Essential Hulk #2

In "Turning Point!", Betty mourns the absence of Bruce, while a disguised Bruce grapples with his own turmoil—until he erupts into the Hulk, smashing through a hotel wall in a desperate bid to escape. Leaping toward a mysterious "flying saucer" in the sky, he aims to flee Earth, only to crash-land into an unexpected cosmic visitor: the Silver Surfer.

In "He Who Strikes The Silver Surfer," the Hulk, convinced the Silver Surfer is an alien threat, charges into battle with the cosmic being—only to be effortlessly subdued. The Surfer, intrigued by the Hulk’s rage, probes his mind and learns the truth behind the gamma-induced transformation, prompting a moment of unexpected compassion. But when the Hulk awakens and mistakes the Surfer’s healing intent as an assault, the cosmic wanderer departs, leaving the Hulk vowing to track him down and force a journey beyond Earth.

In "To The Beckoning Stars!" from Essential Hulk #2, the High Evolutionary faces a dire threat on Wundagore II as his New Men descend into chaos, their engineered minds unraveling. Desperate, he captures the Hulk, hoping the gamma-powered giant might be the key to restoring order—though whether the Hulk will be a savior or another wild card remains uncertain.

In "A World He Never Made!" from Essential Hulk #2, the Hulk—transformed into Bruce Banner during transport—faces the High Evolutionary on Wundagore II, where he’s mistaken for a mere human. Though dismissed as powerless, Banner is instead chosen to be evolved into a future version of humanity, thrust into a world shaped by science and survival beyond his imagining.

In "What Have I Created?", Bruce Banner finds himself at the mercy of the High Evolutionary, who plans to force his transformation into the Hulk. When the New Men arrive to stop the experiment, Banner’s rage unleashes the Hulk, setting off a chain of events that forces the Evolutionary to confront the consequences of his own creations. Left alone on the desolate Wundagore II, the Hulk faces a silence deeper than any battle.

In "The Legions Of: The Living Lightning!", the Hulk, after rescuing a downed pilot, is captured and manipulated by the radical militia known as the Living Lightning. Now under their control, he turns his rage toward an army camp, but the true extent of their influence and his own unraveling will test the limits of his will.

In "The Puppet And The Power!", Hulk, manipulated by unseen forces, turns on his longtime foe General Ross under the false belief that Ross is a friend. While the military scrambles to contain the rampaging Hulk, the Lord of the Living Lightning seizes control of Thunderbolt's base, exploiting the chaos.

In "When The Monster Wakes!" from Essential Hulk #2, the Hulk and Talbot face off against the Lord of the Living Lightning in a desperate bid to reclaim a military base under his control. With a missile barrage imminent and the battlefield teeming with lightning-wielding troops, the Hulk must push his strength to the limit—only to make a devastating choice that will leave the base in ruins.

In "Let There Be Battle!", Namor seeks an unlikely ally in his ongoing war with the surface world—turning to the Hulk, only for the Puppet Master to seize control and send the green giant straight into battle against his ancient foe.

In "Where Walk The Immortals!", the Hulk is dragged to Asgard by Loki, thrust into a clash with the Warriors Three. Though his rage fuels the battle, a rare moment of clarity lets the warriors see past the monster to the mind within—and they choose not to kill him. Enraged by their defiance, Loki casts the Hulk into a bottomless pit, leaving his fate uncertain.

In "This World Not His Own!", Bruce Banner finds himself falling through a bottomless pit back to Midgard when the Enchantress pulls him from the abyss. With the help of the Warriors Three and Oldar the Oracle, Banner uncovers the truth behind the Hulk’s origins, only to be transformed and drawn into a battle for Asgard when the Executioner and his troll army rise against Odin’s realm. Though the Hulk proves his worth in defending the realm, his presence still unsettles even the All-Father, who ultimately sends him back to Earth.

In "And Now... The Space Parasite!", the Hulk finds himself targeted by an interstellar menace who arrives on Earth not to conquer, but to drain the Hulk’s power for his own galactic ambitions. As the two clash in a battle that spans city streets and alien tech, the Parasite’s true origins come into play—when his own people, recognizing the threat he poses, intervene in a shocking act of cosmic justice.

In "Ring Around The Rhino!" from Essential Hulk #2, the Rhino, freshly released from prison, is lured back into violence by the mysterious men who gave him his original suit—this time offering a more powerful version. As General Ross transports a sedated Bruce Banner to a new facility, the Rhino strikes, forcing the Hulk to rise despite his weakened state. With the fight far from over and Betty’s father suddenly in the crossfire, the Hulk’s next move takes an unexpected turn.

In "This Monster Unleashed!", the Hulk—wounded and transformed back into Bruce Banner—fights for survival in New York while holding Betty hostage, only to be confronted by the mysterious Missing Link, a creature born from a forgotten nuclear test and unleashed on the city. With Mr. Fantastic’s new weapon in play and Talbot hunting the Hulk, the fragile balance of power shatters as Banner’s past collides with a new, terrifying threat.

In "Above the Earth... a Titan Rages!", Bruce Banner transforms into the Hulk as the escalating clash with the Missing Link reaches new heights—literally. With Nick Fury and SHIELD deploying a helicarrier, now revealed to be a Russian vessel under Captain Brevlov, the battle takes a dangerous turn when the Hulk escapes captivity and storms back to Earth, just as the Missing Link detonates. Though he saves a Russian boy from a burning building, the Hulk finds himself targeted by Brevlov’s men, who won’t let the monster live.

In "Ten Rings Hath... The Mandarin!", the Hulk finds himself captured and tested by the enigmatic Mandarin, who seeks to determine if the jade giant is worthy to join his global conquest. With Nick Fury arriving just in time to confront Yuri, the Hulk is thrust into a deadly trial of strength and will at the Mandarin’s hidden compound.

In "Monster Triumphant!", the Hulk, mind-controlled by the Mandarin, rampages toward a Red Chinese target, forcing Nick Fury and his long-time adversary Brevlov to set aside their past to stop the jade giant. As the battle unfolds, the Hulk fights to reclaim his mind, and when he breaks free, he turns his fury on the Mandarin’s stronghold—ending the threat from within.

In "A Refuge Divided!", the silent reign of Black Bolt is threatened when six rebel Inhumans are banished to the un-place by their king. With Lockjaw transporting them, he accidentally brings the Hulk into the same realm, where Maximus manipulates the gamma-powered giant into joining the exiles' bid to overthrow the Inhuman throne. As ancient forces stir and loyalties shift, Black Bolt must decide how far he’ll go to protect his people—while the Hulk faces a choice that could redefine his place among them.

In "The Monster And The Man-Beast!" from Essential Hulk #2, Bruce Banner finds himself stranded in the Savage Land after a failed missile interception, only to be rescued by Ka-Zar from the Swamp Men. With the world’s weather spiraling out of control and a mysterious machine behind the chaos, Banner is drawn into a desperate mission—though the Hulk’s return may be the only thing that can stop the coming storm.

In "Umbu the Unliving!", Bruce Banner and the Hulk find themselves caught in a desperate race against time when an alien machine threatens to unleash catastrophic weather across Earth. With Ka-Zar captured by the Swamp Men and forced into a ritual sacrifice, the Hulk must confront the ancient, monstrous Umbu—only to be transformed back into Banner by a sudden gas attack. Now human and hunted, Banner must outrun Umbu and reach the machine before it’s too late, facing a final, perilous challenge in the heart of the jungle.

In "Shanghaied In Space!" from Essential Hulk #2, Bruce Banner is resurrected by alien captors after his apparent death, only to be thrust into a brutal interstellar war when the Hulk emerges. Taken to the aliens' home planet, the Hulk must confront the terrifying power of the Galaxy Master in a battle that tests his strength and will.

In "The Brute Battles On!" from Essential Hulk #2, the Hulk is thrust into a galactic conflict when enslaved aliens rise against the tyrannical Galaxy Master, joining forces with the green giant to battle a monstrous alien threat. After victory, a rescue rocket sends him back to Earth—but with a dangerous twist: the ship’s failed decompression leaves Bruce Banner stranded in his human form, struggling to survive the unforgiving void.

In "Where Fall The Shifting Sands!", the dying Bruce Banner transforms into the Hulk during a desperate descent from a decommissioned rocket, crash-landing on Earth just in time to be manipulated by the cunning Sandman. Posing as a loyal ally, Sandman convinces the Hulk to attack General Ross's missile base, using the chaos to steal military technology—only for the Hulk to realize too late he's been used.

In "At Last I Will Have My Revenge!", the Mandarin, still seething from his last defeat, teams up with the Sandman in a desperate bid to finally overcome the Hulk. Their clash is brutal and relentless, but even united, their plan collapses when the military intervenes—leaving the Hulk once more in custody.

When the Hulk is recaptured and back in custody, General Ross seeks a permanent solution—enter the reformed Leader, who offers a shocking new idea: a prison made of unbreakable plastic designed to hold the Hulk for good.

In "The Eve Of... Annihilation," the Hulk is trapped in a sleek, unbreakable plastic prison designed by the Leader, who's secretly deploying a giant humanoid to seize control of a missile base. With Betty listening in and the fate of the world hanging in the balance, she urges Talbot to act—just as the Hulk breaks free and must confront the towering Super Humanoid to stop a nuclear catastrophe.

In "World's End?", the Leader's reckless bid to ignite global war sends a missile hurtling toward Russia, forcing the Hulk into a desperate race against time. With the Super Humanoid holding him back, the Hulk struggles to reach the missile’s path—just as Banner, transformed by sheer will, deploys an experimental hunter missile to intercept the first strike. But the Leader isn’t finished, and the real test is just beginning.