COSMIC HULK

Real Name: Inapplicable

Identity/Class: Robot

Occupation: Rampager, engine of destruction

Group Membership: None;
formerly Assembly of Evil (Fenris/Andrea & Andreas von Strucker, Hydro-Man/Morrie Bench, Jester/Jody Putt, Rock/Samuel LaRoquette)

Affiliations: Arthur, Mad Thinker (creator), Rusty;
   former servant of Dr. Doom, Intelligencia (Leader/Samuel Sterns, Mad Thinker, MODOK/George Tarleton, Red Ghost), the Jester;
   pawn of the Acts of Vengeance prime movers;
   formerly Galactus (Galan) (creator of the original program)

Enemies: A-Bomb (Rick Jones), A.I.M., Avengers (Captain America/Steve Rogers, Iron Man/Tony Stark, She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, Thor/Odinson, Wasp/Janet Van Dyne), Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom), Cloak (Tyrone Johnson), Dagger (Tandy Bowen), Eternals (Ikaris, Makkari, Sersi, Zuras), Fantastic Four (Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm), Red Hulk (Thaddeus Ross), Skaar

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Vessel Cosmos Automaton, Hulk

Base of Operations: Intelligencia's Hellcarrier;
formerly Gamma Base, Death Valley, Nevada
formerly a secret A.I.M. base;
formerly mobile in New York City

First Appearance: Eternals I#14 (August, 1977)

Powers/Abilities: The Hulk robot was built to be powered by cosmic energy, which it automatically absorbed from any available source due to the self-replicating program/entity Cosmos Automaton it served as vessel. It was designed to mimic the Hulk in both appearance and speech and was also prone to violence, like its counterpart. It could perform superhuman leaps, and possessed superhuman strength and endurance rivaling the real Hulk's. While it possessed the cosmic energy of the Eternals' Uni-Mind, it could overcome the Eternals' powers of molecular rearrangement

The Cosmo Automaton program could be reprogrammed to ensure the services of the robot.

The Jester's temporary modifications to the Hulk robot included a "give up?" sign in its mouth that could release anesthetic gas; a hammer which could spring out from its head; feather ticklers which could emerge from either side of its body and tickle an opponent; a boxing glove located in its chest; balloons, a stuffed pink rabbit, a flower which could shoot water, a horse's tail could emerge from the robot's back, a toy car, a toothbrush, an alarm clock, a machine gun, a brick, and a horseshoe.

History:

(Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Cosmos Automaton was a self-replicating program/entity created by Galactus to serve him in preparing worlds for arrival and eventual consumption of the world by destroying each world's defenses. Upon reaching a world the program influenced a native to create an artificial life empowered by cosmic energy. Galactus abandoned the Cosmic Automaton program after thirty millennia because several worlds had manipulated it for their own goals, usually against Galactus himself. After it was abandoned it continued to probe the universe to seek a mental receptacle capable of building a new form for it.

(Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk#1 (fb)) - When the Cosmos Automaton dataloop reached Earth it influenced Professor Gregson Gilbert to build Dragon Man, but the robot did not meet the program's requirements. Requiring completion the dataloop influenced the Mad Thinker next to create a viable vessel, which the Mad Thinker based on the Hulk. After its completion the Mad Thinker, who was unsure why he created the robot and was thus distrustful of it, locked it away.

   Three engineering students later found the Hulk robot and tried to claim development of it.

(Eternals I#14) - The Hulk robot was constructed (actually not; see above) at the Maryland Institute of Technology by two students, Rusty and Arthur, who wanted it to serve as the team mascot for their school's all-star game, but they were forbidden to use it by Dr. Timothy Ryan, who considered the robot dangerous. As the robot lay inert in the lab, it was bathed by the cosmic energies released by the Eternals in Olympia, as they emerged from a Uni-Mind. The energies granted the robot sentience, and increased its powers to rival the Hulk's. The robot broke out of the lab, and set forth to find itself an enemy, attacking motorists along the way.

The National Guard were called in to deal with the robot, to little effect, and the ruckus drew the attention of Ikaris, Makkari and Sersi, three of the Eternals. Makkari sped forth to face the robot, but it struck him down with bricks, then flung his body at Ikaris. Ikaris engaged the robot in combat, but it took his strongest blows with little effect.

(Eternals I#15) - Ikaris attempted to blast the robot with his eyebeams, but it dodged him, and leapt into the air. Sersi used her powers of molecular control to transform the robot into stone, which seemed to stop it, but the cosmic energies allowed the robot to overcome its transformation, returning to its normal state. It then knocked out Ikaris and kidnapped Sersi. Makkari pursued the robot in his ship, but the robot hurled the spire of a building at it, then grabbed the ship and flung it away. The National Guard resumed their battle with the robot, until Ikaris and Sersi had both revived. Sersi managed to slow the robot down by creating illusions to keep it occupied, but it was still too powerful for the three Eternals. Just then, Zuras entered the fray.

(Eternals I#16) - Zuras allowed the robot to charge him, and placed his hands upon it, releasing the cosmic energies from its shell. The robot ran amok in pain as the cosmic energy leaked out of its body. Mad with rage, it tore into the ground, until it had dug into the crypt of the Deviant Dromedan, awakening him. It finally lost the last of its energies and was rendered inert.

(Fall of the Hulks: Alpha#1) - The Intelligencia (Egghead, Leader, Mad Thinker, Red Ghost, Wizard) discovered the Hulk robot stashed in the museum at the Eternals' home in Antarctica. Unnoticed by the Eternals because the Intelligencia remained out of synch with the timeline the megalomaniacs stole the Hulk robot among other things from the Eternals. Red Ghost's gorilla Mikhlo carried the robot to the Intelligencia's transport. Egghead left behind a carbon replication of the Hulk robot and all the other artifacts the Intelligencia had stolen from the Eternals.

(Incredible Hulk II#350 (fb)) - Dr. Doom discovered the Hulk robot, now divested of its cosmic energy in the sewers of NYC. He took it apart then reconstructed it so that it would obey his summons. (see comments)

(Fantastic Four I#320) - After dispatching the Hulk against the Thing, only for the Hulk (at that time in his gray form) to lose the first bout, Dr. Doom activated the Hulk Robot, and sent it to confront the Thing. Not having recognized the Hulk in his gray form, the Thing thought he was now facing the real Hulk.

(Incredible Hulk II#350) - The Thing fought the Hulk robot through New York, but began to guess that he was not facing the real Hulk, as the robot could not duplicate the Hulk's ability to become stronger during a fight. After taking several blows from the robot to test it, the Thing became convinced he was dealing with a fake, and tore it apart.

(Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger#9 (fb)) - To assist the Jester during his participation in the so-called "Acts of Vengeance", Dr. Doom provided the Jester with the Hulk robot's remains. The Jester rebuilt it to include many humorous weapons from his own arsenal.

(Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger8-9) - The Hulk Robot joined with the Jester, Fenris, Rock and Hydro-Man in recruiting Cloak and Dagger for an assault against the Avengers, unaware that Cloak and Dagger were actually super-heroes.

The motley crew of villains assembled against the Avengers while the team was holding a press conference, and the Hulk Robot attacked She-Hulk. It employed anesthetic gas, a hammer, a feather tickler, and a boxing glove against her, but only managed to keep her on the ropes. When the Wasp shot the Jester's remote control, the robot went haywire, and She-Hulk flung it into the path of an energy blast fired by Fenris, destroying it.

(Eternals IV#3 - BTS) - The Hulk Robot (the replication left behind years ago by Egghead) was exhibited in a museum the Eternals kept in Olympia which held reminders of foes and their weapons. Zuras displayed the robot to Joey Eliot.

(Marvel Holiday Special 2006#1 (fb) - BTS) - AIM caught the Hulk. (see comments)

(Marvel Holiday Special 2006#1) - The Hulk escaped containment and trashed AIM's Silvester party one minute before midnight.

(Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk#1) - Red Hulk and A-Bomb found the Cosmic Hulk at an A.I.M. base at an undisclosed location. After watching the robot's origin on an extraterrestrial disc Red Hulk decided to decapitate the robot and leave its head in MODOK's bed, but when the Red Hulk moved too close the Cosmic Hulk was reactivated when it absorbed a portion of the cosmic energy empowering Red Hulk. The Cosmic Hulk easily handled Red Hulk and A-Bomb before it was told to cease its attack and proceed to point two by Leader and MODOK. The robot flew away through a door in the ceiling before Leader and MODOK explained to Red Hulk and A-Bomb that it was their plan all along to lure Red Hulk to the robot so that it could siphon his cosmic energy and reactivate.

(Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk#2) - Red Hulk, A-Bomb and Bruce Banner looked at all the enemies they were up against during their plot against the Intelligencia and a holographic headshot of the Cosmic Hulk was shown in the files.

(World War Hulks#1/3 (fb) - BTS) - Arriving at Gamma Base (an AIM facility retrofitted with LMD soldiers as revealed in Hulk IV#23) the Hulk robot was gutted and reprogrammed from scratch, then put into storage.

(World War Hulks#1/3) - Leader's Glenn Talbot LMD showed the robot to the brainwashed, resurrected Betty Brant (influenced by the Intelligencia and kept in check by Doc Samson....and very Red She-Hulk when she wasn't running around as Betty) and told her he had to install a RAM neural processor manually in the robot's mouth. When the robot got accidentally activated after a malfunctioning experimental rocket designed to interact with cosmic energy particles hit the robot's storage unit, the robot ran amok and took down several soldiers. Talbot directed the rocket at the robot and when it detonated a large portion of the robot's artificial skin was burned off. The robot grabbed Talbot, who provoked it to roar one more time. The moment the robot opened its mouth Talbot shoved in the RAM into the slot at the back of the robot's throat and it dropped to the ground.

(Incredible Hulk IV#606 (fb) ) - The Leader powered up the Cosmic Hulk and placed a radiant neural anesthetizer into the robot in his energy matrix.

(Incredible Hulk IV#606) - Leader sent the Cosmic Hulk to Latveria to capture Doom for them. Doom took down the robot, but was attacked by Skaar, the son of Hulk, who tried to stop Doom from killing the Hulk because he intended to kill his father by himself. Doom defeated Skaar and showed him that he wasn't saving the real Hulk, but his robotic duplicate the Cosmic Hulk before absorbing the Power Cosmic from the robot. Picking up Skaar's own sword Doom tried to kill him, but was stopped by Bruce Banner, who revealed that Doom had was infected with radiant neural anesthetizer when he absorbed the Power Cosmic from the Cosmic Hulk, which made Doom dumber. Unable to remember complicated spells Doom could not deal with Banner and Skaar anymore. The Cosmic Hulk got to its feet and abducted the helpless Doom.

(Incredible Hulk IV#606 - BTS) - The Cosmic Hulk delivered Doom to the Intelligencia.

(Hulk III#21) - When Red Hulk infiltrated the Intelligencia's Hellcarrier he ran into Mad Thinker's Gammadroid, MODOK and the Cosmic Hulk. The latter knocked him out with a few punches.

(Hulk III#23) - In search for Banner Thaddeus Ross, who had temporarily lost his Red Hulk form when Red She-Hulk (Betty) absorbed all his excess energy, was found by the Cosmic Hulk. He was not afraid to be killed by the robot and absorbed enough energy from it to transform back into the Red Hulk and rip the Cosmic Hulk apart.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer.

Possible Appearance in the past (this story took place before the Cosmic Hulk was even created and it could've been any of the other Hulk robots seen in clarifications):

(Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Comics Magazine#5 (fb) - BTS) - Doctor Doom pulled the Hulk robot from some point in the timestream.

(Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Comics Magazine#5) - Doom activated the robot with a recently acquired Cosmic Cube and sent it to attack the Fantastic Four and lure them to the real Hulk to take a sample from him with a drone. The plan succeeded, but the Hulk robot got deactivated when the Human Torch overloaded the robot's circuits, which were not properly shielded.

(Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Comics Magazine#5 - BTS) - Mr. Fantastic ordered the Human Torch to secure the robot so they could transport it to Reed's lab.

BTW if the robot above was the Cosmic Hulk and if it was not returned to the time it came from it would mean there were two Cosmic Hulks on Earth simultaneously for years.

The Hulk was not on Earth in 2006 and the Cosmic Hulk ended up in the possession of A.I.M. when we next see the robot, which makes the appearance in Marvel Holiday Special 20006 likely another appearance of the Cosmic Hulk.

Profile by Prime Eternal. Post-2010 updates and comments by Markus Raymond.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Hulk robot should not be confused with:

• The Hulk clone, created by Home Base, @ Incredible Hulk III#65
• The Flying Missile Hulk, @ Incredible Hulk I#5
• The Flying Missile Hulk, @ Fantastic Four I#12
• The Hulk Doppelganger, created by the Magus, @ Infinity War #1
• The Hulk LMD, created by S.H.I.E.L.D., @ Nova I#15
• The Hulk Robot, created by the Mandarin, @ Iron Man I#9
• The Hulk Robot, created by Mad Thinker @ Fantastic Four I#100
• The Hulk Robot, created by Gamma Base, @ Incredible Hulk II#132
• The Hulk Robot, created by Dr. Doom, @ Incredible Hulk II#143
• The Hulk Robot, created by Arcade @ X-Men I#124
• The Hulk Robot, used by the Hulkbusters for training, @ Incredible Hulk II#318
• The Hulk Robot, created by Baron Helmut Zemo, @ Thunderbolts I#16
• The Hulk statue, created by Alicia Masters, @ Incredible Hulk II#279