Days of Rage!

The now savage Hulk stands on the roof of Smythe's Warehouse and begins tearing down a billboard. He hurls it down to the street below, and the panicking crowd cannot understand why the Hulk has suddenly become so feral.

Daredevil observes the carnage and detects an abandoned child sitting in the midst of the fleeing pedestrians. He swings down and scoops the child to safety before the hordes of people accidentally trample him.

Gabe Jones leads an attack squadron of S.H.I.E.L.D. hoverfliers to engage the Hulk. They launch napalm missiles at him, and the roof of the warehouse erupts into flames. Kate Waynesboro stands nearby watching the attack. She realizes now that the man she loved is hopelessly lost, and that the Hulk is truly nothing more now than a monster.

The Hulk picks up a water tower from the roof of the building and hurls it at the S.H.I.E.L.D. hoverfliers. The ships are destroyed, and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents fall seemingly to their doom. Fortunately, Spider-Man arrives and catches them in a net of webbing. He then creates a web canopy to protect the agents from the deluge of (now blistering hot) water that descends down from the destroyed tower. The combination of steaming water and flames causes the roof of the warehouse to collapse and the Hulk falls down inside.

From nearby Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange sits on the stoop of his mansion and observes events from afar. He knows that there is no chance of saving Banner, but he needs to find a way to stop the Hulk without destroying him. He goes into his sanctum to consult with the Orb of Agamotto.

The Hulk meanwhile, emerges from the burning warehouse and stalks out into the street where he is met by a battalion of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and New York City police officers. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents fire upon the Hulk with their advanced handguns, but this proves fruitless. The Hulk tears up a section of the street pavement, which sends agents and police officers alike scattering across the ground.

At City Hall, Mayor Ed Koch consults with New York governor Mario Cuomo regarding the Hulk's rampage. The governor recommends calling in the National Guard, but the mayor instead sends a signal to Avengers Mansion.

Other heroes arrive on the scene to take their chance at bringing down the Hulk. The Human Torch unleashes a blast of flame, but the Hulk extinguishes him with a super-clap of his hands. Iron Fist charges up his fist and punches at the Hulk, but the Hulk catches the blow and re-channels the energy back into Iron Fist's body. Power Man charges at him from behind, and the Hulk responds by punching him through four skyscrapers.

Eventually, the Avengers arrive and attack the Hulk as well. Starfox attempts to use his pheremone power to calm him, but the Hulk is beyond calming at this point and sends Starfox flying. The Scarlet Witch uses her hex power to electrocute the Hulk, but this doesn't even slow him down. The Vision tells Captain Marvel to assume the form of Gamma radiation and attack the Hulk. This too proves futile. The Vision engages the Hulk directly and tries to stop him by altering his density. The Hulk pounds the Vision across the top of his head, driving him several feet into the ground. Thor takes his turn and the two combatants rage across Manhattan trading blow for blow with one another. Thor is one of the few beings alive who can actually withstand a punch from the Incredible Hulk. Their fight carries over into Central Park, and the Hulk attacks Thor with his own commemorative Adamantium statue. Thor deflects the projectile with Mjolnir, and the impact sends shockwaves across the city.

Finally, Doctor Strange arrives. After consulting with the Orb of Agamotto, he realizes that there is only one solution towards stopping the Hulk – exile. Having analyzed several different dimensional realms, he decides that the only place where the Hulk can no longer threaten a living being is in a Crossroads realm. Strange opens a mystic portal and places it before the Hulk, just as the green behemoth begins charging at him. As the Hulk enters the rift, the portal quickly closes.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Doctor Strange, SHIELD (Gabe Jones, Kate Waynesboro), Avengers (Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Starfox, Thor, Vision, Wasp), Daredevil, Spider-Man, Human Torch, Power Man, Iron Fist

Continuity Notes

• The mind of Bruce Banner commits "psychic suicide" at the end of last issue leaving the savage Hulk in control of his body. This lasts until Incredible Hulk #312.

• The Mayor of New York City is depicted as Ed Koch, this should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.

• The Human Torch states that the Thing is off planet. He decided to stay on Battleworld in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #12 he remains there until Thing #22.

• The Hulk has a dim memory of the original Avengers, of whom he was a member briefly from Avengers #1-2.

• The Adamantium statue of the Hulk was erected when the Hulk was pardoned in Incredible Hulk #278-279.