Humanity Bomb: Part Four

When his colleague Randall Jessup transformed by the Terrigen Mists, he transformed into a hideous monster that absorbs anger. Used against the Hulk, it forced a reversion back into Bruce Banner and he was tossed out of the ship. Plummeting to the ground in a state of bliss, Banner snaps out of it, realizing that if he doesn't do something fast he will fall to his death. Unable to get himself sufficiently angry enough, Banner breaks his finger causing enough pain to trigger a transformation into the Hulk before he hits the ground. While back aboard the ship, Melinda Leucenstern rushes to get parachutes onto her colleagues Daman Veteri and Patricia Wolman who are still under the creature's influence. She then pushes everyone out of the plane before the creature formally known as Randall Jessup can harm them. The creature leaps out of the plane after them, but before it can strike Melinda, the Hulk leaps up and knocks the creature away. When the creature attempts to absorb the Hulk's rage again, the gamma-spawned monster has the forethought to obscure the creature's villain. The pair then crash in the middle of a construction site. The two start trading blows, however, Jessup has grown addicted to absorbing anger and pleads to the Hulk to stop fighting him as he can cure him of his negative emotions. The Hulk realizes that Jessup is not all that different than himself and goes from feeling rage to pity. This change in emotion has an effect on the creature, causing it to revert back to human form.

Meanwhile, at the third annual Cause Cerebral think tank in California, Doctor Theodore Goodrich addresses the people. He talks about the rumors about an Enclave of scientists creating a cocooned man at a location known as the Beehive. He tells them that it doesn't matter, that facts die but ideas live on forever. He concludes his speech by saying that new cocoons materialize every day. With that, he surprises everyone by stepping through the seemingly solid wall behind him and disappears. Goodrich is teleported to the Beehive facility where he is greeted by his colleague Dr. Stella Webb. He is convinced that his display will net a great deal of funding for their work. However, this is just the means to continue his research into the Enclave's activities and help him examine a recently captured Inhuman who is encased in a cocoon. So far, their attempts to breach the cocoon have failed, something that Goodrich finds unacceptable. He believes that he will someday be able to unlock the secrets behind these Inhumans and evolve humanity and legally own them. It's then that one of his lab techs alerts him that there is a new terrigen-changeling that has not only been affected by the Mists, but their cocoon had already hatched.

Back in Oklahoma, Bruce Banner and Randall are recovered by his assistants in a medical transport, which they procured so they can examine Randall before SHIELD does. Aboard the craft, they try to run a scan on Randall to try and figure out how his transformations happen. When Jessup wakes up he demands that they keep Patricia away from him as she will make him transform again. Banner decides that they are not going to return to SHIELD until they figure things out. When the SHIELD pilot objects to this as they go against his orders, they remind him that he is dealing with Bruce Banner. Not wanting to bring about the Hulk, the pilot agrees to land the plane. Once on the ground, Banner pulls Patricia outside to get her to explain what is going on with her. She admits that she is angry that Jessup was the one who mutated when she hoped it would be her and she would be cured of her neurological disease. Banner tells her that Jessup's transformations are triggered by the absorption of negative emotions and they need to keep their moods in check in order to prevent a transformation that might be permanent. When Patricia asks if they can cure him, Banner tells her that he might have already come up with a solution.

Back inside the craft, Banner explains to Jessup that due to the transformative nature of his Terrigen mutation he is unlike other Inhumans and the process could be reversed. Preparing a needle containing a chrono-particle solution to keep him calm until he can succeed, Banner is interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Goodrich. Theodore pushes Banner aside and escapes with Jessup as his prisoner. Meanwhile, Banner has transformed into the Hulk once again. It's then that his other technicians have returned to see what the commotion is. Seeing the Hulk and no sign of Randall, Patricia strikes the Hulk, demanding to know what he had done with Randall.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, SHIELD (Randall Jessup, Daman Veteri, Patricia Wolman, Melinda Leucenstern), Enclave (Ted Goodrich, Stella Webb)

Continuity Notes

• Goodrich talks about the rumors surrounding the Enclave and their Beehive citadel. He is referring to the events of Fantastic Four #66-67.

• He also states that the original members of the Enclave are all dead. This is not entirely accurate. Wladyslav Shinski was sucked into a miniature black hole in Fantastic Four Vol 3 #12, his fate following this is unknown. Maris Morlak was driven insane in that same story and his current status is unknown. Carlo Zota was last seen in Warlock Vol 6 #4, his current status is also unknown. The Enclave who is believed to be deceased is Jerome Hamilton who seemingly died in Fantastic Four #67. However, he survived and reinvented himself as the vigilante known as Blind Justice and will die one year from this story (Marvel time) in Marvel Comics #1000.