Godzilla vs. Hulk #1

History

The 'Godzilla vs. Marvel' event grew out of years of licensing negotiations between Marvel and Toho, initially sparked by conversations about reprinting the out-of-print 1977–1979 Godzilla, King of the Monsters series; Marvel editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski confirmed that both parties became eager to do something new together, timing the project to coincide with Godzilla's 70th anniversary. The event was exclusively announced by The Hollywood Reporter on December 12, 2024. Duggan, a lifelong Godzilla fan who recalled obsessively collecting the original Marvel run as a child, was tapped to write the Hulk installment, with Giuseppe Camuncoli — a veteran of Venom War and Predator — handling interior and cover art, assisted by inker Daniele Orlandini and colorist Federico Blee. Duggan deliberately set the story in a 1970s alternate timeline consistent with the era of the original Marvel Godzilla series, a choice he confirmed publicly.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Published April 16, 2025 (cover-dated June 2025); written by Gerry Duggan, penciled and inked by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Daniele Orlandini, colored by Federico Blee, lettered by Travis Lanham, edited by Jordan D. White.
• This is the first time Godzilla and the Hulk have appeared together in an actual story; their only previous co-appearances were a comedic illustration in Godzilla #1 (1977) and a variant cover for Incredible Hulk vol. 4 #17.
• The issue contains the first Marvel Comics appearances of Toho kaiju Hedorah (the Smog Monster, originally from the 1971 film Godzilla vs. Hedorah), Mothra, and Kumonga — part of the broader 'Godzilla vs. Marvel' series' distinction as the first Marvel run to feature Toho monsters other than Godzilla himself.
• Despite its title, Godzilla and Hulk do not fight each other in this issue; instead they team up against Hedorah. Their actual battle was deferred to Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe #4, published roughly six months later.
• The story reintroduces Doctor Demonicus (Dr. Douglas Birely), who was created by Doug Moench and Tom Sutton and first appeared in Godzilla, King of the Monsters #4 (November 1977); this issue marks his first appearance alongside Godzilla since Iron Man #196 in 1985 — a gap of 40 years — and he dies in this issue, dissolved by Hedorah's acidic sludge.
• A key plot device has Hulk transfuse his gamma-irradiated blood into a critically injured Godzilla, temporarily mutating the King of the Monsters into a gamma-powered 'Gamma Godzilla' whose nuclear breath finishes off Hedorah.
• Artist Camuncoli modeled the Godzilla design specifically on the 'MegaroGoji' Showa-era appearance Godzilla carried during the 1970s films, and Duggan confirmed the story is set during the late 1970s — the same window as the original Marvel Godzilla series.
• Variant covers for the issue include a 'Monster Homage' cover by Nick Bradshaw based on Astonishing Tales #24, and a 'King of the Monsters Homage' cover recreating Godzilla #10 with the Hulk replacing Yetrigar. A trade paperback collecting all six 'Godzilla vs. Marvel' one-shots was published September 30, 2025.

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