As a long-time fan of Marvel Comics and having witnessed the evolution of characters over the years, I must say that Red Hulk is one of the most intriguing additions to the roster. His origin story, filled with betrayal, power struggles, and a dash of mad science, is reminiscent of the classic tales we’ve grown to love.
When did they turn red?” The recently unveiled trailer for Captain America: Brave New World at D23 Brazil left fans feeling angry when Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (the newcomer Harrison Ford, taking over from the late William Hurt) transformed into the Red Hulk, causing the U.S. president to change color. The footage also displayed Sam Wilson’s Captain America (Anthony Mackie) preventing a terrorist attack on the “wartime president,” and hinted at challenges for Cap from Seth Voelker/Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) and Samuel Sterns/the Leader (Tim Blake Nelson), the clever scientist last seen in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.
Initially, Dr. Samuel Sterns was reached out to by Bruce Banner (the Hulk) to find a cure for his rage-triggered transformations. In an attempt to develop a remedy for all diseases using Banner’s blood, Sterns conducted experiments on it. Later, under duress, Sterns transformed Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) into the monstrous Abomination resembling the Hulk. Unfortunately, in a lab accident involving Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood, Sterns himself was mutated. In an Avengers prequel comic, Natasha Romanoff captured Sterns and delivered him to S.H.I.E.L.D. Now it appears that Sterns has persisted in his research to duplicate the incident that turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk.
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In comic books, Red Hulk made his first appearance in issue 1 of ‘Hulk’ Volume 2 in 2008. At first, people thought he might be Bruce Banner’s old psychologist, Dr. Leonard Samson, who had gained the Hulk’s gamma powers by using a device called the Cathexis Ray. However, it wasn’t until the last page of ‘Hulk’ issue 22 that his true identity was unveiled: General Thunderbolt Ross.
Who Is the Red Hulk?
For many years after the incident that turned Banner into the Hulk, General Ross harbored a secret desire for the Hulk’s power. He relentlessly pursued the fugitive Banner using all of the U.S. military’s resources. Ross held a deep-seated hatred for the Hulk, which led him to betray his country by allying with the insane scientist M.O.D.O.K. in an attempt to release the Abomination from prison and destroy the Hulk (in issues #287-#289 of Incredible Hulk). Ross came close to taking his own life when he was dishonorably discharged.
World War Hulks
Only after the Hulk was banished to the barbaric extraterrestrial world of Sakaar, as depicted in the “Planet Hulk” storyline, and then waged rage-fueled war on Earth as the World Breaker in “World War Hulg,” did General Ross transform into the Hulk. Disenchanted with America following Captain America’s death during the events of “Civil War,” Ross found himself approached by The Leader and M.O.D.O.K., two masterminds from the Intelligencia, who offered him a chance to revive Betty and gain the ability to vanquish the Hulk.
In a surprising twist, I discovered that the satellites Iron Man employed to unleash cosmic energy upon the Hulg, effectively ending his destructive spree in “World War Hulg”, had been breached. Similar to Samson of old, The Leader and M.O.D.O.K. managed to tap into the Hulk’s gamma power, channeling it through the Cathexis Ray. The Intelligencia subsequently utilized this powerful ray to metamorphose General Ross into the Red Hulk, as unveiled in “Hulk” issue 23.
Scorched Earth
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As a passionate movie buff, I found myself engrossed in the mystery surrounding the Red Hulk’s identity when he brutally killed the Abomination in the second volume of ‘Hulk’. It was none other than Tony Stark, then head of S.H.I.E.L.D., who deciphered that this Hulk was radiating such intense gamma energy he was charring the Earth beneath him. Interestingly, Rick Jones, an old friend of Bruce Banner’s, was transformed into a new Abomination, or A-Bomb, during this time. The Red Hulk, or “Rulk” as some call him, knocked out A-Bomb, beat the original Hulk in a fierce battle, punched out the Watcher, and even managed to take down Thor in space when he tried to halt the Red Hulk’s destructive rampage.
Following the Intelligencia’s manipulation by blending gamma and cosmic energy to transform the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men into Earth’s strongest Hulks, it was disclosed that the Cathexis Ray was also employed to generate A-Bomb and Red She-Hulk, who was a resurrected Betty Ross.
In issue #24 of Hulk, a fiery Red Hulk clashed with the original Hulk at the White House, absorbing such an immense amount of the Hulk’s gamma energy that he transformed into a nuclear device. However, it was a gamma blast that brought the Hulk into existence, and the Hulk demonstrated his unparalleled strength when he forced General Ross to yield.
Why Is Red Hulk Red?
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As Hulk becomes angrier, he grows stronger; conversely, the angrier Red Hulk becomes, he becomes more heated. This intense heat is due to the radiation from gamma rays, which Ross absorbs and radiates as Red Hulk, causing his reddish skin.
Instead of growing stronger with anger like the Green Hulk, the Red Hulk amasses energy similar to a reactor, which makes him vulnerable to overheating. This was key to Hulk’s victory against Red Hulk (in issue #6 of the Hulk comic), and it could potentially help Captain America overcome this stronger adversary in Captain America: Brave New World. The 35th Marvel Cinematic Universe film, set to hit theaters on February 14, 2025, is titled as such.
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2024-11-13 16:10