Indestructible Hulk #20

Mar 16

Mar 16 Indestructible Hulk #20

Humanity Bomb: Conclusion

Bruce Banner's assistant Randall Jessup has been kidnapped by Theodore Goodrich due to the fact that he has been genetically altered by the Terrigen Mist. Taking Jessup back to his headquarters at the Beehive, he is surprised to discover that Randall doesn't show any outward signs of mutation. He is even further impressed when Jessup knows enough about physics to figure out the operation of his teleportal. Randall learns how Goodrich and his team of scientists wish to examine him so they can push humanity to its next level of evolution. Jessup isn't impressed by this and warns them that he works for SHIELD and they will not be impressed with his kidnapping. After showing him the Beehive's power core, Goodrich concludes the tour of the facility and tells Randall that they are going to examine him. However, Jessup sees that the power core is unstable and could very well rip the world in half if it blows up, but Goodrich dismisses this. When his assistant Stella Webb also expresses her concern, Theodore is uninterested and tells her to take their prisoner and get to work.

Meanwhile, the Hulk and his allies are trying to find a means of recovering Randall. Melinda Leucenstern manages to cobble a device together that can home in on the Beehive and teleport the Hulk to that location. The others wonder where Leucenstern learned about Beehive tech but there's no time for an explanation. Putting the device on the Hulk, Melinda convinces the Hulk to run toward the airplane. However, when the Hulk tries to phase through the solid mass via the Beehive transporter, he is knocked by an energy field that is designed to keep out unwanted intruders. Despite this, the Hulk's attempted entry shakes the entire facility, getting the attention of Goodrich and Webb. The Hulk continues to try and smash his way through the barrier, distracting the two mad scientists long enough for Randall Jessup to slip away. Randall attempts to shut down the unstable generator but is stopped by Ted's minions. Just then the Hulk breaks through the security barrier and appears inside the Beehive. At the same time, the chemical that keeps Jessup in human form wears off and he turns into his Inhuman form once again. He immediately begins leeching Ted's anger to draw strength.

Meanwhile, the rest of Banner's assistants cross over to see what is going on. Veteri is horrified to see that the power generator is unstable. Jessup then attacks it and while Banner's techs remove their bracelets, the Hulk joins in. The resulting strikes cause all of the scientists to wear armbands to be teleported away to an unknown location. Meanwhile, Goodrich doesn't want to fail at his mission and rushes to the lab where another cocooned Inhuman has been kept. Stella follows him, trying to convince him to leave. However, he refuses and uses a crowbar to pry open the cocoon. Suddenly, two monstrous hands reach out of the cocoon and grab the two rogue scientists and pull them into the cocoon to their seeming demise. Meanwhile, the Hulk and Jessup manage to destroy the reactor before it can overload. This results in a smaller explosion, but both Banner and Randall are returned to human form from the blast. In order to save the careers of his colleagues and to prevent Jessup from becoming an experiment for SHIELD, Banner tells them to stay at the Beehive. He goes back to SHIELD headquarters and tells Maria Hill and tells her that his assistants went rogue and disappears and he had no idea how to find them.

He convinces Hill that there is nothing she can do to him because he is too powerful as the Hulk. Maria warns Banner that his reckless actions could lead to him being terminated from SHIELD, literally. Later, Banner returns to his lab and begins a new entry in his diary. He explains how he covered up the disappearance of his assistants so they can continue their work in secret from the Beehive so that they are no longer under the control of SHIELD. However, before Banner can finish his entry and leave, someone puts a gun to the back of his head and shoots him twice. Banner falls to the ground with a gaping head wound and begins to bleed out on the floor...

Recurring Characters

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

Continuity Notes

Bruce Banner's narrative states about 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. Jerome Hamilton. Hamilton is believed to have died in Fantastic Four #66, however as revealed in Marvel Comics #1000 he survived and has been operating as the masked vigilante known as Blind Justice at the time of this story, he will not die roughly one year from now (Marvel time) in Marvel Comics #1000.