Agent of T.I.M.E., Part One

With a tachyon radio constructed by Bruce Banner, SHIELD Director Maria Hill sends agent Goodard into the timestream to determine what sort of damage was done to it after a recent time travel incident. However, things turn fatal when the time energies begin seeping into Goodard's suit and begin burning his body. Unfortunately, when they pull him out he is already dead. Removing his protective suit, they are horrified to see that random parts of his body have been aged or de-aged by this exposure. With no other choice, Maria Hill decides to get Bruce Banner involved. However, when she calls for him, she learns that he is on a mission. At that moment, the Hulk is being sent to stop the Sons of the Serpent from taking an entire airport hostage. Suddenly, the airport mysteriously vanishes, confusing the terrorists, making them easy prey for the Hulk. When the Serpents are subdued, their leader swears that they had nothing to do with the airport vanishing. Suddenly, a helicopter teleports out of nowhere. With the craft threatening to kill the SHIELD agents on the scene, the Hulk leaps in the way and stops it. The force of the Hulk's blow is enough to eject the passengers of this mystery vehicle: dead bodies so old that they are little more than skeletons.

When Banner returns to SHIELD headquarters he is briefed by Maria Hill who tells him that the craft that appeared went missing over the Philippines over 7 decades earlier. Oddly enough, while the helicopter did not age, the crew did. She then tells him that this is not the only instance of time running amok and goes over the reports. The only clue they have to what is going on is a prisoner they have in custody. Maria then takes him down to the facility of a branch of SHIELD that he was unaware of, the Temporal Irregularity Management and Eradication division (or TIME for short). The organization monitors time and tries to prevent chronal disasters. After seeing that she has also enlisted his assistance on this special mission, Banner is taken to the prisoner. To his surprise, it turns out to be the time traveler known as Zarrko the Tomorrow Man, who according to TIME's records has been incarcerated in his cell for over two decades, dating back years before his first recorded activities on modern-day Earth. As if reading Banner's mind, Zarrko explains that time is broken, something they can't tell because they cannot see into the fourth dimension. Through Zarrko's eyes, he sees Maria Hill and Bruce Banner's attire shift to clothing worn by people in different periods of history.

Zarrko explains that he is from a time before he first encountered Thor and that he was arrested by TIME for trying to avert the crisis that is now happening. He correctly deduces that Hill has come to him because his predictions are now coming true. He goes on to explain that recent dabblings in time travel have caused this series of events, such as the X-Men of the past being brought to the present, the Avengers various meddling with time. Now that time is broken, a group of men calling themselves the Chronoarchists who are seeking to exploit this to their own ends, saying that the strange happenings are a symptom of what they are doing to history. He concludes by saying that they need the Hulk to fix the problem. Banner finds this idea ludicrous, as he is certain that the Hulk will cause even more damage to the timestream if sent into it. When he suggests that they send the Red She-Hulk on this mission, Maria shocks him by not knowing who he is talking about. Zarrko points out that the Chronoarchists are possibly tampering with his own history, hence why nobody remembers his ex-wife Betty Ross. With his own memories of Betty starting to fade, Bruce agrees to go on this mission.

Zarrko fits Bruce with a suit that will allow the Hulk to travel through the timestream unscathed. In order to maintain his mission, they have altered the R.O.B. unit to download Banner's personality and memories whenever he turns into the Hulk, as a means of making sure his alter-ego stays on mission. With everything explained, Maria hits Banner triggering a transformation into the Hulk. Before the Hulk can strike her back, the R.O.B. unit -- now with Banner's personality -- convinces the Hulk to stop because they have to save Betty. He convinces the Hulk to accompany him through the time portal and they suddenly find themselves transported to the state of Arizona circa the year 1873. They land before Kid Colt, the Rawhide Kid, and the Two-Gun Kid, heroes from that era. The three men are shocked by the sudden arrival of the gamma-spawned monster, but this is the least of their concerns as they are presently being chased by a tyrannosaurus rex.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, SHIELD (Maria Hill, Randall Jessup, Daman Veteri, Patricia Wolman), ROB, TIME, Sons of the Serpent, Two-Gun Kid, Kid Colt, Rawhide Kid

Continuity Notes

• The damage to the timestream here was caused by the events of Age of Ultron #1-Age of Ultron #10A.I..

• Bruce Banner is shocked to discover that Zarrko had been incarcerated for 2 decades, even though he first surfaced in the modern age "only 12 years ago". He is referring to his first appearance in Journey into Mystery #86. Per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 that story happened during "Year One" of the modern age. As this story takes place during "Year Thirteen", this measurement of time is factual.

• Zarrko mentions the various events that are affecting time. These events are:

  • The Avengers more recent time traveling occurred in Avengers Vol 4 #1-6.

  • The changes to history caused during the Age of Ultron event.

  • Lastly, the original five X-Men being brought to the present, as seen in All-New X-Men #1.

• Zarrko mentions how Bruce used to be married to Betty Ross. The pair were married in Incredible Hulk #319. Later, Betty died of radiation poisoning in Incredible Hulk #466. Later she was revived by MODOK in Fall of the Hulks: Alpha #1/Incredible Hulk #610. Attempts to reconcile their marriage ended in their separation circa Incredible Hulk Vol 3 #2.

• Prior to Age of Ultron, if one travelled back in time and significantly interrupted events it would create an alternate timeline. Post Age of Ultron, Zarrko states that attempts to create an alternate timeline are impossible now that time was broken. This turns out to be a lie given the events of Indestructible Hulk #14 and 15 briefly alter the past, creating a divergent timeline.