Tony Stark and his Illuminati tricked the Hulk and blasted him off into space (during PLANET HULK). And although the Green Goliath fought for his freedom when he crashed on Sakaar, he almost died in the process. But that which didn’t kill him made him stronger… and angrier! He became the King of Sakaar until a bomb aboard the ship that brought him to that world destroyed its capital city, and killed his new wife and unborn child. As you can imagine, this hasn’t left the Hulk in the best of moods. Now he’s on his way back to Earth and he’s looking for revenge…
SCROLL DOWN to the bottom for the KEY COLLECTED EDITIONS for this event!
Major Event: With a main mini-series and multiple tie-in issues, World War Hulk is considered to be a major event.
Excluded: Parody stories from ‘World War Hulk: Front Line’ that are not in-continuity have not been included.
Must Reads: Story arcs marked with a ✔are must-read stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets. For example, [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue, so you don’t need to read the other four.
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- PLANET HULK – The Hulk is exiled to Sakaar by the Illuminati
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- ✔ Incredible Hulk #106
- ✔ World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker #1 [1/3]
- ✔ World War Hulk #1
- ✔ Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #19
- ✔ Avengers: The Initiative #4
- Irredeemable Ant-Man #10
- World War Hulk: Front Line #1
- Heroes for Hire #11 [1/2]
- ✔ Heroes for Hire #11 [2/2]
- Heroes for Hire #12 [1/2]
- ✔ Heroes for Hire #12 [2/2]
- ✔ Heroes for Hire #13 [2/2]
- World War Hulk: X-Men #1
- World War Hulk: X-Men #2
- World War Hulk: X-Men #3
- Heroes for Hire #13 [1/2]
- World War Hulk: Front Line #2 [2/3]
- World War Hulk: Front Line #3 [2/3]
- World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #1
- Ghost Rider #12
- Ghost Rider #13
- ✔ World War Hulk #2
- World War Hulk: Front Line #2 [1/3]
- ✔ Incredible Hulk #107
- ✔ Incredible Hulk #108
- ✔ World War Hulk #3
- ✔ Incredible Hulk #109
- World War Hulk: Front Line #3 [1/3]
- Heroes for Hire #14
- Heroes for Hire #15
- World War Hulk: Front Line #2 [3/3]
- ✔ Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #20
- ✔ Avengers: The Initiative #5
- World War Hulk: Front Line #4 [2/3]
- World War Hulk: Front Line #5 [2/3]
- World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #2
- World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #3
- World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #4
- World War Hulk: Front Line #4 [3/3]
- Punisher War Journal #12
- ✔ Incredible Hulk #110
- ✔ World War Hulk #4
- World War Hulk: Front Line #4 [1/3]
- World War Hulk: Front Line #5 [1/3]
- ✔ World War Hulk #5
- ✔ Incredible Hulk #111
- World War Hulk: Front Line #6
Support the Omniverse! Support us & get all latest podcasts, videos, reading orders, reviews & news sent direct to you, as well as access to bonus content across the site. Use the SIGN UP button above! If you prefer you can also support the Omniverse Comics Guide and get bonus features through Patreon!
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #106 Since Iron Man (Tony Stark) injected She-Hulk with SPIN Tech (Super-Power Inhibiting Nanobots during PLANET HULK), she’s been powerless and stuck in the form of regular human lawyer Jennifer Walters. Having discovered that Iron Man was responsible for the Hulk‘s disappearance, she’s been kicked off the SHIELD Helicarrier and finds herself grounded in the middle of nowhere. Amadeus Cho – a the seventh smartest person on the planet and the Hulk’s biggest fan – recruits Jen into his Illuminati revenge squad. Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) sends Doc Samson to break up this alliance. Amadeus temporarily disables the SPIN tech in Jen to give her back her powers, allowing her to punch Samson into the next state. Moving on, Amadeus Cho finds other allies in former-members of the Champions… Hercules and Archangel! |
| ✔ | World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker #1 [1/3] Aboard the Shadow People‘s Stone Ship the Warbound commandeered to travel to Earth, they begin to suspect the Hulk may not be the most reasonable guy in the universe. While he’s planning to smash the Illuminati, Hulk nearly pops No-Name‘s head off. Hiroim teaches the Hulk to focus his anger and not lose control. Back on Earth, Doc Samson finds Jennifer Walters in a motel where he tries to convince her that the Illuminati made the right choice in sending the Hulk away and he’ll never come back. But Jen knows he’ll return, madder than ever… |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #107 (pp.1-7) In space, a few of the Waround reveal they also have grudges with Earthly heroes. Back on Earth, Hercules and Archangel’s new association with Amadeus Cho makes them enemies of SHIELD. 1st appearance: Renegades |
| ✔ | Avengers: The Initiative #4 (pp.1-6) 50-State Initiative trainee Hardball steals a sample of SPIN tech from Camp Hammond for his mysterious benefactor. |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #1 (pp.1-4) The Stone Ship approaches Earth. |
| ✔ | Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #19 (pp.1-7) Heading toward the Moon, the Warbound’s ship is probed by remote controlled Iron Man armours controlled by Tony Stark. When the Stone Ship destroys all the suits, Stark knows he’s in trouble. |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #1 (pp.1-9) After beating the Inhumans’ leader Black Bolt to a pulp, the Hulk’s stone ship hovers over Times Square where he holds him like a trophy as a broadcasts a holographic message to the citizens of the world. He explains how the Illuminati blasted him into space, how he ended up on a world that could kill him. 1st appearance: Black Bolt/Skrull impostor |
| ✔ | Avengers: The Initiative #4 (pp.7-8) Justice and Cloud 9 discover MVP is alive and well back at his home in Kentucky just as the Hulk makes his return… 1st appearance: MVP/Michael van Patrick clone |
| Irredeemable Ant-Man #10 (pp.1-3) Visioneer’s attempt to get Ant-Man (Eric O’Grady, going by the name ‘Derek O’Sullivan’ aka ‘Slaying Mantis’) to admit he loves her. But she’s interrupted… | |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #1 (pp.1-3) Despite a huge influx of cash from an anonymous backer, the new Front Line newspaper really needs that big story to boost its sales. Sally Floyd and Ben Urich hit the streets… | |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #1 (pp.10-16) Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #19 (pp.8-10) Avengers: The Initiative #4 (pp.9-10) Incredible Hulk #107 (pp.8-10) The Hulk tells how he earned the right to rule his city, but lost it – along with his wife and his unborn child – to a bomb planted on his pod by the Illuminati. He orders New York to be evacuated in 24 hours and challenges the Iron Man, Mister Fantastic and Doctor Strange to show themselves or he’ll destroy the New York. 1st appearance: Timothy ‘Dum Dum’ Dugan/Skrull impostor (IM:DoS #19) |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis |
| Irredeemable Ant-Man #10 (pp.4-6) World War Hulk: Front Line #1 (pp.4-5) Ant-Man decides to stay in New York with Damage Control, despite the Hulk’s impending arrival. Sally Floyd and Ben Urich of Front Line witness the Hulk’s warning. Sally Floyd and Ben Urich of Front Line witness the Hulk’s warning… | |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #107 (pp.11-12) Amadeus’ attempt to recruit Namor the Sub-Mariner into his Renegades fails, but Namora takes him up on the offer. |
| ✔ | Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #19 (11-13) Out of guilt, Tony Stark considers surrendering to the Hulk until Dum Dum Dugan talks him out of it. Stark orders Dugan to ask unregistered superhumans for help, then heads off alone. |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #1 (pp.16-20) Tony Stark uses his position as Director of SHIELD to initiate the evacuation and offers a full pardon to all unregistered heroes (following the passing of the Super-Human Registration Act during CIVIL WAR) who stand with him against the Hulk. Next, he prepares the Sentry (Bob Reynolds, once the Hulk’s best friend and quite possibly the most powerful man on he planet) to be his last resort against the Green Goliath. |
| ✔ | Avengers: The Initiative #4 (pp.11-12) While putting the finishing touches on new Hulkbuster armour, Tony Stark reactivates She-Hulk’s powers. He empoys Doctor Strange to contact the remaining unregistered heroes, including Luke Cage’s New Avengers. He even brings the Initiative recruits in to assist in evacuating New York, despite War Machine showing his lack of approval. |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #1 (pp.5-13) Ben and Sally cover the evacuation of New York. They discover some of the citizens of New York actually think the Hulk’s the good guy! | |
| Heroes for Hire #11 [1/2] Humbug was recently given new armour by giant bugs in the Savage Land and warned of the impending arrival of a new bug species that will try to take over the Earth. When the Heroes For Hire return to New York with Moonboy (their latest mark), they find the city almost-abandoned. Humbug leads the Heroes to a band of scavenging Sakaaran Natives and rips one up to cover his teammates in his blood and mask their scent so they can board the Stone Ship. | |
| ✔ | Heroes for Hire #11 [2/2] SHIELD take advantage of the abandonment of New York by sending Scorpion (Carmilla Black) on a mission to locate an item while no one’s looking. Breaking into a warehouse that holds numerous super-villain weapons, she runs into trouble in the form of Paladin who followed her there and now has access to the weapons as well. |
| Heroes for Hire #12 [1/2] The Heroes For Hire sneak aboard the stone ship in plain sight now that their scent is disguised by bug guts, but their presence is discovered by Miek. Humbug abandons the Heroes in an effort to locate and kill No-Name of the Brood before she can spawn. Shang-Chi faces off against Hiroim to give the team a chance to escape, but is almost killed. Korg helps capture the entire team while Humbug finds the Brood and bows down to her as his queen… | |
| ✔ | Heroes for Hire #12 [2/2] Scorpion and Paladin fight their way through the warehouse, using the various weapons against each other. But Paladin gains the upper hand… |
| ✔ | Heroes for Hire #13 [2/2] Scorpion kills Paladin and locates the weapon she came for which turns out to be a fragment of Thallium, one of the Elements of Doom. Combined with her own powers, Thallium will give her the means to kill the Hulk. When she leaves, Paladin gets up. His purpose was to turn Scorpion into a killer so she could assassinate the Hulk more readily. |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis |
| World War Hulk: X-Men #1 Having learned Professor X (Charles Xavier) was also a member of the Illuminati (though not at the time Hulk was blasted into space), he drops in on the Xavier Institute. Beast leads the trainee New X-Men into battle against him, though they don’t stand much of a chance. The primary X-Men team – including Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Shadowcat and Wolverine – step up, but don’t do much better. With the X-Men down, Hulk asks Xavier how he would have voted… | |
| World War Hulk: X-Men #2 Having telepathically shared the Hulk’s memories with the other X-Men, everyone knows what the Green Goliath has experienced and lost. After admitting he would have blasted him into space until they could find a way to cure him, Xavier surrenders to the Hulk. The X-Men refuse to let Hulk have him and the battle rages once again. Colossus’ hands are crushed, Cyclops wears out his blasts. The Stepford Cuckoos call on X-Factor Investigations and Excalibur for help. Wolverine is taken out and the Juggernaut goes down without his armour before X-Force and Nightcrawler‘s X-Men team arrive… | |
| World War Hulk: X-Men #3 Having held off against pretty much every current member of the X-Men all at once, Nightcrawler tries crashing the Blackbird jet into the Hulk. Juggernaut agrees to be Cyttorak‘s pawn again (despite all his recent efforts to reform) in order to gain the power to defeat the Hulk, but it’s still not enough. Hulk only decides to walk away when he sees the graves of all the young mutants who were recently killed (during DECIMATION) and realises Xavier’s already lost enough | |
| Heroes for Hire #13 [1/2] Humbug watches as the captive Heroes For Hire are tortured. Miek tries to kill Humbug, but No-Name defends him and his loyalty to her. Humbug blames Tarantula for the murder of the Sakaaran Native. Colleen Wing tries to take the blame instead, believing Humbug will snap out of it, but he allows them both to be taken for punishment… | |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #1 (pp.14-19) Over at the 39th Precinct, Sally’s boyfriend Detective Danny Granvile is assigned Korg as a partner. Together, they’ll be investigating the destruction of Korg’s ally, Arch-E-5912, who was mysteriously destroyed after the Warbound arrived on Earth… | |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #2 [2/3] Danny and Korg travel to the site of Arch-E-5912’s destruction. Korg makes the investigation almost impossible by withholding information. To smooth things over, Danny agrees to Judicial Servitude until he finds out that means he has to sacrifice himself if he doesn’t solve the mystery in one day… | |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #3 [2/3] Danny and Korg rough up potential witness Thermo the Thermatronic Man before finding out the ‘murder’ of Arch-E-5912 was caught on camera. Now they just need to watch it back… | |
| ✔ | Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #19 (13-16) Stark launches the new Hulkbuster suit. |
| Irredeemable Ant-Man #10 (pp.6-8) Ant-Man secretly tries to keep Visionaeer and her daughter safe while they evacuate. | |
| Ghost Rider #12 (pp.1-12) Ghost Rider takes another shot at Lucifer when he takes control of an airline pilot, but the Spirit of Vengeance is left with no choice but to save innocent passengers over pursuing the Hell Lord. | |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #1 (pp.21-24) She-Hulk and the New Avengers assist in the evacuation of the New Yorkers. 1st appearance: Iron Man Armour Model 36/Hulkbuster |
| ✔ | Avengers: The Initiative #4 (pp.13-15) Triathlon leads a team of Initiative recruits to New York to help with the evacuation, but they struggle with looters. Until theiy’re distrscted by the latest developments… |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #1 (pp.25-42) Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #19 (pp.17-22) Avengers: The Initiative #4 (pp.16-17) Incredible Hulk #107 (pp.13-14) Iron Man and the Hulk clash over the streets of New York. Iron Man’s attempt to inject the Hulk with SPIN tech to remove his powers launches a series of missiles at him, but it doesn’t take effect. Instead, Hulk pounds Iron Man through the middle of Avengers Tower. The other Avengers rush to the tower as the raging Hulk emerges, triumphant. Hardball realises the SPIN sample Iron Man was intending to use on the Hulk was the vial he stole. |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #107 (pp.15-17) Amadeus Cho reaches out to the Stone Ship, but Miek rejects his call. The Renegades helps those affected by the Hulk’s fight with Iron Man. |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #1 (pp.20-22) Sally Floyd and Ben Urch witness the impact of the Hulk and Iron Man’s clash on the streets of New York. | |
| Irredeemable Ant-Man #10 (pp.9-19) Ant-Man shrinks down and tries to take down the Hulk from within, but it almost gets him killed. | |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #2 (pp.1-13) The sanctioned Mighty Avengers and outlaw New Avengers face the Hulk as he emerges from the ruins of Avengers Tower, quickly joined by his Warbound. Hulk violently rejects She-Hulk’s attempt to rationalise with him, then smashes the two Avengers teams. |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #2 [1/3] (pp.1-9) Sally Floyd continues to risk her life reporting on the Hulk crisis, almost getting hit with a projectile Luke Cage; Daredevil stops to assist citizens in need. | |
| ✔ | Avengers: The Initiative #4 (pp.18-22) Triathlon loses control of his Initiative recruits as they rush to help the fallen Iron Man. Henry Peter Gyrich sends the secret Shadow Initiative in the hope of bailing out the recruits before they get themselves killed, but the kids are already face-to-face with the Hulk and the Warbound… 1st appearance: Shadow Initiative New Identity: Typhoid Mary as Mutant Zero (unnamed) |
| ✔ | Avengers: The Initiative #5 (pp.1-9) The Shadow Initiative head to New York to rescue the recruits and avoid bad press. The team free the kids just as the Hulk returns to Madison Square Garden. Trauma uses his powers in an attempt to transform into the Hulk’s biggest fear to buy the Initiative a chance to escape, but the Hulk fears nothing and Trauma gets slapped down. The team drag Trauma out and take him back to the infirmary where Dani Moonstar convinces Gyrich to remove him from the field and make him a counsellor. |
| World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #1 General John Ryker is recruited by the US Government to set up a strike force to take the Hulk down. Fortunately, he’d already been working on a whole corps of gamma-powered super-soldiers, each with a personal vendetta against the Hulk. The Gamma Corps (made up of Grey, Griffin, Prodigy, Mess and Mister Gideon) rescue Ryker’s first gamma-soldier, Flux, from an AIM facility and kill him. Grey is revealed to be Brian Talbot; brother of the deceased Glenn Talbot who used to hound the Hulk on behalf of General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross… 1st appearance: Grey/Brian Talbot, Mess/Nichole Martin, Mister Gideon/Gideon Wilson, Prodigy/Timothy Wilkerson New identity: Clown/Eliot Franklin as Griffin | |
| Ghost Rider #12 (pp.13-22) Johnny Blaze puts his hunt for the fragments of Lucifer on hold in favour of trying to stop the Hulk’s ultimate rampage. Blaze takes control of the Ghost Rider’s body and heads to New York where he immediately runs into the Green Goliath… | |
| Ghost Rider #13 Doctor Strange monitors Ghost Rider and the Hulk’s fight but knows the Spirit of Vengeance can’t stop the Hulk while Blaze is in control. Despite his best efforts, Blaze lets the Ghost Rider retake control and he just rides right out of New York. As stopping the Hulk isn’t part of his mission against Lucifer, the Ghost Rider doesn’t care what the Hulk does. Not while he hasn’t killed anyone, anyway… |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #2 (pp.14-30) Hulk and the Warbound head to the Baxter Building and easily lay the Fantastic Four low, with the Sentry ignoring the call for help. |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #2 [1/3] (pp.9-12) Ben Urich watches the battle between the Hulk and the Fantastic Four from a safe distance as the shockwaves take out the power grid, leaving the city in darkness… | |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #3 [1/3] (pp.1-4) Sally Floyd and Ben Urich cover the story of the US Army’s attempt to get the remaining New York citizens out of the city. | |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #2 (pp.31-38) The Hulk parades the unconscious heroes through the streets of New York until he comes face-to-face with Rick Jones; once the Hulk’s friend and the cause of his existence. Rick starts getting through to the Hulk until Doctor Strange uses that moment to attack him. Hulk break’s Strange’s control and leaps away, into the path of Amadeus Cho and his Renegades. Thunderbolt Ross arrives in New York with a platoon of tanks and helicopters… |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #107 (pp.18-24) When the Renegades finally meet the Hulk, he assumes they’re enemies. He beats on Hercules until the Olympian god manages to convince him that they and an army of New Yorkers are on the Hulk’s side… |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #3 (pp.1-3) Thunderbolt Ross prepares to assult the Hulk. He still holds Bruce Banner responsible for the death of his daughter, Betty Ross… |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #108 Rick Jones and Miek watch as Cho fail to convince the Hulk that the Renegades are allies. Rick thinks back to what makes him the Hulk’s best friend, which parallels Miek’s thoughts from the Hulk’s initial arrival on the planet Sakaar. As the armed forces begin their attack on the Hulk, Rick and Miek briefly cross paths. They find a common enemy in the form of Sakaaran native Mung, but they ultimately go their separate ways… |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #109 (pp.1-4) The Renegades almost convinced him to stop his assault on New York until the Army launched their attack… |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #3 (pp.6-19) Incredible Hulk #109 (pp.5-10) Thunderbolt Ross unleashes adamantium bullets at the Hulk in the hope of shredding him to death. Doctor Strange uses this assault to find a moment of weakness in the Hulk’s focus and try to get through to Banner himself on the astral plane. Instead, the Hulk crushes Strange’s hands which has the same effect on his body in the physical world. The Renegades rescue those in the line of fire around the fight and clash with both the Army and the Warbound. |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #3 (pp.20-24) Hulk smashes tanks and helicopters until he reaches Thunderbolt Ross and crashes his helicopter. |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #109 (pp.11-16) Thunderbolt Ross tries to launch a remote controlled missile at the Hulk, but he takes it down. Despite the Renegades’ help, the Hulk still rejects them. |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #3 [1/3] (pp.5-12) Sally begins to question Ben’s recklessness and his need to get closer and closer to the action, risking both their lives. Over at the Daily Bugle, J Jonah Jameson and Joe Robertson appear to be the only ones holding the fort. Jonah’s getting tired of being scooped by Front Line… | |
| Heroes For Hire #14 The remnants of the Heroes For Hire ally themselves with Paladin when Misty Knight makes a secret deal to hand Moonboy over to him as payment. Together, they assault the arena in search of their captured friends, interrupting a stand-off between Miek and Humbug. Black Cat knocks Humbug’s helmet off to reveal their former-friend’s mutated face… | |
| Heroes For Hire #15 The Heroes For Hire battle Humbug until he scurries away to mutate further. The team rescue Colleen and Tarantula who’ve been tortured by Nerve Maggots. Humbug’s helmet attacks No-Name of the Brood and sterilises her. Shang-Chi breaks Humbug’s neck, killing him. When the group escape, Misty hands Moonboy over to Paladin and the others walk away from her in disgust, ending the Heroes For Hire. | |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #2 [3/3] SHIELD trick Captain Rectitude into being bait for Hulk in a trap that presumably doesn’t work. (This story may or may not be in-continuity.) |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #20 The Hulk boards the SHIELD Helicarrier in search of Nick Fury – the man who tricked him into his mission in space on behalf of the Illuminati. Instead, Dum Dum Dugan reveals that the group used a Fury Life Model Decoy (LMD – the real Nick Fury went underground during SECRET WAR). Dugan is secretly contacted by Tony Stark via a suit of Iron Man armour who reveals the existence of a doomsday weapon that will transport Manhattan to the Negative Zone if the Hulk wins… |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #3 (pp.25-28) When he’s finished smashing the US Army, the Hulk builds a gladiatorial arena out of Madison Square Garden. |
| ✔ | Avengers: The Initiative #5 (pp.10-22) The Shadow Initiative free the Initiative kids just as the Hulk returns to Madison Square Garden. Trauma uses his powers in an attempt to transform into the Hulk’s biggest fear to buy the Initiative a chance to escape, but the Hulk fears nothing and Trauma gets slapped down. The team drag Trauma out and take him back to the infirmary where Dani Moonstar convinces Gyrich to remove him from the field and make him a counsellor. |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #4 [2/3] Danny Granville checks the security tapes that will reveal who killed Arch-E-5912. Returning to the scene of the crime, he reveals to Korg that the killer was… Korg himself? | |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #5 [2/3] Korg threatens to kill Danny until he explains that Arch-E-5912 inadvertently broke protocol by saving a human girl from looters and, with two conflicting orders from Korg, found the only acceptable course of action was to destroy himself. | |
| World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #2 General Ryker has given gamma powers to people whose lives were destroyed by the Hulk to create the Gamma Corps. Mess lost her son and parts of her own body when a truck hurled by the Hulk during a fight with the Abomination crushed her car. Prodigy was damaged in the womb due to the trauma his mother experienced when she came face-to-face with the Hulk. Mister Gideon is the father of the Hulk’s friend, Jim Wilson. Griffin was the Circus of Crime‘s original Clown. Ryker contacts the Hulk aboard his stone ship and suggests they face each other. When the Hulk turns him down, Ryker fires a rocket at the ship… | |
| World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #3 Years ago, Ryker obtained a sample of the Hulk’s blood after his first confrontation with Wolverine. Ryker used the sample to create a cure for his wife’s cancer and retired from the military to spend more time with her. As time went on, this ‘cure’ showed detrimental effects and Ryker’s wife began to mutate. Ryker’s hatred for the Hulk was renewed. In the present, the Hulk deflects the missile and fights a horde of the Leaders‘ Humanoids before the Gamma Corps attack and Grey breaks the Hulk’s neck… | |
| World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #4 Glenn Talbot used to beat Brian when he was a kid. Now he’s become a Hulk to beat the Hulk. Ryker takes time to taunt the Hulk, except it gives him time to heal. Hulk locates Gamma Corps’ secret base and convinces them of Ryker’s evil intentions. Mister Gideon admits his son’s death wasn’t Hulk’s fault. Mess learns the Abomination threw the truck that killed her son. Prodigy learns his mother’s drug habit was what really caused his birth defects. They collapse base collapses with Ryker still inside. The Hulk leaves and Gamma Corps decide to go after the Illuminati instead. | |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #4 [3/3] Uatu the Watcher reveals that Hulk also smashed Captain Rectitude, Peregrine, Blazing Skull, Cadaver, Blistik, the Great Lakes Initiative, Hypno-Hustler, Aquarian, Thunderclap, Gladiatrix and Frog-Man but there was no story space to cover these battles. | |
| Punisher War Journal #12 The Punisher returns to New York to find it overrun with aliens. He slaughters his way to his personal weapons manufacturer, Stuart Clarke, who provides him the means to kill them. Frank soon faces the biggest Sakaaran, Mung. The Punisher’s Venomech Suit (a ‘synthiote’ of liquid smart-amour, designed to replicate the abilities of Venom) allows him to beat Mung by ripping off his arm and chopping off the top of his head. Chasing the remaining Sakaarans away, the Punisher vows to utilise his brutal fury to help the citizens of this fair city. | |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #109 (pp.17-24) Cho begins to question the Hulk’s motivation and if he’s really the good guy he believed him to be. Cho and the Scorpion break into the gladiatorial arena where they see the Death’s Head units torturing General Ross and the defeated heroes. Tony Stark tries to convince Cho to leave before the Hulk returns and kills him. But he’s too late… |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #110 Amadeus Cho desperately tries to convince the Hulk he’s not a killer and will never hurt anyone intentionally. Cho reveals he’s created something called Gammaworld in the New Mexico desert. A place where the Hulk can live in peace. Instead, the Hulk reveals his plan to force the Illuminati to kill each other in his arena. Scorpion uses the thallium she stole to poison the Hulk. Cho makes Hulk angry enough to fight the poison by telling him that he’s responsible for the deaths of Betty Ross-Banner, Caiera and Jarella. Immediately cured, the Hulk retaliates and Cho is buried under rubble. But he proved his point. The Hulk didn’t kill him. |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #3 (pp.29-38) Elloe Kaifi and Hiroim accuse Rick Jones of betraying the Hulk. Iron Fist defends Rick by doing some serious damage to Hiroim’s arm. Before Miek gets a chance to kill Rick, a powered-up Doctor Strange emerges with mace-like hands… |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #4 (pp.1-16) Allowing himself to become at least partly possessed by the uncontrollable demon Zom, Doctor Strange has the power to smash the Hulk! He easily dispatches the Warbound and puts his fists right through Greenskin’s middle. Their ultra-violent punch up takes some of New York with it, prompting the Hulk to save civilians from Strange’s rampage. Realising he’s become the villain, Strange falters and the Hulk beats the demon right out of him and implants an Obedience Disc in the Sorcerer Supreme’s chest. |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #4 [1/3] (pp.1-9) Ben Urich attends the arena and is disappointed by the bloodlust of the human crowd. Sally Floyd gives in to the need to drink and runs into J Jonah Jameson in a bar who berates her for allowing Front Line to be funded by a mystery man. He offers to buy the paper from her and Urich. Sally tells the Daily Bugle Publisher where he can cram it… | |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #4 (p.16-25) In the Hulk’s arena, a handful of New Yorkers step up and state their case as to why the Illuminati should suffer, including Tom Foster whose uncle, Goliath (Bill Foster), was killed by Tony Stark and Reed Richards’ Thor clone (during CIVIL WAR). Hulk then activates the obedience discs worn by Stark, Richards, Strange and Black Bolt and forces them to fight a Sakaaran monster, then try to kill each other. |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #4 [1/3] (pp.10-12) Ben Urich watches as the Illuminati fight for their lives. | |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #4 (p.26-37) The audience chant for Tony Stark’s head and the Hulk gives the order to kill. Elsewhere, the Sentry finally overcomes his agoraphobia and launches himself in the direction of New York with the full intention of kicking his best friend’s green behind… |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #5 [1/3] Inebriated, Sally wanders the streets of the lawless New York and is saved from muggers by Moon Knight. Ben Urich decides to leave the arena but gets caught up in an angry mob’s rampage. Sally arrives in time to see battered Ben just as the Sentry flies overhead… | |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #111 (pp.1-9) The Renegades rescue civilians caught up in the fight between Doctor Strange and the Hulk. Wong arrives, looking to put Zom back in his bottle, but the creature has a new host: Iron Man’s Hulkbuster armour. |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #5 (pp.1-8) Reed Richards defies his obedience disc to stop himself from killing Tony Stark. The Hulk admits he came back to Earth for justice, not murder. Now the Illuminati’s secret is out, he has his justice. It’s now that the Sentry flies straight through the Warbound’s floating stone ship and into the Hulk, dragging him straight through a series of buildings, tearing up the city. |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #111 (pp.10-19) Wong helps the Renegades recapture Zom, even after he briefly possesses Amadeus Cho. |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #6 (pp.1-9) Sally Floyd and Ben Urich narrowly avoid falling into the chasm that opens up on Broadway thanks to the raging Hulk. | |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #5 (pp.9-40) The Warbound save the Illuminati and the other captured heroes from the Sentry’s unleashed power. Realising unleashing the Sentry was a mistake, Tony Stark accesses a satellite that siphon the powers from the warring superbeings. When the smoke clears, the powerless Bruce Banner and Bob Reynolds punch each other until they both collapse. Miek learns the Hulk is just a human and tries to stab Banner in the back, but Rick Jones spears Miek in the guts first. Banner turns back into the Hulk and beats Miek to a pulp until Miek hits back with the truth. It was Miek who set the bomb on the ship that destroyed the city on Sakaar, killing millions including the Hulks wife and unborn child. Angrier than ever before, the Hulk stomps and almost splits Manhattan Island in two. Stark activates the satellite again and the beam siphons Hulk’s powers off once more, leaving him powerless. |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #111 (pp.20-22) Hercules and Namora get close. Amadeus Cho learns of the Hulk’s defeat. And the Renegades part ways, leaving Hercules to comfort Cho. |
| ✔ | World War Hulk #5 (pp.9-40) Bruce Banner is taken away to a secret underground base in the Mojave Desert where he remains contained (and the prison he’s in ominously turns from green to red). Meanwhile, back on the remains of the planet Sakaar, another green monster rises from the lava…. 1st appearance: Skaar (unnamed) |
| World War Hulk: Front Line #6 (pp.10-22) In the days that follow ‘World War Hulk’, people return to New York. Many find their homes ruined and possessions lost. Sally figures out J Jonah Jameson is the one who’s been secretly funding Front Line. She agrees to keep his secret from Ben and to be a better reporter. She starts by laying off the booze… | |
| Irredeemable Ant-Man #10 (p.21) Erick O’Grady wakes up in hospital in a sorry state, and finds Agent Mitch Carson has finally caught up with him. O’Grady is under arrest. |
| Must Reads | Issues & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | World War Hulk: Aftersmash! #1 (2008) Hiroim suffers further damage to his arm and loses it. | WORLD WAR HULK: AFTERSMASH! |
| Irredeemable Ant-Man #11 (2007) Agent Mitch Carson is arrested for his past crimes, the attempted murder of Eric O’Grady and theft of the Ant-Man suit, letting O’Grady off the hook. | ||
| ✔ | Hulk Family: Green Genes #1 (2008) Scorpion realises she’s Bruce Banner’s daughter. | |
| ✔ | Damage Control #1-2 (2008) Damage Control insist on expending the amnesty for unregistered heroes so they can help fix New York; Tom Foster follows in his late uncle’s oversized footsteps when he becomes Black Goliath, then just Goliath. Incredible Hulk #112-115 (2008) Amadeus Cho and Hercules remain a team and are on the run from SHIELD. | WORLD WAR HULK: AFTERSMASH! |
| ✔ | She-Hulk #19 (2007) She-Hulk goes back to being depowered Jennifer Walters. | |
| ✔ | Warbound #1-5 (2008) The Warbound go on the run and are pursued by SHIELD; Amadeus Cho’s Gammaworld idea is put into action in the New Mexico desert; the Warbound clash with Miek. | WORLD WAR HULK: AFTERSMASH! |
| New Warriors #7-8 (2008) Justice starts investigating the new New Warriors. | THE INITIATIVE | |
| ✔ | She-Hulk #21 (2007) She-Hulk’s powers are fully restored. | |
| Irredeemable Ant-Man #12 (2007) Iron Man gives Eric O’Grady a chance at being Ant-Man officially; Eric and Visioneer part ways on good terms. | ||
| Avengers: The Initiative #7 (2007) Hardball’s mystery contact is revealed to be a crooked US Senator. | ||
| Avengers: The Initiative Annual #1 (2008) Hardball is revealed to have obtained his powers illegally through the Power Broker. | ||
| Avengers: The Initiative #8-11 (2008) Komodo is revealed to be a double-amputee who regrew her legs using the Lizard formula that first transformed Dr Kurt Conners; Ant-Man (Eric O’Grady) joins the Initiative; the MVP clone helps defeat another MVP clone called KIA when it goes rogue. | ||
| X-Men: Die By The Sword #5 (2008) Excalibur disband. | ||
| ✔ | New Avengers Annual #2 (2008) Doctor Strange allows Zom to control again so that he can defeat the Hood’s Army; Strange is forced to leave the Avengers. | THE TRUST |
| Ghost Rider #19 (2007) Ghost Rider finally defeats Lucifer and returns him to Hell. | ||
| Immortal Iron Fist #16 (2008) Colleen Wing and Misty Knight next appear, apparently having made up. | ||
| ✔ | She-Hulk #30 (2008) She-Hulk is hired by SHIELD to bring the fugitive Amadeus Cho in. | |
| ✔ | Hulk #1-6 (2008) A Red Hulk emerges; Rick Jones is revealed to have gained gamma powers; Bruce Banner becomes the less-intelligent green Hulk again; Clay Quartermain is found dead, believed to have been killed by the Red Hulk. | GREEN HULK/RED HULK |
| ✔ | Hulk #7-9 (2008-2009) The Sentry next meets the Hulk when he’s reverted to his ‘Mr Fixit’ persona (the Grey Hulk). | WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS… |
| Must Reads | Issues & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | New Avengers: Illuminati #5 (2008) ‘Black Bolt’ is revealed to be a Skrull (which may explain how the Hulk defeated him so easily). | SECRET INVASION: THE INFILTRATION |
| ✔ | Secret Invasion Prologue #1 (2008) ‘Dum Dum Dugan’ is revealed to be a Skrull impostor. Secret Invasion #1 (2008) Tony Stark’s ‘last resort’ doomsday weapon is used by the Skrulls to transport the Baxter Building to the Negative Zone. | SECRET INVASION |
| Incredible Hercules #119 (2008) Amadeus Cho’s pet coyote, Kirby, is revealed to be a Skrull. Avengers: The Initiative #18 (2008) Cloud 9 makes her first kill when Equinox is revealed to be a Skrull. | SECRET INVASION | |
| ✔ | Secret Invasion: Inhumans #1 (2008) The real Black Bolt returns. | SECRET INVASION |
| Avengers: The Initiative featuring Reptil #1 (2009) Moonboy is revealed to have been returned to the Savage Land. | ||
| Secret Invasion: Front Line #5 (2010) Doris Urich, Ben Urich’s wife, dies off-panel. | SECRET INVASION | |
| Avengers: The Initiative Special #1 (2009) Senator Woodman‘s connection to Hydra is revealed; Hardball kills Woodman and takes over his Hydra faction. | ||
| Avengers: The initiative #20 (2009) Mutant Zero is revealed to be Typhoid Mary | DARK REIGN | |
| ✔ | Incredible Hercules #121-125 (2008-2009) Namora and Hercules get a chance to intensify their relationship. | |
| ✔ | Skaar, Son of Hulk #1 (2008) The birth of Skaar (the Hulk’s son) back on planet Sakaar is expanded and explained. | SON OF HULK |
| ✔ | Planet Skaar Prologue #1 (2009) Skaar comes to Earth and meets his father. | PLANET SKAAR |
| X-Men Legacy #219 (2009) Professor X and the Juggernaut go back to being enemies. | ||
| Incredible Hulk #600 (2009) Doc Samson becomes a villain having developed a multiple personality disorder induced by MODOK. | HULK NO MORE! | |
| ✔ | New Avengers #51-54 (2009) For purposely channeling Zom and using black magic to fix his hands (as well as failing to stop the Scarlet Witch‘s reality warp) Doctor Strange is stripped of the title and role of Sorcerer Supreme. Dark Reign: Made Men #1 (2009) Norman Osborn recruits the Gamma Corps to hunt down Iron Man. | DARK REIGN |
| Avengers: The Initiative #27 (2009) Norman Osborn turns the Shadow Initiative into a cannon-fodder team. | DARK REIGN | |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #601-605 (2009-2010) General John Ryker is revealed to have survived and created a new Corps, Gamma Corps: Black; Gamma Corps: Black are killed by Lyra, the new She-Hulk; Ryker continues to plot against the Hulks. |
| Must Reads | Issues & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | What If: World War Hulk #1 (2009) On Earth-10223, the Avengers lose the war with the Hulk; on Earth-32201, Thor joins the war against the Hulk; some additional, comedic versions of World War Hulk are explored. | |
| Marvel Zombies Return #5 (2009) The Hulk’s quest for revenge plays out differently on Earth-91126; the Hulk of Earth-91126 is revealed to have become infected with the zombie virus while on the moon; the remaining members of the Warbound are consumed by the zombie Inhumans; rather than seek revenge on the Illuminati, the Hulk returns to Earth to satisfy his hunger, infecting the Sentry who then spreads the zombie virus across the planet then makes the jump to Earth-2149 to spread it further. | ||
| ✔ | Incredible Hercules #137 (2009) Amadeus Cho’s origin is revealed. | |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #605 (2010) The Sakaaran creatures that fell from the Hulk’s Stone Ship are revealed to have ended up in the care of the Mole Man; Tyrannus mutates the creatures further, forcing Skaar to deal with them harshly. | SON OF BANNER |
| ✔ | Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk #3 (2010) The origin of Rick Jones’ transformation into A-Bomb (which saved his life after Miek stabbed him) is revealed. | FALL OF THE HULKS |
| ✔ | World War Hulks #1 (2010) The gamma power siphoned off the Hulk by Tony Stark’s satellites is used to create more Hulks. | WORLD WAR HULKS |
| Hulk #23 (2010) It’s revealed that the gamma power Tony Stark siphoned from the Hulk was used, in part, to transform General Thunderbolt Ross into the Red Hulk; Clay Quartermain’s killer is revealed to be Doc Samson. | WORLD WAR HULKS | |
| ✔ | Siege #4 (2010) The Sentry ultimately loses control of himself and gives way to his dark side, the Void. | SIEGE |
| ✔ | Amazing Spider-Man #648 (2011) J Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson remake Front Line into the new Daily Bugle | BIG TIME |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #619-620 (2011) Zom fights the Hulk without the restraint of being hosted by Doctor Strange. | CHAOS WAR |
| Heroes For Hire #1 (2011) Misty Knight creates a new-style Heroes For Hire; it’s revealed that Misty and Paladin have become emotionally involved. | ||
| Uncanny X-Men #543 (2011) Cyttorak takes the Juggernaut’s powers away and passes them to Colossus. | FEAR ITSELF | |
| Avengers vs X-Men #11 (2012) Hulk rejoins the Avengers. | AvX: AVENGERS VS X-MEN | |
| ✔ | Avengers Academy #34-37 (2012) Jeremy Briggs refines SPIN tech and attempts to unleash it across the Earth to remove all superhuman powers. | |
| ✔ | New Avengers #34 (2013) Doctor Strange reclaims the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. | END TIMES |
| Fearless Defenders #5-6 (2012) Misty Knight, Colleen Wing and Tarantula fight alongside each other again. | MARVEL NOW! | |
| ✔ | Avengers #28 (2014) Bruce Banner discovers the Illuminati have reformed and joins the secret group himself. | ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! |
| ✔ | Hulk #12 (2015) Gamma Corps are depowered by the Hulk. | |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #709-713 (2017-2018) Sakaar is restored by the Time Gem (now called the Time Stone); having become the new Hulk, Amadeus Cho answers a distress signal from Sakaar. | MARVEL LEGACY |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #714-717 (2018) Hulk (Amadeus Cho) returns to Earth where he clashes with Phalkan who transforms him into the Dark Hulk, pitting him against Earth’s heroes in a battle which is (editorially) dubbed ‘World War Hulk II’. |
Notable collected editions featuring the World War Hulk…
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| World War Hulk Omnibus | Avengers: The Initiative #4-5 Ghost Rider (2006) #12-13 Heroes for Hire (2006) #11-15 Incredible Hulk (2000) #106-111 Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #19-20 Irredeemable Ant-Man #10 Planet Hulk Saga #1 Punisher War Journal (2007) #12 World War Hulk (2007) #1-5 World War Hulk: Aftersmash! #1 World War Hulk: Aftersmash! – Damage Control #1-3 World War Hulk: Aftersmash! – Warbound #1-5 World War Hulk: Front Line #1-6 World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #1-4 World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker #1 World War Hulk: X-Men #1-3 |
| Heroes for Hire vol.3 | Heroes for Hire (2006) #11-15 |
| Hulk: World War Hulk | Planet Hulk Saga #1 World War Hulk (2007) #1-5 World War Hulk: Aftersmash! #1 |
| World War Hulk: Front Line | World War Hulk: Front Line #1-6 World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker #1 |
| World War Hulk: Gamma Corps | World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #1-4 |
| World War Hulk: X-Men | Avengers: The Initiative #4-5 Ghost Rider (2006) #12-13 Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #19-20 Irredeemable Ant-Man #10 World War Hulk: X-Men #1-3 |
| X-Men vs Hulk | Hulk Team-Up #1 Incredible Hulk Annual #7 Rampaging Hulk #2 World War Hulk: X-Men #1-3 X-Men (1963) #66 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Avengers: The Initiative vol.1: Basic Training | Avengers: The Initiative #4-5 |
| Avenges: The Initative – The Complete Collection vol.1 | Avengers: The Initiative #4-5 |
| Ghost Rider vol.3: Apocalypse Soon | Ghost Rider (2006) #12-13 |
| Ghost Rider by Daniel Way – The Complete Collection | Ghost Rider (2006) #12-13 |
| Incredible Hercules: Smash of the Titans | Incredible Hulk (2000) #106-111 |
| Incredible Hercules – The Complete Collection vol.1 | Incredible Hulk (2000) #106-111 |
| World War Hulk: Incredible Herc | Incredible Hulk (2000) #106-111 |
| Incredible Hulk by Peter David vol.5 | World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker #1 |
| Iron Man: Director of SHIELD – The Complete Collection | Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #19-20 |
| Punisher War Journal vol.3: Hunter/Hunted | Punisher War Journal (2007) #12 |
| Punisher War Journal by Matt Fraction – The Complete Collection vol.1 | Punisher War Journal (2007) #12 |
Reading Order ©OmniverseComicsGuide 2023
Leave a Reply