Take Charge Guy

The Hulk has taken over the island of Key Duck in the Florida Keys and made it his own. The rules to the citizens there are simple: leave everyone alone, and nobody leaves. However, Officer Flannigan doesn't like the idea of being enslaved by the Hulk and attempts to shoot the Hulk in the head while he sleeps under a tree. However, the Hulk is aware of Flannigan's presence and plugs the barrel of his gun when he pulls the trigger. This causes a backfire making the gun explode in the officer's hand. Having broken one of the rules, the Hulk hauls the injured officer to the local jail there, Mike, the local panhandler has been locked up since before the Hulk took over the island. Mike is happy to see the officer getting locked up and mocks him. This gets on the Hulk's nerves and he tells the homeless man to shut up. When Mike tells the Hulk to make him, the gamma-spawned brute smashes into the cell and is surprised when Mike isn't scared. In fact, Mike is fed up of being hounded and harassed and tells the Hulk to kill him and get it over with. Feeling a kinsmanship with Mike, the Hulk decides to spare his life and make him the local sheriff instead. Mike is happy with the sudden change of circumstances and when Officer Flannigan begs Mike to let him out, he spits in the officer's face.

In Washington, D.C., Colonel Cary St. Lawrence has been called to a meeting with military officials at the White House to discuss the situation with the Hulk. While discussing their options, the Colonel chastises her superiors for pushing the Hulk after he drew a line in the sand. When things get heated, Peter Gyrich fires his gun into the air to quiet everyone. A representative for the President then tells all gathered that they must come up with a solution that will not endanger the thousands of people that live on Key Duck.

Back on the island, news reports come in about Hurrican Betty was approaching the islands, threatening to destroy everything around them. However, the locals are more upset about the Hulk having taken over the island. However, Mayor Cannon points out that other than sleeping wherever he wants and walking around town, the Hulk hasn't really done much since isolating them from the mainland, and with the hurricane coming, she has more important problems to deal with. At that moment, a family tries to escape Key Duck in a boat that was missed when the Hulk took away all the sailing ships. However, this attempt of escape is witnessed and the Hulk smashes the boat, leaving the family to their fate in the ocean. Meanwhile, in LA, Rick Jones is on the phone trying to figure out to get the Hulk on his talk show. Unwilling to settle for an imitation, he is interrupted by the arrival of his wife Marlo, who has come with Janis Jones -- his granddaughter from a possible future -- and a gamma mutate claiming to be the Hulk.

While back in Florida, Colonel St. Lawrence is leaving for Key Duck in a helicopter in the hopes of being able to negotiate with the Hulk. However, the flight has been scrubbed because Hurricane Betty is hitting the island at full force. On the island, the Hulk is doing nothing about the coming hurricane prompting Mayor Cannon to approach him. She chastises the hulk for putting her citizen in harm’s way from the hurricane. Hearing that the storm is named after his wife, the Hulk is upset by it and appears to storm off and leave the people of Key Duck to fend for themselves. However, as the floodwaters begin to come pouring in, the Hulk begins tossing boats and other debris to create a makeshift dam to prevent flooding. Ultimately, the Hulk stacks up enough debris to save the town. When the storm finally clears, Colonel St. Lawrence is prepared to make the trip again when someone who appears to be the Hulk leaps past them toward Key Duck.

On the island, Mike asks the Hulk why he didn't let the people drown, thinking that's exactly what they deserve. The Hulk explains that they are valuable as hostages. Suddenly, they are interrupted by the arrival of Janis Jones who tells the Hulk that what he is doing is wrong. When the Hulk disagrees, his apparent doppelganger arrives and insists that Janis is right.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Rick Jones, Marlo Jones, Janis Jones, Colonel St. Lawrence, Henry Gyrich, Mike Flannigan, Hulk-9722

Continuity Notes

• The Hulk's appearance in Deadpool #4 happens between pages 19 and 20 of this story.

• Rick Jones mentions that his talk show is competing with the Rosie O'Donnell Show. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616, particularly given the fact that the O'Donnell show ended in 2002.

• This other Hulk is the Bruce Banner from an alternate reality identified next issue.