Do Not Forsake Me!

Bruce Banner takes Jarella out shopping for some new clothes, and the couple enjoy their newfound happiness together. As they walk down the streets of Santa Fe, a bunch of men start gawking at Jarella. Bruce tries to defend her, warning the men to not make him angry or they will regret it. However, before a transformation into the Hulk can be triggered, Jarella calms Bruce down and gets him away from the tense scene. They continue shopping and then stop to get milkshakes with not a single care in the world.

However, events are taking place that will shatter their lives forever. In a secret lab somewhere not far away a scientist has been working hard to rebuild and revive the Crypto-Man, a powerful robot that was recently destroyed by Thor. Fed up of living life without any recognition, this man seeks to unleash the Crypto-Man in order to make a name for himself. With a push of a button the robot is re-energized and completely functional.

Back at Gamma Base, Glenn Talbot is still trying to sort out his life after spending much of the past in a catatonic state. Watching Doc Samson work, he jealously observes Samson's superior strength. His private conversation is interrupted by Betty who demands to know where their marriage is going. Glenn admits that he feels at fault for all the trauma that has been the center of their marriage, but his wife pleads for him to let her in and talk about his hurt.

Meanwhile, the shopping expedition in Santa Fe gets interrupted when the Cryptonic-Man comes crashing through a local bank, attracting the attention of Bruce and Jarella. When the Cryptonic-Man notes that Jarella has green skin, it questions if she has similar strength from the Hulk and seeks to absorb it. This causes Bruce to become excited, triggering his transformation into the Hulk. The Hulk then piles into the Cryptonic-Man, as the battle rages the man responsible for reviving the robot watches and hopes that his robot can destroy the Hulk. In the ensuing battle, one of the Cryptonic-Man's energy beams strikes the side of a building, causing rubble to fall down towards an innocent child watching the battle. Seeing this, Jarella dives at the child, pushing it out of the way of the falling debris.

Seeing the love of his life getting buried under tons of rubble shocks the Hulk who knocks aside his foe and runs to her side. As he tries to dig her out of the rubble the Cryptonic-Man attacks him from behind again. Furious, the Hulk becomes increasingly angry as he battles the robot, gaining enough strength to smash it to pieces. The feedback from the Hulk's smashing blow causes the scientist's computers to overload and explode, killing this nameless madman in the process. Finally freeing Jarella, the Hulk is heartbroken to see that his love is dying in his arms. She tells the Hulk that they had a happy time together, but the Hulk refuses to give up on her. In a panic, the Hulk leaps back to Gamma Base where he demands Doc Samson do something to safe her life.

Samson takes the woman into surgery and the Hulk waits somberly outside. Eventually, Samson emerges from the operating room and regretfully tells the Hulk that there was nothing he could do and that Jarella is dead. Upon hearing this, the Hulk begins to go on a rampage, but Betty tries to talk the Hulk down. When she tells the Hulk that there is nothing that science can do to save Jarella, the Hulk decides to seek out Doctor Strange, certain that magic can succeed where science had failed. The Hulk then leaps into the air, leaving Betty, her father, and Doc Samson to wonder what the Hulk will do next.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Jarella, Betty Ross, Doc Samson, Major Talbot, General Ross, Crypto-Man

Continuity Notes

• The Cryptonic-Man battled and was destroyed by Thor in Thor #174.

• Glenn Talbot's problems began when he married Betty Ross in Incredible Hulk #158. Soon after he went missing in action saving General Ross from Russia in Incredible Hulk #166. He was eventually rescued in Incredible Hulk #188 but was found in a catatonic state. He was ultimately cured of this condition in Incredible Hulk #200.

• Although Jarella dies here, he body is not buried until much later in Incredible Hulk #248. She is briefly resurrected years later during the Chaos War in Incredible Hulks #619-620.