Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #81
Tempest Fugit Conclusion
After being trapped on Monster Island, Bruce Banner finds himself in a mental institution and led to believe that his recent past has all been some kind of dream. All the while, memories of his adolescence is running through his mind...
... Bruce's imaginary friend the Hulk had taken control of his body in order to plant a bomb at his high school. Horrified by this discovery, Banner attempts to get to school to disarm the bomb before it can go off. The Hulk follows after him, trying to convince Bruce that this is what everyone at school deserves for always bullying him. Banner refuses to believe that, and with no time to call in a bomb threat, Banner continues toward the school...
.... Meanwhile, in the present time, Gwen approaches Professor Yarish and tells him to shut everything down. When Yarish continues to try and reinforce his lies, she reveals that she remembers everything and demands to see her father. Elsewhere, the man posing as Leonard Samson continues to try and convince Bruce that everything he thinks happened after he was institutionalized hasn't happened. As Bruce runs through the events that happened to him since this period, "Samson" lets slip that he knows Rick Jones was crippled, revealing that this is yet another deception. Banner turns into the Hulk and grabs "Samson" by the throat and demands to know who he really is. Suddenly, "Samson" turns into General Ross and he tries to convince the Hulk that this is all part of some military project, but the Hulk isn't buying this story either. When this doesn't work, the being turns into Betty Ross. "She" claims that the Leader is trying to manipulate him into killing her. The Hulk doesn't buy this either, the Hulk smashes "Betty" into the wall. "She" then changes into Mephisto, lord of the netherworld. The Hulk's mind then turns back again...
... Bruce Banner rushes into his high school to try to diffuse the bomb, raising a commotion the entire way. He then goes into the boiler room where the Hulk planted the bomb. The whole way, the Hulk is mocking Bruce, pointing out that if he didn't help the Hulk how did he know where the bomb was hidden. With 28 seconds to spare, Bruce pushes past the Hulk and disarms it in the nick of time. However, his run through the hall has attracted the attention of his tormentors who want to know what Banner is up to. Seeing the bomb they accuse Banner of trying to kill them all. Bruce insists that he saved them and that it was the Hulk who was responsible but they don't want to listen and begin beating him up. Upstairs, Principal Guinness has witnessed the entire situation and closes the room to the boiler room and orders the school shut down for the day, leaving Banner to get beaten up by his bullies...
... Still, the Hulk doesn't believe he is facing Mephisto either and pushes the "devil" into a pool of lava demanding answers. Suddenly, a demonic horse comes crashing through one of the walls. The Hulk tells the horse to stay back, but the rider tells the Hulk to stop because he can't kill the man who has been tormenting her. It is the woman who he knew as Gwen, who explains that the Hulk's attacker is her father. She explains that she was the product of a union between her father and a woman who is in a deep, deep sleep. He then sent her out in the world of mortals to try and teach her to despise them as much as he does, but his scheme has failed. Her father is none other than Nightmare, who drops his disguise as soon as he has been outed. When the Hulk asks if her name is Daydream, she decides that is as good a name as any.
When the Hulk asks if this was all a dream, Nightmare explains that even he isn't sure. He explains that the island is real, and he was able to pass over from his realm to here after a horrific event that shook the sense of reality among people in the waking world it blurred the lines between fantasy and reality. Trying to push through to this world, Nightmare used the Hulk as a test case to try and by creating illusions in his life, some of the events that the Hulk had recently experienced were merely illusions, while others actually happened. This was all in revenge due to past inconveniences that the Hulk caused him in the past. As Nightmare explains all of this, the Hulk's mind drifts back again...
... Susan Banner is packing up their house after the incident at the school. She is then visited by Major Thaddeus Ross who has come to ask about her nephew, Bruce Banner. She explains that Bruce won't see any jail time if they leave town once he has recovered from his beating in hospital. Ross explains that his people examined the explosive that Bruce constructed. Although it was revolutionary in its design, a minor flaw in calculations made it harmless. Ross then makes Susan Banner an offer to guide Bruce through his education as they see a lot of potential in the boy...
... Nightmare concludes his explanation, saying that everything the Hulk battled here on this island was disguised Mindless Ones borrowed from the Dark Dimension. The Hulk has grown bored of all this and begins walking away. However, Nightmare causes him to stop when he explains that the woman who he bedded to birth Daydream was none other than Betty Ross. This angers the Hulk who decapitates Nightmare and rides off on his horse. Ripley asks Daydream what happens next, and the woman tells him that they are going to live happily ever after and the couple fades away. With nobody left on the island, the Hulk rides Nightmare's steed off the island. No sooner is Bruce gone does Betty Ross wash ashore, he faces back to normal. She is found by a man posing as her father who welcomes her back and tells her everything she had just experienced as nothing more than a bad dream.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Daydream, Ripley, Nightmare, Dreamstalker, (in flashback) Susan Banner, General Ross, Betty Ross
Continuity Notes
Bruce and the Doc Samson impostor go over some of the events that have happened since the implied setting. Some facts:
Bruce is led to believe that he is still in a mental hospital following the downfall of the Pantheon circa Incredible Hulk #425-426.
Reference is made to the death of Betty Ross. Betty died of radiation poisoning in Incredible Hulk #466. She is eventually brought back to life by the Intelligencia as seen in Fall of the Hulks: Alpha #1.
Bruce states the last few months were like a combination of the "Fugitive" and the "X-Files" he is referring to the events of Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #34-76.
Likewise, he brings up the "Devil Hulk" created by the neurological disorder that he was plagued with for a time, a reference to Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #12-32.
Finally, they talk about how Rick Jones was crippled. The Hulk crippled Rick Jones while under the influence of Apocalypse in Incredible Hulk #457. At this time, Bruce is unaware that Rick has since been cured of his paralysis following the events of Avengers: Forever #12.
Nightmare mentions Daydream's sister, he is referring to Dreamqueen.
Nightmare also heavily implies that the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, on the World Trade Center was the inciting moment that allowed him to cross over to the waking world and that it had happened relatively recently to this story. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
In addition, Nightmare states that the events in the Hulk's recent history were part of his manipulations and that some of the events were true, while others were false. Although left ambiguous here, review of various publications published since can provide explanations as to which events are true and false:
The Devil Hulk plotline from Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #12-32: Review of the Hulk entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #5 confirms that these events happened.
The Abomination: This could either be referring to his role in the death of Betty Ross (revealed in Incredible Hulk #474) or his battle with the Hulk during the Home Base conspiracy in Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #50-54. Review of the profiles of the Abomination and Home Base in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #1 and #5 confirm that these events are all factual.
The Hulk's clash with the Absorbing Man from Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #55-59: This was revealed to be caused by damage to the timeline caused by Captain Marvel that temporarily created two versions of the Absorbing Man, as explained in Captain Marvel Vol 5 #18.
It is also implied that the entire Home Base conspiracy and the sudden resurrection of Betty Ross by the Team were all fabrications. Review of various entries in the A-Z Handbooks indicate that the only falsehood that can be confirmed involves the appearance of Betty Ross and the fact that she underwent a facelift. It has since been clarified that this was a physical manifestation of Betty's sleeping mind thanks to the machinations of Nightmare.
