Who is the Hulk?

In Russia, Leonard Samson is studying footprints in the ground made by men the size of the Hulk and Abomination. She-Hulk acts out with Samson how the Hulk-like creature eventually bested the Abomination by leveling the nearby village. Afterward, the Hulk shot and killed the Abomination with a giant gun. Iron Man, Maria Hill, and "General Ross" from SHIELD are also there examining the Abomination's corpse.

They examine the footprints of the Hulk again and see that he is giving off so much radiation that it is scorching the Earth, creating glass. Leonard suggests exhuming the remains when the supposedly dead Winter Guard arrives. They fight until Ross finds a survivor of the battle. It is a little boy who keeps murmuring a word in Russian. "Red."

In Alaska, Rick Jones awakens to find that he is wearing nothing but pants and sees a fire off in the distance. Meanwhile, Ross and Samson drive to a Gamma Base in Nevada. The guards there are automatons, as no living person could stay there. They arrive at the deepest level of the base only to confirm their worst fears, Bruce Banner is locked up safely in his cage reading a book. Noticing that he has visitors, Banner tells Ross and Samson that he was wondering when they were going to come and ask him for help.

Recurring Characters

Red Hulk, Doc Samson, “General Ross”, She-Hulk, SHIELD (Iron Man, Maria Hill), Bruce Banner, Winter Guard (Red Guardian, Crimson Dynamo, Darkstar, Ursa Major), Abomination, Rick Jones

Continuity Notes

• The man who appears to be General Ross is actually a Life Model Decoy, as explained in Hulk Vol 2 #23 when the identity of the Red Hulk is revealed.

• Although the Abomination is killed here, he comes back twice more: He is briefly resurrected in the Chaos War circa Incredible Hulks #619-620. He was resurrected in Hulk Vol 3 #1-2.

• First names for the new members of the Winter Guard are revealed in She-Hulk Vol 2 #35.

• She-Hulk mentions how the Avengers files list Red Guardian and Darkstar as dead. There have been many Red Guardians. The one the Avengers were most familiar with was Alexi Shostakov who at the time of this story was believed to have died in Avengers #44. However, his death was faked and he turns up alive again in Daredevil Vol 2 #64. The original Darkstar was killed battling Weapon XII in New X-Men #130. Darkstar was later briefly revived during the X-Necrosha event as seen in X-Force Vol 3 #21. She was resurrected in Darkstar & the Winter Guard #3. As revealed in Hulk: Winter Guard #1, whenever a member of the Winter Guard dies they are immediately replaced.

• Ursa Major states that Bruce Banner is dead. Although Banner survived World War Hulk, his survival was kept as a secret by SHIELD as seen in World War Hulk #5.

• What happened to Rick Jones between World War Hulk #5 and this story is explained in Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk #3.