World War Hulk cannot be compared to any arc or any story ever told in the wealth of the Marvel Universe.The most muscular of heroes goes on a voyage of destruction that he has not been on since he fought against the destruction of Earth, and every single one of its sixth inhabitants connects to it in World War Hulk. But what is the backstory to all of this, and what is the appeal behind World War Hulk which is universally regarded among one of the best stories in comics ever?
The Betrayal and the Exile
Every epic story is about a betrayal, and this tale is no exception. Presented to the Earth as a perennial menace for too long, Hulk gets deceived by the Illuminati or the powerful ruling body composed of Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Mr. Fantastic, Black Bolt etc. Making up a conclusion that Hulk is a danger to the Planet they decide to send him far away in the Universe to a peaceful and non-violent planet where he will do no damage.
However, events unfold in ways that are not envisaged. Instead of landing on a serene earth, Hulk lands on the barbarous planet of Sakaar, a brutal war-filled world. The Hulk is quickly seized and put into battle and then purchased as an entertainer where he develops into a fighter, earning honors. He goes as far as leading a coup and even usurps the tyrant to take over as the ruler of Sakaar. While there, she whisks Hulk away and helps him remember the reason to stay as a civilian after getting married to a strong woman called Caiera and conceiving a child.
The Tragedy of Sakaar
Just when it appeared that Hulk had saved himself from all out destruction and secured his place, something worse came along. For some unexplained reason, the aircraft that took her to Sakaar was detonated somewhere out in the empty space and the end result of this obliterated the planet and resulted in the death of Caiera and Hulk’s baby. Although Hulk has had issues with anger in the past, this time there is no going back, he has crossed the line. He blames the Illuminati for the treachery, believing they engineeered the destruction of the ship to erase his new start. Hulk says enough is enough and that he is going to use everything he has to take revenge.
Return to Earth: A Crusade for Justice
Twelve years of injuries and a loyal Warbound at his side motivate Hulk to return to Earth in order to exact revenge and for it’s the Illuminati who’ll suffer. Who is the first on his list? A guy named Black Bolt who’s the king of the Inhumans. One of those went like this, Hulk has a showdown with Black Bolt on the surface of the moon and a brilliant display of how powerful Hulk truly is. Remarkably, Hulk overpowers Black bolt even though BB has the power to level mountains with his voice.
Hulk’s advance takes him to New York City. He declares it rather clearly: the Illuminati will pay for everything. The entire Earth holds its breath with excitement waiting to see the battle unfold between the Hulk and all the greatest heroes – the Avengers, the X Men, and the fantastic Four and so on. But what other great heroes says otherwise? Angrily, he starts picking them up one after the other, catching Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man, putting them into slavery as he did back on Sakaar but for fighting for their lives in gladiatorial arenas.
Auntie’s Rage: The War With The Earth’s Heroes
Despite the superheroes of the Earth being the most powerful, they try to contain Hulk, whosoever dwells in this fury is going to meet his end. Even Doctor Strange with his most advanced and powerful enchanted spells is no exception to Hulk. At that time, It is very apparent that this is not the same Hulk that the world was familiar to. This Hulk is not only angry–he is calculating, ambitious, and most importantly, awash with sorrow. It is the hurt that makes him fight and move towards complete annihilation: every punch is thanks to the ache he feels in his heart.
One of the most memorable scenes in World War Hulk is when hulk fights Sentry – one of the craziest most powerful characters in the marvel comics. Sentry, who in a comic is described as ‘a billion exploding suns’ has been described as the only other being who can compete with Hulk physically. Its viciousness and cruelty do not come in short supply. Catastrophic is an understatement in describing their combat. Both heroes go all out and create a lot of damage to the environment and people. But in the end, it is not so much about not being able to outperform one another physically that matters, but who claims emotional surrender. Sentry and hulk both overexert, and at last, the last hope comes just before the turn of events, and so do hulk and Sentry – Bruce Banner and Robert Reynolds with only the illusion of hope of having just returned to sanity.
The Delusion of Villainy
Just as it appears as if Hulk’s vengeance has reached its conclusion, an unexpected turn of events appears. It is disclosed that the blast which obliterated Sakaar was not from the hand of the Illuminati, but of one of Hulk’s own Warbound – Miek. Miek believed that the Hulk had grown soft and so planned the catastrophe in order to bring out the Hulk’s anger once again. All this made Hulk furious and he unleashed so much gamma radiation that it threatened the very existence of the planet itself.
To prevent him from doing any further damage, Tony Stark redirects satellites, so they bomb Hulk with energy and finally manage to bring him down. The story ends with Hulk in there resting, sex abuse of the character is gone World war Hulk left wounds on the world, and its heroes still hide the marks.
The Aftermath of World War Hulk
World War Hulk is not a mere tale of angry green behemoth and chunking; although that happens a lot. It is an even deeper tale of the nature of emotions, more specifically, anger, loss and betrayal. For years, cannon mingled with cannon through the mad struggle, the Hulk remained an image of a monster, feared and contained. Or, almost so: a thing just wishing to be left alone, but constantly riled by complete strangers and driven to extremes.
This storyline has brought about a permanent change in the way in which Hulk was perceived in the Marvel Universe. Perhaps it was that Hulk ceased to be simply an out of control beast; he turned into a more complex character—a hero who was swept up in his pursuit of justice after having everything taken away from him and had nearly lost his sanity in the process. How about the World War Hulk in MCU? Quite a few people have long wondered as to if World War Hulk will ever be brought to live action, considering the popularity that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has achieved. Most of the things have already been laid down because of Hulk’s arc in Thor: Ragnarok and also the fight on Sakaar. But can World War Hulk be done justice to in the on-screen women, so far as the magnitude and emotional power of the narrative is concerned? There is no question as to the extent to which World War Hulk is regarded as one of the best Marvel comics ever made. Should the MCU go ahead and adapt this particular storyline into a film, this is bound to be one of the best, if not the best, films in the franchise. You cannot however go about executive producing such as saga which deserves the respect and pace that it was recorded. The story of a hulk is one of love, loss, rage satisfaction, and within all the traditional elements there is always hope.
Irrespective of the appearance of World War Hulk in MCU, the comic story has aptly shown more layers of Hulk’s character & that of any super hero who is fighting against loss & betrayal, can also break in one moment.
