Crushed by... the Constrictor!

Jim Wilson has been spending fruitless hours trying to track down the Hulk in New York City. In Greenwich Village, he is attacked by a man hired by the people who have pursued him across the country. Jim manages to fight off his attacker and escape by grabbing onto the side of a passing truck. The man hired to tail him is then attacked by his employer, a costumed assassin calling himself the Constrictor. Threatening to kill the man using his Adamantium coils, the Constrictor learns that his minion had managed to plant a tracking device on Wilson during the struggle. Deciding to spare the man's life, the Constrictor warns him to flee New York immediately lest he forfeit his life again.

Meanwhile, at his newly rented apartment, Bruce Banner laments where his life has gone: being broke, unemployed, and living in the apartment of a former magician. His thoughts are interrupted by his new landlord, April Sommers, who has realized that she doesn't really know much about her new tenant, not even his last name. Fearing this would happen, Bruce struggles with what might happen if he tells the truth. He decides to tell her his name is Bruce Banner, but when she presses him for more details about his background, Banner tells her that he must keep it secret for now. Sommers decides to allow Banner's secrecy for now and tells him that she will be expecting some answers later.

Elsewhere, thousands of miles away, somewhere in America, Betty Ross Talbot is taking steps to start her life over. Buying a new dress, and some hair dye, Betty checks into a hotel room under an alias so her father can have a hard time tracking her. Left to the privacy of her room, Betty then begins a complete makeover that will begin the new chapter in her life. Back in New York, Jim Wilson decides to try seeing if Bruce Banner has a listed phone number. Calling information from a phone booth he is able to get in contact with Banner by calling a number assigned to Bruce Roberts. As Jim begins telling Bruce to meet him in Greenwich Village he is suddenly attacked by someone. Hearing the commotion over the phone, Banner quickly rushes out of his apartment to get to his friend.

At that moment, somewhere at sea, SHIELD is involved in a salvage operation headed by scientist Sidney Levine, aka Gaffer. They recover a capsule that has been giving off Gamma Radiation and bring it aboard their vessel. When Gaffer reports in to Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD tells Gaffer to bring the capsule back to the Helicarrier while he gets in touch with the experts at Gamma Base. In New York, Jim's attacker turns out to be the Constrictor who has come to collect the boy on his own. Although Jim gives his pursuer a good chance he is quickly captured. Not long after this, Banner arrives in the area by taxi and spots the Constrictor forcing Jim into a car. Rushing after the vehicle, Banner puts himself in its path. However, when the Constrictor tries to run down Bruce, he transforms into the Hulk, wrecking the car entirely. Although the Constrictor manages to bail out, Jim is still inside when it crashes. After the Hulk checks to see if Jim is okay, he then turns his attention to his attacker.

Although the Hulk has the advantage of strength on his side, the Constrictor manages to keep the Hulk at bay using a combination of his speed, and electrified Adamantium coils. When it appears that the Hulk cannot be defeated in battle, the Constrictor threatens to snap Jim's neck. The Hulk manages to knock his foe away from Wilson by pounding on the ground. When the Constrictor tries to use his coils again, the Hulk ducks causing them to strike a lap post. The electrical feedback overpowers the Constrictor's armor and knocks him out. With their foe unconcious, the Hulk checks on Jim and learns that he is all right. Jim then remarks how funny it was that Jim originally came to New York to help the Hulk.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Constrictor, Jim Wilson, Betty Ross, April Sommers, SHIELD (Nick Fury, Gaffer)

Continity Notes

• The Constrictor is working for the Corporation as revealed in Captain America #228, which is where this plot thread continues to expand.

• Banner first moved into Apartments to Let in Incredible Hulk #208, at the time Sommers was eager to find a new tenant after she evicted Kropotkin the Great, the former tenant of Banner's apartment.

• Betty left Gamma Base of her failing marriage to Glenn Talbot. They were married in Incredible Hulk #168. After Glenn suffered a catatonic episode from Incredible Hulk #188-200 their marriage became increasingly strained. Talbot decided to separate from his wife to rediscover himself in Incredible Hulk #210.

• The contents of the capsule here is revealed to be the Bi-Beast as revealed in Incredible Hulk #214.