She-Hulk (Vol. 2) #18
Illuminated
Aboard the SHIELD Helicarrier the Hulkbusters are alerted of a new gamma energy signature in New Mexico. As Clay Quartermain summons the team, She-Hulk is nowhere to be found. When Clay contacts her by radio, She-Hulk refuses to join on the mission because she is investigating what a severed head of a Nick Fury LMD might know about the disappearance of her cousin, the Hulk. She contemplates who she can trust to bring the LMD to be examined. She suddenly realizes who she can trust. She heads to Timely Plaza, home of her old law firm, Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg, and Holliway. There she is warmly greeted by her old coworkers except for Mallory Book. When she asks how they can mine the data in the severed LMD head, Arthur Zix tells Jennifer that he can do it, but it will take some time. Meanwhile, the Hulkbusters have taken off for their mission without the She-Hulk. However, Clay Quartermain is unimpressed with her replacement, an LMD Sexpionage agent named Beefcake.
Back at the offices of GLK&H, Zix begins to probe the mind of the LMD. When "Stu Cicero" suggests that they try using the severed Mad Thinker robot head they have in storage, his co-workers remind him that it is a bad idea and question why he is acting as he has never read a comic book before. Naturally, this is not Stu Cicero, but Ditto in disguise to hide Cicero's disappearance from the office on behalf of Mr. Zix. Eventually, Zix manages to access the LMD's memory and finds a recording where the LMD has convinced Bruce Banner to go on a mission in space. No sooner have they cracked this video file is it detected by Amadeus Cho, who has been trying to hack into the file himself from his laptop computer.
Meanwhile, the Hulkbusters have tracked the gamma signature to one of Bruce Banner's old secret labs. Inside, instead of the Hulk, they find his long-time foe the Leader. Furious at being discovered before he could unleash his latest scheme, the Leader boards a massive suit of armor to attack the intruders. While back in New York City, Arthur Zix manages to get through yet another encrypted file thanks to a little help from Amadeus Cho, who leaves the coffee shop he is working in to initiate the next part of his plan. At that moment, Jennifer sees footage of the Illuminati exiling the Hulk into space. Seeing those responsible, particularly Iron Man, makes Jennifer furious and she storms off. While at the same time, the Hulkbusters manage to incapacitate the Leader's war machine and take him into custody. The victory leads to much fanfare back at SHIELD headquarters as they think that Quartermain and his crew captured the Hulk. Iron Man returns to the helicarrier shortly thereafter to celebrations. Before he can correct them on the matter, She-Hulk arrives and demands answers from Stark about what he did to her cousin, the Hulk.
The two battle it out while Iron Man tries to keep Jennifer from revealing the truth to the other men. She-Hulk eventually overpowers Iron Man and demands to know what he intends to do when the Hulk comes back from his exile. Stark explains that he found a solution and pricks her on the neck with something that makes her pass out. When Jennifer wakes up, she is shocked to discover that she has been stripped of her powers. Iron Man then shows her some of the beings that the Hulkbusters captured, now in human form. Tony explains that the entire point of Project: Achilles was to find a way of stripping Hulk-level threats of their powers. This includes Jennifer, now that she has stood in his way. However, the former She-Hulk warns Stark that she isn't powerless to stop him and as she is being dragged away by SHIELD agents she warns him that she will use her powers as a lawyer to sue him.
This story is continued in Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #106...
Recurring Characters
She-Hulk, SHIELD (Iron Man, Clay Quartermain, Agent Cheesecake, Agent Crimson), Nick Fury LMD, Mallory Book, Artie Zix, “Stu Cicero”, Two-Gun Kid, Mr. Bobo, Mastermind Excello, The Leader, Abomination, Ironclad, Vector
Continuity Notes
The LMD video playback reveals how the Illuminati exiled the Hulk into space. These events were chronicled in Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #88-91 and New Avengers: Illuminati #1.
The Leader mentions how he had faked his death twice. He is referring to the events of Incredible Hulk #400 and Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #76.
Although the Abomination, Ironclad, and Vector appear to be cured here, their powers are restored between here and their next appearances in Hulk Vol 2 #1, Avengers: The Initiative #25 and War of Kings: Darkhawk #1.
