Planet Skaar Prologue #1
Planet Skaar Prologue
Sitting in a diner in Nevada, Bruce Banner tries to sit down and enjoy a meal, when suddenly he senses the approach of his son, Skaar, coming to Earth. He suddenly transforms into the Hulk and smashes out of the building. In New Jersey, Jennifer Walters wakes up in her She-Hulk form. She suddenly finds herself running out of her RV and into the wilderness on compulsion. While at the Hiroim Memorial Research Facility in Gammaworld, Kate Waynesboro has a meeting with HAMMER director, Norman Osborn. Since HAMMER has managed to breach the dome and start curing the citizens of radiation poisoning, she discusses having the Warbound pardoned for their attack on Earth since they helped the people trapped in Gammaworld. Osborn assures her that he has already filed the paperwork. Suddenly, Kate starts to feel strange while explaining her connection to the Old Power, when suddenly she lets off a burst of energy.
As the Hulk leaps across the state of Utah, Reed Richards writes a letter to Bruce Banner about the decimation of Sakaar, unsure if he will ever give it to Banner. He believes that the combination of the Hulk and Caiera the Oldstrong created an offspring that could have survived the destruction of Crown City. However, with the star charts to Sakaar lost after the war, Reed needs to find the planet again. However, this becomes a moot point as Reed begins to detect something coming to Earth. At that moment in the state of Ohio, a portal suddenly opens, sending Skaar crash landing into a forest. While in Pennsylvania, She-Hulk continues her frantic run toward Ohio. She is spotted by the Fantastic Four who are on their way to the same location and pick her up. Since she has been running in tattered pajamas they give her a spare Fantastic Four uniform to wear. She explains that she felt the compulsion to run to Ohio because she felt the Hulk's son is coming, explaining she was able to sense when the Hulk also returned to Earth. Kate Waynesboro also is sensing the approach of Skaar to Earth. She tells Korg and No-Name of Brood that they need to find the child.
Back aboard the Fantasti-Car, Mister Fantastic shows She-Hulk that a spear-like device that he wants her to use to get a DNA sample from Skaar and learn the best way to knock the being out. At first, She-Hulk horrified by this idea, since she is under the mistaken impression that Skaar is a baby. Reed explains that based on his calculations the Hulk's son will be over 400 pounds. He also warns that an encounter with his son could cause the Hulk to change into his Worldbreaker persona again and the resulting battle could shatter the eastern seaboard. To slow the Hulk down, Mister Fantastic sent his wife the Invisible Woman to slow down the Hulk's trip. At that moment, Skaar witnesses a coyote getting shot by soldiers who have been sent out to kill them. Skaar slams through the chopper killing the crew. Suddenly, he is attacked by She-Hulk. She tries to introduce herself when the military arrives and blasts her by accident. While She-Hulk and the Thing try to contain Skaar, Mr. Fantastic tries to get the military to stand down. As the battle hits the news feeds, Skaar demands that they bring out his father.
Learning of this explains to Norman Osborn why Kate Waynesboro's Old Power is running out of control. She has no choice to tell him about who Skaar is and why he is on Earth. While Reed prepares the device to get a sample of Skaar's DNA, things get more complicated with the arrival of military bombers and the fact that the Hulk is getting dangerously close. Some bombs end up dropping and in the ensuing explosion, Skaar somehow disappears. The Hulk and She-Hulk stop sensing Skaar as well. As everyone tries to figure out what happened, they are unaware that Skaar simply reverted out of his Hulk form and fled. Alone in the wilderness, he befriends the coyote he saved earlier.
Recurring Characters
Skaar, Hulk, She-Hulk, Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Warbound (Kate Waynesboro, Korg, No-Name of Brood), HAMMER (Norman Osborn), Franklin Richards, Hercules, Amadeus Cho, Loki, Wolverine
Continuity Notes
Mentions are made of the Hulks exile to Sakaar, subsequent war with Earth and the Warbound subsequently defending the people trapped in Gammaworld. These events are chronicled in Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #92-105, World War Hulk #1-5 and World War Hulk Aftersmash: Warbound #1-5, respectively.
She-Hulk mentions that she was able to sense the Hulk when he returned to Earth. This happened in World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker #1.
The Thing says he likes the gray Hulk the best and Johnny comments that is because that is the only version of the Hulk that he could beat. There has been a long-standing rivalry between the Hulk and Thing since Fantastic Four #12. The Human Torch chides the Thing that he likes that version because it was the only one he could beat. The Thing only fought the gray Hulk twice in Fantastic Four #320 and Incredible Hulk #350. The Thing won the bout in Fantastic Four #320.
