Indestructible Hulk #8
Gods and Monsters, Part 3
While on a mission to recover a sample of Eiderdürm, Bruce Banner and his assistants had traveled to the Asgardian realm of Jotunheim in the distant past. With the portal shut down, Banner has insisted they continue their mission until it is re-opened. While they have the help that era's Thor, they are unaware that their colleague Randall Jessup has been replaced by a Frost Giant. The spy has been observing the group in the hopes of taking control of the portal back to Earth once it is re-opened. Meanwhile, Bruce Banner has discovered that Patricia Wolman had joined his team because she was hoping to die at the hands of the Hulk. Getting her to confide in him, she states that she has a degenerative neurological disease and that she will eventually die. Wanting to make sure her father is looked after, she cannot commit suicide conventionally because of a clause in her suicide policy. She took this job because an on-the-job accident would still pay out and she figured that her odds of getting killed working with Banner were pretty good. When she talks about how pointless searching for a cure is, Banner points out how Thor's cannot be picked up by those deemed unworthy. He gives her the best scientific theory on the matter, then suggests the other alternative is the fact that it is magic. Patricia is insulted by the idea that she might be cured by magic and storms off.
Meanwhile, Daman Veteri is coming up with a means of extracting the Eiderdürm from the ground by utilizing Thor's control over lightning. Thor finds the plan brilliant but warns that contact with the element will freeze them for all time. Still the move ahead with the plan and capture many bottles of the material. Eventually, the portal is re-opened again and that's when the Frost Giant posing as Randal reveals his true form to them and orders his minions to attack. With Thor knocked out, they make a charge for the portal back to Earth. Knowing that he is the only one who can stop the Frost Giants, Banner allows himself to transform into the Hulk. On the other side of the portal, Director Maria Hill and Phil Coulson heads a team of SHIELD commandos in trying to repel the invading Frost Giants. As the SHIELD agents force the Frost Giants back, they are ambushed from behind by the Hulk. When Daman tries to rush for the portal, Patricia pushes him to the ground, saving him from danger. At that moment, the Hulk leaps into the freezing waterfall that Thor was knocked into, and recovers him from its sub-zero waters. The pair then attack the Frost Giants, striking them with such force that the icy ground beneath them shatters and they fall in. Thor manages to save the Hulk from the same fate and then summons bolts of lightning to seal the hole.
The force of the attack stuns the Hulk, causing him to revert back to Bruce Banner. When Banner wakes up, it's just as Thor returns with Randall Jessup. With the battle over, Banner and his team return to Earth. He ushers Patricia along, hoping that this entire episode helped convince her not to give up hope for finding a cure for her condition.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, SHIELD (Maria Hill, Randall Jessup, Daman Veteri, Patricia Wolman, Melinda Leucenstern, Phil Coulson), ROB, Thor, Frost Giants
Continuity Notes
An explanation as to how Thor could have met Bruce Banner/the Hulk centuries before they "first" met (in Avengers #1) is given in Thor: God of Thunder #3. In that story it is stated that even though the Asgardians are practically immortal, their brain capacity is limited, causing some memories to fade with time.
Patricia states that she has Cruetzfeldt-Jako Disease, the reference to this illness should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 due to eventual changes in the treatment of that illness. As such modern readers should consider Patricia suffering from a neurological disease in a general sense. The fact that this is a topical reference is also supported by the fact that Bruce Banner was once identified as having CJD in Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #12-32. Any identification to the fact that Banner had CJD in those stories was topical, which explains why Banner is unable to relate to Patricia's situation, nor identify that he once cured himself of the illness.
Bruce Banner explains that Mjolnir was created by the dwarf known as Eitri. This was first depicted in Thor Annual #11.
The recap flashback showing the Juggernaut attempting to lift Thor's hammer, and failing, is from Thor #429 (although in that story, Juggernaut was not wearing his helmet. This could be excused because Bruce Banner is recounting something that Thor probably told him and he wasn't actually there to witness it himself).
