Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #16
The Dogs of War: Part 3
Fleeing a covert military group trying to capture the Hulk, Bruce Banner and Angela Lipscombe have sought refuge at the laboratory of Doc Samson. There, Angela explains to Samson how Bruce is suffering from a degenerative neurological disease and is forced to allow his Hulk personas take control of his body in order to try and find a cure. When Samson asks her how this makes her feel she says it's bad and compares it to one of Leonard's old flames showing up with the plague, turning into a werewolf and smashing his music collection. They then go check on Bruce, who has allowed his Professor persona take over while working in Samson's lab. Angela is confused when Samson refers to the Hulk as Bruce, and he explains that in his Professor persona he has the mind of Bruce Banner in the Hulk's body. He then shows them what he has been working on since their arrival. Since General Ryker let slip that they have been tracking his gamma signature, Bruce has been working on a jamming device to prevent them from locating him again.
Meanwhile, from a secret facility, John Ryker is furious at having his anonymity compromised by the Hulk. When his subordinates ask how they are going to capture the Hulk now, Ryker tells them that they are going to destroy his personal life piece by piece. With that, Ryker and Johnson leave to pay a visit to an old friend. They're not the only ones, as the Hulk intends to visit an old friend himself. Samson voices his reservations, but the Hulk is certain that the jamming device will work. When the Hulk is gone, Angela asks Leonard when he is going to fess up and admit that the Professor persona is not Bruce Banner as he was led to believe himself to be. She points out all the differences in the Hulk's personality that are not in common with Banner and the fact that this version of the Hulk is left-handed, while Bruce is right-handed. When Samson continues to avoid her questioning, she points out the various symptoms of Multiple Personality Disorder and the Professor is a trademark case. This causes Samson to crack and he admits that he had no choice but to deceive the Hulk into thinking he was Bruce Banner in control of the Hulk's body at the time.
At that moment, at Hulkbuster Base, General Ross learns that someone has entered his private room where the body of his daughter Betty has been kept in stasis since her death. When he goes to see who disobeyed his direct orders he finds General Ryker waiting for him. Ryker explains that he has been given control of the base under Presidential order and has control of everything including Betty Ross. He tells Thaddeus that if he wishes to get control of his daughter back, he will have to earn it. This infuriates Ross, but he backs down when Ryker tells him that he will assist in the capture of the Hulk, otherwise, he will shut off the stasis device and his daughter's body will begin to rot. Meanwhile, in New York, Nick Fury returns to his condo apartment and discovers the Hulk waiting for him. The Hulk shows Fury a picture of the man hounding him and Fury identifies him at General John Ryker. Fury warns Banner that he has a powerful enemy on his hands and there is nothing he can do as he doesn't run SHIELD anymore. Nick then outlines all the dirty jobs that Ryker has done over the years, the big one being his possible involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Fury then gives the Hulk contact information for an informant named Hack and warns him that in this game there is nobody he can rely on.
Back at Doc Samson's home, Angela Lipscombe berates Doc Samson for lying to the Hulk about the truth behind his "Professor" persona. Leonard explains that he had no choice because at the time Bruce Banner's multiple personalities were literally tearing him apart. When Angela questions his ethics and demands that Bruce has a right to know the truth, Samson asks her what about the rights of everyone else? Meanwhile, the Hulk has arrived in a remote swamp and deactivated his gamma scrambler. He then shouts out a challenge to General Ryker to come and get him.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Angela Lipscombe, Doc Samson, General Ross, Nick Fury, General Ryker, Betty Ross (corpse)
Continuity Notes
Bruce Banner states that he has Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Since this story has been published there have been advances in treating the illness and with the advent of and innovations in stem cell research could potentially lead to a cure. As such any references to what disease Bruce is suffering from should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
Bruce Banner is in his Professor form, which was created thanks to the psychotherapy work of Doc Samson that seemingly merged Banner's personality with that of his Joe Fixit and Savage Hulk personas in Incredible Hulk #377.
There are numerous mentions to the fact that Bruce's wife, Betty Ross, had just recently died. She died of radiation poisoning in Incredible Hulk #466. She will be eventually resurrected, as seen in Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #62.
Nick Fury mentions how he isn't the Director of SHIELD anymore. At the time of this story, Sharon Carter took up the role of director after Fury's apparent death in Double Edge Omega #1. She remained in that role even after Fury turned up alive in Fury / Agent 13 #1-2. Fury does not become director of SHIELD again until Captain America Vol 3 #45.
This story implies that John Ryker was involved in the assassination of JFK. Given his record of obfuscating facts it cannot be confirmed if this is true or not, or if this is a topical reference in lieu of Ryker having access to a means of slowing or stopping his aging process. Assuming this is a topical reference, one could assume he was involved in a high profile political assassination, just not the murder of JFK.
