Hulk #25

History

The Hulk (2008) series was launched by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness to introduce the Red Hulk — whose identity as General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross was withheld as a deliberate two-year editorial mystery, originating from a concept pitched to Loeb by then-Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada. Loeb's run ended with issues #22–24 concluding the World War Hulks storyline; Marvel then handed the series to writer Jeff Parker and artist Gabriel Hardman beginning with issue #25 in September 2010. Parker and Hardman's inaugural arc 'Scorched Earth' was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2010, with the creative team positioned to shift the book's tone toward science-fiction action-adventure. The cover for issue #25 was provided by McGuinness, maintaining visual continuity with the previous era, while Hardman's more grounded interior style signaled the book's new direction.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First issue written by Jeff Parker and drawn by Gabriel Hardman, marking a full creative-team handoff from Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness who had helmed the series since Hulk #1 (2008).
• Launches the 'Scorched Earth Part 1' story arc (running through Hulk #25–30), in which Red Hulk / Thunderbolt Ross is tasked by Steve Rogers to neutralize the Intelligencia's pre-planned doomsday protocols.
• Features an eight-page backup story spotlighting Rick Jones as A-Bomb, also written by Jeff Parker with art by Mark Robinson — giving the backup its own dedicated co-feature slot.
• Ed McGuinness provided the cover art (and variant covers also exist from Gabriel Hardman and Billy Tan), maintaining his visual association with the title despite no longer doing interior art.
• Iron Man appears as a co-star in the main story; he and the Red Hulk are sent on parallel missions stemming from the Scorched Earth protocols, creating an adversarial team dynamic.
• The issue is set immediately after the events of World War Hulks, with Ross's identity as Red Hulk now an established fact and Bruce Banner acting as a strategic liaison alongside Steve Rogers.
• Collected in the trade paperback Red Hulk: Scorched Earth (Marvel, 2011), which reprints Hulk #25–30; also reprinted in international editions including Die offizielle Marvel-Comic-Sammlung #68 (Hachette Germany, 2013) and Marvel Heroes Extra #8 (Panini France, 2011).
• The Red Hulk character introduced in Hulk #1 (2008) by Loeb and McGuinness — whose identity mystery drove the entire preceding run — had been revealed as Thunderbolt Ross in the immediately prior issues (#22–23), making #25 the first issue where Ross operates openly in the Red Hulk role.

Cast · 7 characters

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Variants (3)