Little Hitler

Delphi of the Pantheon is looking into her seeing pool and is horrified to see a possible future where a young man named Max Meer will grow up to become a dictator worse than Hitler himself. Achilles and Ulysses hear Delphi's screams and come to her aid, squabbling over their mutual affection to her along the way. Delphi asks Paris an important question: If he knew someone would become a horrible dictator in forty years, would he kill them?

Meanwhile in Reno, the Hulk, Marlo Chandler, and Betty Banner have come to a bar to watch Rick Jones and his band. Suddenly, Agamemnon appears before the Hulk and asks for his aid on a mission. The Hulk initially declines, saying he already helped enough with the Abomination and he needs time to sort out his life. However, the Hulk changes his mind when Agamemnon tells the Hulk that they had initially sent Achilles on this mission, but he went rogue. When Rick is finished playing he sits down with Betty and Marlo and talks about what it was like being dead for a brief moment. However, their conversation is cut short when the Hulk signals to Rick that it is time to leave. At that moment in Jerusalem, the Meer family -- ambassadors -- are welcomed to Jerusalem. They are apologized to after the attempted assassination attempt in Tel Aviv but are assured that nothing of the sort will happen again. As these assurances are being made, Achilles stands outside the embassy waiting for his moment to strike again.

By this time, the Hulk and Rick Jones are taking one of the Pantheon's ships to Israel. Along the way, Agamemnon tells them of Delphi's vision of the boy who is destined to become a dictator. He explains that he sent Achilles to go and convince the family to turn the boy over to the Pantheon to guide him away from this future. However, Achilles went rogue and attempted to kill Max Meer. His previous attempt was thwarted by the Israel super-agent known as Sabra. Before they are out of Agamemnon's range he tells them to try and recruit the boy, if not do what their conscious dictates. Back in Reno, Marlo is upset that Rick just up and left. When Betty tells her to get used to it, Marlo asks why hasn't Betty gotten used to it with her husband. They are soon accosted by a tabloid reporter who wants to know what Betty Banner is doing in the region, however. they are uninterested in talking to the press and take off.

At the Draberg Embassy, Max Meer is bored with all the celebrations and meetings. That is until he meets Gretta Rabin, the daughter to a member of the Knesset. She asks him if he has seen the old city and offers to take him. Their departure is noticed by Officer Ruth Bat-Seraph who tells her superior. He tells Ruth to stay put and follows after the children. Elsewhere in the old city, Rick Jones and the Hulk are trying to locate Max Meer. Rick spots the boy and the police chasing after him, and wonders if this man a legitimate cop or Achilles in disguise. He reports his position to the Hulk and follows after them. However, Rick is cut off by some men carrying a rug and loses them. At the same time, the cop is knocked out by Achilles who takes his uniform. Max and Gretta go to a bookstore where Max seemingly uses mind control powers to haggle down the shopkeeper. They are then confronted by Achilles, but they manage to getaway.

As Achilles chases after the children, he is spotted by the Hulk who follows after them. By this point, Sabra has caught up to the children and spotting the Hulk thinks he is the real threat and attacks him. Before the Hulk can explain himself, Sabra fires quills that end up striking the Hulk in the mouth, paralyzing his larynx. Thinking that she is facing the savage Hulk and tries to defeat her. Meanwhile, Achilles catches up to Max and is about to shoot him. Max's apparent mental powers cannot affect Achilles because he is wearing sunglasses. But, before he can shoot the child, Rick Jones shoves Achilles out of the way. As the Hulk and Sabra continue to duke it out, Rick is subdued by Achilles. Max and Gretta quickly manage to slip away and find a group of people. Max tells them that he is being chased and compels them to go after Achilles and Rick Jones.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Betty Ross, Rick Jones, Marlo Chandler, Sabra, Pantheon (Agamemnon, Delphi, Ulysses, Achilles), Gretta Rabin, Max Meer

Continuity Notes

• Rick Jones was briefly blinked out of existence in Incredible Hulk #383 during the Infinity Gauntlet event. When Thanos was defeated in Infinity Gauntlet #6 everyone who was killed came back to life including Rick, who reappeared at the end of last issue.