One Perfect Moment: The Wedding of the Incredible Hulk

[an_idol_mind]

The Hulk is far and away my favorite literary character, and Incredible Hulk (volume 3) #103 is my favorite issue of his series.

Hulk #103 takes place near the end of the Planet Hulk storyline. The Hulk, exiled to an alien planet, has overthrown the tyrannical Red King and earned the rulership of a planet for himself. During this time, he made several friends, including Caiera the Oldstrong, who began as his enemy and eventually became one of his closest allies.

5 pages from Incredible Hulk #103.











This is one of only a handful of times we get to see Bruce Banner appear during Planet Hulk.



While Bruce Banner and the Hulk have had several loves, they have typically only accepted one part of the character. Usually, they see the Hulk as a curse that needs to be eliminated. Caiera is unique not only in that she fell in love with the Hulk first, but also that she immediately accepts both the Hulk and Banner.

Unfortunately, the marriage didn't last on account of the need to move on to Planet Hulk. Caiera's death was necessary from a plot perspective, since the Hulk needed to be pushed to new heights of rage by losing everything, but I still disagree with the decision to get rid of her. I think there are only so many solid characters out there, and once you've got one you want to hold onto that character until there's nowhere else for them to go. I liked World War Hulk a lot, but I would have happily traded it away if it meant some more time with Caiera and the Hulk together.

Comments

[silverzeo]

I can't help but think of a what if scenario of Betty, with her Red She Hulk powers, arriving there with the Bruce kiss... which of the two do you think she would go after first...

[an_idol_mind]

Considering how mentally unstable Betty is as the Red She-Hulk, it could range anywhere from trying to kill them both to suggesting a three-way.

[shadowpsykie]

Considering how mentally unstable Betty is as the Red She-Hulk,

at first, she seems more even tempered now.

[drmcninja]

Caiera was the best of the Hulk's marriages. It's the only one that felt remotely organic and natural, and had the bonus of her being a new, interesting, and well done character. I miss her.

[darkknightjrk]

...There's been more than one? :O

[biod]

Jarella and Betty Ross, if I'm not mistaken.

[violetclm.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I miss Jarella.

[eyz]

Yeah.. ^this!
I loved the original Planet Hulk story!
All the other "continuations", be it to bring Skaar or that other 2nd son...blah..

[shadowpsykie]

actually i loved the moment Bruce hugs lil skaar :D

[kirke_novak]

Loved PH, one of my favorite comic books ever. The ending - the destruction of the planet just in order to have another pointless EVENT!!!! - is the main reason I dropped Marvel.

[biod]

Bruce is looking pretty ripped.

[icon_uk]

He's sort of a subconsicous shape shifter, with his body reflecting the personality that's in charge of it. I can see his subconscious wanting to look good for the new wife and adding in a six pack and some muscles.

[abriel]

Jarella is another one who accepted both Bruce and the Hulk, and of course they fridged her as well.

It would be nice to see him/them still with either of those two women. I have never liked Betty and always felt she was ill-suited for him. To me she was always just wishy-washy and yes she eventually paid lip service to accepting the Hulk but only after leaving Bruce a few dozen times, including getting married to another man. Things really haven't improved with her getting those Red She Hulk powers (which IMHO is the dumbest idea ever...I'm not crazy about Red Hulk either).

[shadowpsykie]

Usually, they see the Hulk as a curse that needs to be eliminated.

see that's the one thing i don't like about hulk in general. it should be a story about accepting that anger and rage you have inside you and instead of rejecting it, using it or accepting it.

i think that was one of the things the Avengers movie did right (and the last hulk movie) Accepting that the anger/hulk was a part of him and that is should be embraced instead of rejected (From Tony STARK of all people:)

that's why this new twist... i don't like it... making Bruce into the "Mad Scientist" yeah it was due to Doom Medeling... but i still don't like it... not at all

[an_idol_mind]

Greg Pak's run dealt a lot with the idea of Banner coming to terms with his anger. The culmination of the story is Banner's realization that he and the Hulk are the same person, and that it's not as simple as the Hulk being a monster or Banner being a mad scientist.

Anyone have an interest in me posting a sum-up of Pak's Hulk run? As far as mainstream comics stories go, it's a pretty good character arc that really features a lot of growth for the hero. (Of course, once Pak left, that growth was immediately undone, but that's comics.)

[yvonmukluk]

I, for one, would like to see it.

[sir_mikael]

Seconded. :)

[mola_ram]

Oh Hulk...
Reverting back, before Bruce can get even a tiny bit of the action ;)

[amaniwolf]

Dear lord i missed this story and Caiera. She completed Hulk in a way that was perfect. A strong willed warrior who could fight by his side with equal strength and power. The writing here was great and the character development was rich. I so miss this,....now we have a mess again. Such a wasted chance at something good.

[blackruzsa]

Oh
oh
ohhhhhhh
Planet Hulk was a wonderful arc. I didn't get to see it in its entirety, I wish I had, although I feel like I'd just suffer from when it ends. God, one of the few space odyssey type stories I actually LIKE.