Incredible Hulk #449
Somewhere in the western United States the Hulk and Janis Jones leap across the desert when they are struck by a missile. As they are sent flying toward a small town. Janis is saved from a fatal fall by an armored man calling himself Mach-1, who thinks that she is a prisoner of the Hulk. However, he is surprised when she turns around and blasts him with her staff. Meanwhile, the Hulk lands in the middle of a rodeo where he is confronted by Meteorite, Techno, Atlas, and Songbird, members of a new superhero team calling themselves the Thunderbolts. When they order the Hulk to surrender they are surprised when the Hulk raises his hands. Techno orders Songbird to use her powers to create a cage of pure sound around their target. Having had a past history with the Hulk, Meteorite approaches the imprisoned Hulk and asks him to lower his arms. When he doesn't, she calls their leader, Citizen V and tells him to come immediately. While not far away, Mach-1 departs his battle with Janis, who follows after him to see what he is up to.
Meanwhile, in Virginia, Colonel St. Lawrence meets with Herny Gyrich to discuss the Hulk's latest ultimatum: leave him alone or he will retaliate by destroying a major city. While discussing their next move, they are interrupted by one of St. Lawrence's troops come in to tell them about the Hulk's battle with the Thunderbolts and how he had seemingly surrendered to them. Back in Arizona, the Thunderbolts continue to contain the Hulk and wait for their leader Citizen V to arrive. When questioned by the leader of the Thunderbolts, the Hulk explains he wasn't surrendering, just waiting for the entire team to be in one place. He then claps his hands together, destroying the solid-sound cage and tries to leap away. He is struck by another one of Mach-1's missiles sending him into a crash landing on top of a nearby dam. As the Thunderbolts head after him, the Hulk wonders how that shot could have hurt him when he feels stronger than ever. It's then that the Hulk notices his chest is still bleeding.
When the Thunderbolts catch up, Janis also arrives to lend the Hulk a hand. While she is busy with Mach-1 and Meteorite, the Hulk charges at Atlas and Techno. It's during this fight that the Hulk realizes that he has heard Meteorite's voice somewhere before. However, the Hulk has become fed up with the fight and since the Thunderbolts have sworn themselves to protect innocent people, the Hulk smashes open the dam, flooding the city below. With no other choice, the Thunderbolts have to go into the town and rescue people from drowning and plugging the dam. This allows the Hulk and Janis to make their escape. When Meteorite questions Citizen V about going after the Hulk, the leader of the Thunderbolts tells her that they need to prioritize. Not far away, Janis asks what the battle was all about, but before the Hulk can answer, his chest starts bleeding again and he collapses to the ground.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Janis Jones, Henry Gyrich, Colonel St. Lawrence, Thunderbolts (Citizen V, MACH-1, Meteorite, Atlas, Songbird, Techno)
Continuity Notes
Unknown at this time, the Thunderbolts are actually former members of the Masters of Evil posing as superheroes as revealed in Thunderbolts #1. They were doing so as part of a scheme to fill the void created by the apparent deaths of the Avengers and Fantastic Four in Onslaught Marvel Universe #1 in a bid to secretly take over the world. This ruse was later exposed in Thunderbolts #11-12.
It is mentioned that Meteorite has had a past history with the Hulk. This is a reference to the days when she was known as Moonstone and infiltrated Gamma Base for the Corporation back in Incredible Hulk #228-232.
