Incredible Hulk #397

Mar 4

Mar 4 Incredible Hulk #397

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IMG 2020 20 03 04 15 27 01 jkntt.png — Credits

After catching the mobster who murdered Michael Berengetti, the Hulk says goodbye to his widow, Suzi. Soon he and his Pantheon allies Ulysses, Hector and Paris leave in a ship sent for them. He thanks them for helping him out on this personal matter. Ulysses tells him that it was fun playing gangster and they did it to repay the Hulk his assistance in Trans-Sabal. They are soon informed by the pilot that their attempts to hail the Mount have failed. As they get closer to the Panthenon's headquarters they find that someone had smashed their way in. Landing the plane in the hanger, they survey the damage and find Ajax who has been knocked out. Hiding under the Pantheon's dimwitted member is one of the groups charges a young girl named Yetta. She tells them that bad people attacked the Mount. Suddenly, the Hulk and his allies are ambushed by the U-Foes. In the opening salvo, Vector blasts the Hulk outside of the Mount. Vector then tells the Pantheon members that they only have a grudge against the Hulk and are not looking for a fight with the Pantheon. When Hector tries to attack, Paris orders him to stand down and asks what the U-Foes want. Vector explains that they have come for the Pantheon's leader Agamemnon.

Meanwhile, in Reno, Rick Jones is having a meal with Jackie Shorr, a woman who claims to be his biological mother. Rick is entertaining her with stories about his days as Captain America's sidekick. Jackie expresses her concern over all the dangers that Rick has faced but promises that she will keep him safe from now on. Before he can get her to elaborate, Rick suddenly passes out because Jackie had drugged his coffee. She then drags him out to her car. As Jackie drives off, Betty and Marlo arrive and seeing Rick propped up in the car they decide to follow after Jackie.

Back at the Mount, Paris refuses to turn over their leader to the intruders. Vector then tells the rest of the U-Foes to dispose of them while he seeks out Agamemnon. While X-Ray and Ironclad keep Paris, Ulysses and Hector busy, Vapor and Vector find a space where Vector can use his powers to rip a hole through the Pantheon facility down to the lower chambers where Agamemnon is stated to keep himself contained. Suddenly, the Hulk interrupts them and tosses Vector into the path of X-Ray's energy blast, burning him. Ironclad then clashes with the Hulk and while they are fighting Hector tries to battle Vapor. However, she turns into hydrogen, causing an explosion when his energy ball-and-chain strikes it. While the Hulk overpowers Ironclad, Paris gets Yetta out of harms way. Vector helps Ironclad recover and they dive down into the hole. Meanwhile, with Hector on fire, Ulysses comes to his aid, pushing him into a nearby pond. Paris also finds his hands full with X-Ray who threatens to blast both him and the young girl in his care. However, before X-Ray can slay them, the Hulk returns and gets Paris and Yetta to an upper level and safety. When X-Ray follows he is confronted by Atalanta and Achilles who have come as reinforcements.

Achilles is immune to X-Ray's blasts until the Hulk gets too close, but it's a moot point when the Hulk ramps a pipe through X-Ray's head, disrupting his energy form. Vapor then goes after the Hulk to avenge her brother, turning into deadly mustard gas. The Hulk then lures her into a medical lab. When Hector tries to fight her again, Vapor changes into hydrogen gas again. This plays into the Hulk's plan and he sprays her with oxygen causing her form to turn into water. The Hulk then leaps down into the pit to stop Vector and Ironclad from breaching Agamemnon's private chambers. As Hulk dispatches Ironclad, Vector manages to punch through the massive door. When the Hulk demands to know why the U-Foes are so interested in Agamemnon, the Leader and his Riot Squad teleports into the room. The Leader explains that he hired the U-Foes as he has a promise to keep.

Meanwhile, back in Reno, Jackie Shorr has brought Rick Jones to her home. There she locks him in the basement with the bodies of her previous victims. She tells Rick that she intends to keep him safe from harm before she locks him in the basement. Alone in the dark with the dead bodies, Rick can only scream.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Betty Ross, Rick Jones, Marlo Chandler, Jackie Shorr, Suzi Berengetti, Pantheon (Ajax, Atalanta, Hector, Paris, Ulysses, Achilles), U-Foes (Leader, Jailbait, Hotshot, Ogress, Rock, Redeemer)

Continuity Notes

Vector states that they have a long-standing grudge against the Hulk, the details of which he won't elaborate in battle. However, they have had it in for the Hulk after Bruce Banner interfered with their exposure to cosmic rays as seen in Incredible Hulk #254.

Paris offers to give the U-Foes Ross Perot instead of Agamemnon. At the time of this story, Perot was running for the position of President of the United States. Any reference to him in this story should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.