Again, Arsenal!

The Leader sitting at his computer aboard Omnivac, his orbiting space station, plotting ways to conquer the world, now that he believes the newly intelligent Hulk, finally under the control of Bruce Banner, is no longer a threat. Back at the Empire Hotel, Tony Stark is informed by the management that Bruce Banner and his friends can no longer stay at the hotel after it was trashed in last issue's battle with the Leader. They relocate to Avengers Mansion to avoid more civil destruction. There, Bruce Banner helps Iron Man search for Ommivac, using Stark's Omnifunctional Detection Device. Banner's Krylorian lover Bereet requests permission to film scenes for a documentary she is making on the Hulk. Iron Man refuses because there is no security clearance for cameras in Avengers Mansion. Bereet storms out in a huff and meets Jennifer Walters aka the She-Hulk in the hallway. Jen tries to be friendly but Bereet gives her the brush off.

Meanwhile, in the Bahamas, Betty Ross is vacationing in an attempt to forget Bruce Banner. Her father General Thunderbolt Ross, on the beach in full military uniform, tells her that Banner remains a monster and should be forgotten once and for all. He embraces his daughter and they both shed a tear. Meanwhile back at Avengers Mansion Bruce and his cousin the She-Hulk are in deep conversation. Bruce asks Jen for forgiveness for turning her into a monster, but she tells him that she does not consider herself a monster and likes being the She-Hulk, as she is no longer the victim she once was. Her origin is retold. A former lawyer, Jennifer Walters was gunned down and laid close to death until a gamma-radiated blood transfusion from Bruce saved her, but also transformed her into the savage She-Hulk. She considers herself now "an aggressive, positive force for good"; she likes being green and fighting super-villains and only has gratitude for what Bruce did. She tells Bruce that she does not consider herself or Bruce to be monsters and reassures him of her support.

Suddenly, Jarvis is heard crying out in pain. Bruce, now with the power to transform into the Hulk at will, morphs into the Hulk and heads off to see what is happening, just as Stark's Omnifunctional Detection Device locates Omnivac. Arsenal the Living Weapon has emerged from the deepest sublevels of Avengers Mansion. The She-Hulk is attacked by the Living Arsenal and she wonders whether Bruce still has the rage that the Hulk had formerly now that he has control over his transformation. That question is answered in the affirmative as Banner gets angry and fights the living Arsenal with the Hulk's full power, until he destroys him. Banner discovers that the fight has been set up by the She-Hulk and her fellow Avengers, who suddenly appear, to prove to him that if he fights with Hulk's heart instead of Banner's head he can still be unstoppable. Iron Man informs the Hulk that the Leader has been located and the Hulk calls the Avengers to join him and go after the mad genius.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, She-Hulk, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, Wasp, Captain Marvel), Rick Jones, Bereet, Sturky, Betty Ross, General Ross, Leader, Arsenal, Edwin Jarvis

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.

• The narrative of this story states that this story takes place before the "trials" seen in then-recent issues of Iron Man. This is in reference to Tony Stark's battle with Alcoholism and trying to prevent the hostile take-over of Stark Industries by Obadiah Stane. Those events are chronicled in Iron Man #163-169.

• Mention is made of the Hulk's recent pardon from Incredible Hulk #278 and the last time he and the Avengers battled the Leader, which was depicted in Incredible Hulk Annual #11. No explanation is given here how the Leader survived his apparent drowning. However, years later it was explained in Fall of the Hulks: Alpha #1 that the Leader and other members of the Intelligencia often worked together to pull each other out of near death scenarios.

• Bruce recounts his origins again as they were originally depicted in Incredible Hulk #1. Likewise, the She-Hulk's origin, from Savage She-Hulk #1, is recounted here as well.

• The origin of Arsenal is recounted here as it was explained in Iron Man #114. Mention is also made of the robots defeat that the hands of the Avengers in Avengers Annual #9. This story states that Arsenal was created during World War II. This should be considered a topical reference. Iron Man (vol. 3) #84 retells Arsenal’s origins updating them so that the robot was created during the Cold War, also a topical reference.