The Defenders Omnibus #1
In "They Walk by Night!", Stan Lee and Jack Kirby deliver a pulse-pounding tale of science, betrayal, and the fragile line between man and monster. When military forces capture Rick, General Ross manipulates him into using the Hulk as a test subject for a secret rocket—only for Rick to discover too late that Ross never intended to bring the Hulk back. With Dick Ayers' dynamic inks and Artie Simek’s sharp lettering, this pivotal story from the Defenders Omnibus #1 (2021) marks a turning point in the Hulk’s legacy, setting the stage for a new kind of power—and a dangerous dependency.
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The military captures Rick and Ross convinces him that they need the Hulk to test a new experimental rocket for national security. Rick tricks the jade giant into the capsule but once it is shot into space, he realizes that Ross deceived him to get rid of his foe. Rick overrides the programming and returns the rocket to earth but not before Banner (he transformed back to his human form when the rocket came into view of the sun) is doused with further radiation. The Hulk is now unable to revert to his human form and is under Rick's control but only while Rick remains awake.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).