, he is stopped by She-Hulk, who grabs his arm. Having not heard his rant, she sees the level of cruelty and violence that Joe Fixit is employing and is convinced that he couldn't possibly be her cousin.

With the battle over, She-Hulk is complimented by one of the gladiatorial performers, and she takes him off for a drink. In the aftermath, Joe Fixit considers how close he was to having his cover blown and realizes that if the two mutants hadn't come into the casino on chance, it likely would have.

Recurring Characters

She-Hulk, Hulk, Michael Berengetti

Continuity Notes

This story takes place during a period in which the Hulk was believed to have died in a gamma bomb explosion in Incredible Hulk #346. He operated as an enforcer for Michael Berengetti from Incredible Hulk #347-359. Thanks to a spell cast upon him in Incredible Hulk #352 the Hulk would not refer back into Banner until the spell wore off circa Incredible Hulk #353.

The origins of the Hulk and She-Hulk are recounted in this story. These events happened in Incredible Hulk #1 and Savage She-Hulk #1 respectively.

One of Jennifer's classmates mistakenly thinks that Jennifer is still a member of the Fantastic Four. She-Hulk was with the FF from Fantastic Four #265-301.

School For Savage

Following his painful encounter with the Shadow Priests who tattooed his body, Skaar, the Son of Hulk, retreats back to his cave. There he paints on the wall of the cave, chronicling his ordeal as his hybrids watch. Weakened from the experience, Skaar eventually passes out. Suddenly, the elderly man known as Old Sam enters the cave and is able to get close to Skaar after feeding his hybrids. Having made a poultice to cure Skaar of the cutfrog venom that was used to tattoo Skaar.

With Skaar cured, Old Sam tells the savage that he is going to teach him how to be civilized, starting with trying to get the child to wear pants. However, Skaar has his own ideas on what "civilized society" is. He tosses a flaming log up at the cave wall, showing painted images of the senseless slaughter that he has witnessed by the barbarians that roam Sakaar. Old Sam admits that the boy has learned some harsh lessons. However, he tells the boy that not everyone on Sakaar is like this. He implores Skaar to follow the destiny laid out by his father the Hulk, and his mother Caiera the Oldstrong and save the world.

Unfortunately, Skaar isn't interested in any destiny and attacks Old Sam. The old man wakes up to find himself in a charnel pit. He is discovered by some travelers who help them up, but he quickly discovers that they are cannibal barbarians from Fillia. Although he is chased and knocked to the ground by a blow to the head. As he begins to blackout, he notices Skaar's hybrids swarming around him. When Old Sam wakes up he is back in the cave, having been saved by Skaar. He is impressed to see that while the boy continues his primitive artwork he is now wearing pants.

Recurring Characters

Skaar, Old Sam

Daughter of Hulk

Lyra is leading her fellow female warriors into battle against a tribe of men who have secured a secret armory. Leading the charge, Lyra fights side-by-side with her sister-in-arms, Nella. As she fights her way through the warriors she recounts how her mother birthed her naturally thanks to cells that were swabbed from the mouth of the Hulk, the strongest mortal of Earth's distant past. She pauses to think about how not many people like her because of this because she is the only person in this future that has a father. This is why she insists on standing out in front of the battlefields and acting feminine while laying into her enemies.

Soon they get past the warriors and breach the gates. While the other warriors secure the area, Lyra smashes into what she thinks is a munitions factory. However, instead, she discovers that it is actually a massive birthing cradle, where thousands of new males are being artificially grown. She considers destroying the facility when she is suddenly attacked by a young boy. When she sees how the boy bravely wants to defend his unborn brothers, Lyra decides against destroying the cradle. She gets her moment when she is called back to battle as the men have called in reinforcements. When Lyra rejoins Nella outside, she tells her that the information they got was false and that they had come to destroy an empty building. But as more men come charging into battle, Lyra tells her fellow female warriors to make the best of the situation.

Recurring Characters

Lyra, Nella

Continuity Notes

Lyra recounts how her mother got a cell sample from the Hulk to birth her. That happened in Hulk: Raging Thunder #1.

Emerald Highway

Following World War Hulk, a SHIELD Unit has been tasked with transporting Bruce Banner out to a holding facility. As they drive along a desert highway they get a report that the Scorpion is attempting to free Banner and they have orders to capture her. Suddenly, the Scorpion incapacitates the SHIELD cars escorting the prisoner carrier.

She then incapacitates the soldiers driving the transport and uses the top bound guns to blow up the armored vehicle behind her. As she prepares to break into the prisoner transport, the Scorpion's mind thinks back to what put her on Banner's trail. She recalls her time with Amadeus Cho during the Hulk war. When they were traveling in the sewers, he told her how he hacked SHIELD's files and learned about her mother's brief fling with Bruce Banner when they were both in college. He questions if the Scorpion's green hair is hereditary or not.

She has since tracked down Banner in the hopes of getting a DNA sample and learning if he is her biological father in the hopes of having a connection to someone who is generally viewed as heroic. When SHIELD command learns that the prisoner transport has been compromised, they use an orbital satellite to blow it up. However, this is merely a decoy, the real Bruce Banner has arrived at Gamma Base to be incarcerated. While in the desert, the Scorpion has dragged the containment unit she thinks holds Bruce Banner and has opened it up only to discover that there is nothing inside but a fake head floating in a container full of fluid. Realizing that she has failed on her mission, the Scorpion begins to cry.

Recurring Characters

Scorpion, SHIELD, Amadeus Cho, Kirby

Continuity Notes

The flashback where Scorpion learns about her mother's connection to Banner from Amadeus Cho takes place during the events of Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #109.