Incredible Hulk #281
Audition!
With his allies Rick Jones and Bereet a prisoner aboard the Leader's satellite Omnivac, Bruce Banner has enlisted the aid of the Avengers. However, he declines their offer to help battle the Leader, wanting to handle it on his own. Borrowing a Quinjet, Bruce then takes it up into space to locate Omnivac. As he reaches escape velocity, Banner thinks back to the events that allowed him to take full control of the Hulk and obtain a pardon for his past misdeeds and how this left him open to attack by the Leader. As soon as he locates Omnivac, the space station begins attacking him. In order to protect himself from these various defenses, Banner allows himself to transform into the Hulk. As he gets closer to Omnivac, the Leader unleashes his Humanoids upon the Quinjet. The Hulk goes out to fight off these androids, but they wreck his space helmet before he could inhale enough air. Soon Banner passes out from the lack of oxygen and is taken prisoner aboard Omnivac.
When Bruce wakes up he finds himself before a massive dinner table set by the Leader and Jackdaw. The Leader then explains how he was responsible for the recent attack on the White House. Now that Bruce Banner is in full control of the Hulk, the Leader asks that they join forces so they can rule the whole world. When Banner refuses to do so and demands that Rick and Bereet be set free, the Leader unleashes another swarm of Humanoids to deal with his long-time foe. As the Hulk tries to fight off the Humanoids, he cannot think of a way to defeat them and laments how the "old" savage Hulk could generate sufficient strength to smash these pliable androids. Beaten into a pulp, Banner submits and reverts back to human form. Deciding that he has proved his victory, the Leader then dumps a glass of wine on Bruce's head and then teleports Banner and his companions back to Earth.
In the aftermath of the battle, Bruce tells his friends that it will take more than just the Hulk to defeat the Leader this time.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Rick Jones, Bereet, Sturky, Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wasp, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel), Leader, Jackdaw
Continuity Notes
Bruce Banner now has control of the Hulk and its transformations since a series of bombardments of gamma radiation between Incredible Hulk #269-272. He retains this ability until Incredible Hulk #296.
Bruce recalls how he was pardoned for the Hulk's past rampages. This happened in Incredible Hulk #278-279.
The depiction of Ronald Reagan as President of the United States should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
