The Incredible Hulk #474
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Incredible Hulk #474 holds a meaningful place in Marvel history as the final issue of a series that had run continuously since 1968, closing out 31 years of publication under that title. More than a simple cancellation point, the issue serves as the narrative capstone to the unresolved emotional threads left by Peter David's acclaimed nearly twelve-year run — most critically, Bruce Banner at last learning the truth behind Betty Ross's death at the hands of the Abomination. Writer Joe Casey used the oversized final chapter to settle three of the book's longest-running relationships simultaneously: Banner and the Watcher's Ultimate Machine, the Hulk versus the Abomination, and the decades-old antagonism between Banner and General Thunderbolt Ross. The issue closes with a closing dedication — 'Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Bobbie Chase, & Peter David … Architects Never Forgotten' — a rare in-print acknowledgment of the creative lineage behind the Jade Giant, and its cover deliberately mirrors the original Incredible Hulk #1, visually framing the entire 31-year volume as one complete story.
In "The Great Astonishment - Conclusion: It's All True!", Bruce Banner races against time with Qnax to uncover the truth hidden within the Ultimate Machine, while the Hulk returns to Earth for one final clash with the Abomination—only to walk away from the fight. As Ross closes in, Bruce makes a choice that sets him on a new path, leaving behind Gamma Lab and the past he’s long fought to escape. Written by Joe Casey and brought to life by Javier Pulido’s dynamic art, this pivotal issue marks the culmination of a story that redefines everything Bruce thought he knew. The cover by Javier Pulido captures the moment’s intensity with striking precision.
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After Peter David departed the series with issue #467 following a creative disagreement with Marvel editorial over the direction of the book post-Betty Ross's death, Joe Casey was brought in to steer the title to its conclusion. According to the Marvel Database, Casey received a call from editor Matt Idelson informing him that #474 would be the final issue — a decision Casey had not anticipated and had to adapt to on the fly, reshaping his existing storylines into a series-ending narrative. The cancellation was not a quiet retirement; Marvel immediately relaunched the character the following month with a new Hulk #1 by John Byrne and Ron Garney, signaling a deliberate editorial reset rather than any organic conclusion.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Final issue of The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2), which had run since 1968, ending the title after 474 issues and approximately 31 years of continuous publication.
- Written by Joe Casey with pencils by Javier Pulido, inks by Sean Parsons, colors by Marie Javins, and letters by John Workman; edited by Matt Idelson.
- The issue reveals that the Abomination — not gamma radiation from the Hulk — was directly responsible for Betty Ross's death, having infiltrated Area 102 and injected his own gamma-irradiated blood into her.
- General Thunderbolt Ross, upon learning the truth about Betty's murder, ultimately releases Bruce Banner rather than arresting him, marking a significant thaw in their decades-long adversarial relationship.
- The cover is an homage to the cover of The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962), explicitly bookending the full run of the volume.
- The issue includes an in-story appearance by writer Joe Casey himself, depicted receiving the call from editor Matt Idelson to write the series finale — a metafictional framing device.
- Casey closed the issue with a printed dedication to 'Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Bobbie Chase, & Peter David … Architects Never Forgotten,' acknowledging the series' creative foundation.
- The issue has been collected in the Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: The Lone and Level Sands (2023), which gathers Incredible Hulk #460–474 along with the Hulk & Sub-Mariner Annual '98 and X-Man & Hulk Annual '98, and also appears in the Incredible Hulk by Byrne & Casey Omnibus.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Marvel Select #26 (2000), Incredible Hulk Epic Collection #24 (2023), Incredible Hulk by Byrne & Casey Omnibus #[nn] (2024)
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