Incredible Hulk #251
Whatever Happened to the 3-D Man?
Under the alias of Bruce Jones, Bruce Banner wanders through Los Alamos, New Mexico until he comes to the Chandler residence. Family patriarch Hal Chandler offers Bruce a room for the night. What Bruce doesn't realize is that Hal recognizes him and secretly places a call to the U.S. Army.
Meanwhile, at General Ross' hunting cabin in the Colorado Rockies, Betty Ross, Fred Sloan and Rick Jones discover the wounded body of a centaur. They bring him into the cabin, but moments later a stranger arrives at the door. This man seems to have knowledge of the ill centaur and begins administering medical aid. Suspicious of this cloaked stranger's intentions, Rick Jones secretly broadcasts an S.O.S. to the Teen Brigade. Suddenly, Doc Samson bursts through the wall of the cabin carrying the injured General Ross. Samson knows that this mysterious stranger is actually the Changeling known as Woodgod.
Back in Los Alamos, soldiers respond to Hal Chandler's distress call and converge on the property. The excitement triggers Bruce Banner's metabolism and he transforms into the Hulk. Hal Chandler summons the spirit of his late brother Chuck Chandler - the enigmatic 3-D Man. The Hulk pounds his way through the soldiers while the 3-D Man runs interference to protect the Chandlers from the Hulk's rampage. The Hulk eventually grows frustrated and power-leaps away.
Hal Chandler explains to his family how his "deceased" brother Chuck became the 3-D Man in the 1950s and his essence still resides within Hal's special 3-D glasses.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, 3-D Man, Hal Chandler, Peggy Candler, Hal Chandler, Jr., Chuck Chandler, Jr., Betty Ross, Doc Samson, Fred Sloan, Rick Jones ,General Ross, Woodgod, Centaurio, Centauria, Centauron, Siren, Neptunus, Viperus
Continuity Notes
The origin of the 3-D Man presented here was first depicted in Marvel Premiere #35.
The origins and early life of Hal and Chuck Chandler, and Hal's wife Peggy are rooted in the 1950s and their lives are not impacted by the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 except for the passage time between the 3-D Man's forced retirement in the 1950s and the start of the Modern Age. Although not clearly explained, Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #12 states that something abut 3-D Man's powers slowed the aging process of Hal, Chuck and, somehow, Peggy. Hal and Peggy’s children were most likely born in the Modern Age.
Rick Jones mentions that his old group, Teen Brigade, communicated via ham radio. While this may have been the case when they were first introduced in Incredible Hulk #6. However, the technology used by Teen Brigade to communicate should be considered topical references. For example, in Avengers #1 Teen Brigade is depicted as using Ham Radio, however when the origin is retold in Avengers: The Origin, they are depicted as using the Internet. So how Rick tries to communicate with Teen Bridgade here should be up for interpretation.
