This Monster Unleashed!

Having fled the army with Betty Ross in his arms, the Hulk bounds through the city, until Betty convinces the Hulk to land at her hotel to get her things. When they land in the back of the hotel, they encounter an attempted robbery. As the Hulk scares off the crooks, he begins to change back into Bruce Banner. Taking advantage of this one of the fleeing crooks takes a shot at Bruce and hits his leg.

Meanwhile some spies on a freighter off the coast of New York have just unleashed the Communists' latest weapon against the United States: The Missing Link, prehistoric man who was unearthed and mutated into a powerful radioactive being as a result of atomic weapons tests. They launch the beast to the mainland where it frees itself and begins wandering the city, trying to make sense of its situation.

Meanwhile, Betty has loaded the injured Banner into her car and as the two are leaving the hotel, they are stopped by the police. Banner begins to change into the Hulk again and jumps out of the car ordering Betty to flee. Fully transformed into the Hulk, Banner smashes through the ground and escapes on the subway. Smashing his way back to the surface, Hulk happens upon the Missing Link and the two engage in a battle through the city. However, the Missing Link's radioactive body causes the Hulk to change back into Banner again, but still with the Hulk's mind. The Missing Link notices the transformation but is uninterested in fighting Banner, and so walks away.

Elsewhere, Rick Jones and Glenn Talbot have commissioned Reed Richards to build a device designed by Banner they hope will stop the Hulk. While in the city streets, the Hulk transforms back into his massive form and resumes his fight against the Missing Link. During the battle, Rick and Glenn arrive just as the Hulk has finished burying the Missing Link in the rubble of a demolished building. Talbot uses the device built by Richards to change the Hulk back into Banner. The timing couldn't be worse as the Missing Link burns its way through the rubble and approaches the three men, bent on destroying them.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Betty Ross, General Ross, Major Talbot, Rick Jones, Missing Link, Mister Fantastic

Continuity Notes

• All Cold War references in this story, particularly references to Mao Tse Tung being ruler of China should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.

• The Hulk's battle with the Missing Link is observed by Loki in Silver Surfer #4.

• In this story the Hulk finds his mind trapped in Bruce Banner's body for a short period of time. This is the first appearance of the "Savage Banner" persona of the Hulk. This persona will return again in Iron Man #131-133.