Incredible Hulk #473

Mar 2

Mar 2 Incredible Hulk #473

The Edge of Universal Pain

While searching for the Hulk, General Ross has been drawn to the town of Constellation, Arizona, and found the Abomination instead. While on the distant world of the Bidoceros, Bruce Banner and Qnax have agreed to travel to the Watcher's homeworld and take down a protective barrier that the aliens have claimed give them nightmares and threaten to drive their world insane. With the ship provided to them ready to go, Banner and the Amphibian take off for the Watcher's world. when the pierce the barrier protecting the Watcher's world, the two travelers find themselves in a strange and twisted reality.

Back on Earth, Thaddeus Ross has determined that the Abomination has gone insane and orders him to stand down and surrender to the United States Army. When the Abomination charges at him, Ross is able to squeeze off some shots from his pistol and gets a lucky shot that hits his foe in the face. However, this only succeeds in making the Abomination angry. Not far away, Doctor Katherine Spar watches from a safe distance with arms dealer Devlin DeAngelo. DeAngelo is enjoying the show, but Spar believes everything is going wrong, thinking that the General's obsession with the Hulk is jeopardizing things. Suddenly, there is a massive explosion from in the town.

Meanwhile, the Hulk and Amphibian arrive on the Watcher's homeworld. There they are bombarded with a series of illusions. The first is of Galactus destroying a D'bari world. Next, they find themselves on a projection of the Blue Area of Earth's Moon where Kree and Skrull armies fought. Lastly, they find themselves surrounded by the original Avengers. Banner quickly realizes that he hasn't changed into the Hulk and these are merely illusions projected in an effort to drive them mad. He snaps out of it fast enough to gain control of the ship and make it crash in some nearby water. They survive the crash and swim to the mainland. There they enter a massive tower and explore it until they find a Watcher. The alien being is surprised to find two intruders on an unlikely quest. The Watcher explains that he has returned to his people's world because he is in mourning. He explains that he and his wife went to examine the formation of a new galaxy. However, his wife was poisoned by radiation and she died, all he could do is watch.

The Watcher demands to know why they have come. Qnax explains a means to save his wife. When asked, Banner says he is looking for an explanation as to his wife's death. Believing that Bruce is hiding something, the Watcher probes his mind. After, his mind probe, the Watcher then offers them the Ultimate Machine. Back on Earth, General Ross is at a standoff with the Abomination. It's at this moment that the gamma-spawned menace gains enough lucidity to recognize who Ross is and tells him that he was responsible for killing Betty Ross. While back on the Watcher's homeworld, Banner and Qnax are given the Ultimate Machine and the two mull over the risks of using the knowledge contained inside. Suddenly, the planet is attacked by an invasion fleet piloted by the Bidoceros.