Incredible Hulk #196

Jan 24

Jan 24 Incredible Hulk #196

The Abomination Proclamation

IMG 2020 20 01 24 16 39 17 ihfez.png — Credits

Following the deactivation of a monitoring device inside the Abomination's head (which the villain was led to believe was really a bomb), the former Russian spy manages to convince the Hulk to join forces with him to get revenge on the "puny humans", much to the dismay of Doc Samson, General Ross, Clay Quartermain, and Betty Talbot. This creates yet another obstacle for them capturing the Hulk so that they might use Bruce Banner to restore Glenn Talbot from a catatonic state.

The Abomination brings the Hulk to a Florida Space Station and the two easily smash through the defenses and take the station under their control. With the base under their control, the Abomination takes control of their broadcasting capabilities and televises his demands: He is ransoming the entire space station for 100 million dollars in uncut diamonds to be given to him by midnight or he and the Hulk will destroy the base.

Holding the base staff hostage, the Abomination demands meals from them, when one of the employees attempts to electrocute th Abomination, he orders the Hulk to kill the man. When the Hulk finds that his intended victim is not afraid of death, he loses interest and earning the ire of his would-be partner who is beginning to realize that the Hulk is not as ruthless as he appears.

With time running out the US Government leaves it up to Hulkbuster Base to deal with the crisis and General Ross decides to attack their weakest link: The Hulk. Having Betty appear on television pleading for the Hulk to remember who she is, her pleas to get the Hulk to stop his attack confuse the brute, prompting the Abomination to smash any televisions that are broadcasting the message. Deciding that the government has not played ball with him, the Abomination leads the Hulk out to destroy the base. When the Abomination smashes another television screen playing Betty's message, the Hulk finally remembers who Betty is. When the Abomination refers to her as "just another puny human", this angers the Hulk. No longer considering the Abomination a friend, the Hulk angrily attacks him.

Their battle takes them to a nearby rocket that was scheduled for launch before their invasion of the base. During the fight the Abomination attempts to escape inside. As it is blasting off, the Hulk jumps onto the exterior hull and attempts to smash his way in. However, the Abomination knocks him loose sending him crashing back into Earth's orbit. The Abomination's get away isn't quite so clean however, as the damages caused by the Hulk make the rocket explode seemingly killing him. The hulk meanwhile crash lands somewhere in the Florida swamps. When news reaches Hulkbuster Base, they all assume that the Hulk had perished in he battle, sending Betty into a torrent of tears.