WORLD WAR HULK

Instigator: Hulk, Warbound (Hiroim, Elloe Kaifi, Korg, Miek, No-Name/Brood)

Purpose: Punishment of the Illuminati (Black Bolt, Dr. Stephen Strange, Iron Man/Tony Stark, and Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards)

Allies: Renegades (Angel/Warren Worthington, Amadeus Cho, Hercules/Heracles, Namora)

Opposition: Avengers, Fantastic Four, Illuminati, Initiative, SHIELD, US Air Force

Location: Manhattan, New York City, New York

First Appearance: (Prologue) Incredible Hulk III#105 (June, 2007);
    World War Hulk#1 (August, 2007)

History:

(Incredible Hulk III#106) - Amadeus Cho met up with Jen Walters, feeding her a grape Nehi containing strands of DNA bonded to its glucose that would allow her to briefly return to her She-Hulk form. In that form she punched out Doc Samson when he came to try to take down Amadeus Cho. Though Jen was unwilling to join Amadeus' crusade to aid the Hulk, she did note how some of the former Champions (of Los Angeles) had once wronged the Hulk and wished to make up for their mistake. This led Cho to seek out former Champions members Hercules (Heracles) and Angel (Warren Worthington) via e-mail.

(Incredible Hulk III#107) - Via manipulating a SHIELD mini-carrier into firing missiles at him, Amadeus convinced Hercules and Angel to fight off the carrier and become fugitives alongside them.

(World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker#1) - En route to Earth, the Hulk nearly slew his Warbound allies Brood and Korg while lost in battle rage and envisioning his foes as members of the Illuminati before coming to his senses. Hiroim aided the Hulk via meditation in maintaining his mental acuity and focus despite his rage.
    Doc Samson confronted She-Hulk to discuss recent conflicts, but she told him that Samson and his allies (the Illuminati) had given the Hulk the cause for war.

(Incredible Hulk III#107) - Three hours from Earth, the Hulk shared information on their targets with the Warbound, warning them that their foes would seek to hunt them to the ends of the universe and kill anything and everything they ever loved.

(Avengers: The Initiative#4) - Secretly employed by covert Hydra agent Senator Arthur Woodman, Hardball (Roger Brokeridge) stole SPIN technology from Project: Achilles in Yellowjacket (actually the Skrull impersonating Yellowjacket)'s laboratory at Camp Hammond. Having no idea what each one was, Brokeridge took sample A-1 (and apparently replaced with it a less functional version), which was designed for the Hulk.

(Incredible Hulk III#107) - Having hacked into Worthington's account and transferred 1.2 billion dollars into an offshore account the week before, Cho revealed the air-sea craft he had purchased, as well as noting the land around the original Desert Base he had purchased. Cho then led Angel & Hercules to Atlantis to seek an alliance with Namor.

(Iron Man: Director of SHIELD#19) - While at the U.S. Capitol, Stark receives a message from SHIELD about a U.F.O. Stark sent his remote-controlled Iron Man armors to intercept the Hulk's stone starship, but the Hulk's vessel easily destroyed the armors.

(World War Hulk#1) - The Hulk first stopped on the moon where he confronted Black Bolt, withstanding his quasi-sonic scream and pummeling him into submission; the force of their battle sent moon rocks flying that disabled NORAD satellites. Soon after, via the Stone Starship under the direction of Arch-E-5912, the Hulk took over Earth's satellites, altering their coding and uploading various viruses to disable efforts to reverse their control.

(World War Hulk#1) - The stone starship arrived over Manhattan. Via Arch-E, the Hulk projected an image of himself, his Warbound, and the defeated Black Bolt, threatening to destroy the entire planet if the entire borough of Manhattan wasn't evacuated and Dr. Strange, Iron Man, and Mr. Fantastic delivered to him within 24 hours.

(Iron Man: Director of SHIELD#19) - Iron Man ordered SHIELD to assist in the evacuation but not to engage the Hulk.

(Incredible Hulk III#107) - Namor refused to help Cho, Hercules, and the Angel aid the Hulk, but they gained an ally in Namora instead.

(Avengers: The Initiative#4) - The Skrull impersonating Hank Pym directed War Machine (James Rhodes) to deliver sample A-1 (unaware of its theft and replacement) to Iron Man.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#10) - Visioneer opted for evacuating Manhattan with her son while Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady) and Monstro ("Frank Johnson") decided to try to help stop the Hulk.

(Iron Man: Director of SHIELD#19) - Stark told "Dum Dum" Dugan (actually the Skrull impersonating him) that he’s offering temporary amnesty to any unregistered super-humans who assist with the evacuation of New York. 

(World War Hulk: Front Line#1) - Korg, Arch-E -5912, and a group of Sakaarian Natives transported to Central Park to negotiate the terms for their peaceful occupation of Manhattan. They were initially met with NYPD officers, but found them unable to authorize anything, though they wisely followed his instructions not to fire on him lest he accelerate the Hulk's timetable by 23 hours.

 (World War Hulk#1) - Iron Man attempted to tap into satellites Baker David 5, 6, & 9's mainframes, re-writing the code, re-routing and anti-virusing on the fly via his Extremis technology. He succeeded, but then Arch-E, via a modified electro-magnetic pulse, took out the satellites again, knocking Iron Man for a loop. Dr. Strange's astral self confronted Iron Man, refusing to magically banish the Hulk, because he would only come back again, angrier and stronger. With Strange's aid, Tony Stark arranged a truce with the unregistered heroes, accepting their aid in evacuating the city and promising a full pardon for those who turned themselves in after the conflict was over, assuming they survived.

(World War Hulk#1) <47 minutes later, in northern Vermont> - Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic met with the Sentry, hoping to recruit his power against the Hulk, but the Sentry was distraught by his past friendship with the Hulk , as well as his terrible mistreatment of the Hulk while acting as the Void; as a result, the Sentry found himself utterly unable to cross the threshold of his own door.

(World War Hulk#4 (fb)) - The Sentry voiced his agoraphobia, combined with his fear of unleashing his full power and losing control of himself against the Hulk. Iron Man told him that billions could die regardless of what he did, but that he had the responsibility to deal with the current situation and that "it was time to play God."

(Iron Man: Director of SHIELD#19) - Iron Man returned to his Long Island Stark Industries facility to prep his new Hulkbuster armor (Iron Man model 36).

(Avengers: The Initiative#4) - War Machine delivered the "A-1" sample to Iron Man. Stark told Rhodey that he’d been in contact with Dr. Strange, who was now conscripting Jen Walters (to whom She-Hulk powers are returned), Spidey, Cage, Spider-Woman, and others.  Rhodey told Stark that the Initiative will stay out of combat.

(Heroes for Hire II#10) - Mutated by the insectoid Hive-Mind in the Savage Land, Humbug warned his Hero for Hire teammates about the emergency in New York.

(World War Hulk: X-Men#1) - After the ONE Sentinels were called away to deal with the crisis in Manhattan, the Hulk traveled to the Xavier Institute, demanding to see Xavier. The Beast (Hank McCoy), Dust, Elixir, Hellion, Mercury, Rockslide, Surge, X-23 (Laura Kinney) tried to delay the Hulk, and they made some headway initially after Elixir overloaded/neutralized the Hulk's healing ability and X-23 slashed his face open, but the Hulk recovered and defeated them all. More senior X-Men (Colossus, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Lockheed, Kitty Pryde, Wolverine) then confronted the Hulk, but Xavier then arrived and tried to incapacitate the Hulk mentally. Xavier was thwarted by the Hulk's furious rage, and the feedback stunned the X-Men as well. Even though Xavier had not been part of the vote that launched the Hulk into space, the Hulk knew he was part of the Illuminati and asked him how he would have voted had he been there.

(World War Hulk: X-Men#2) - After admitting he would have voted to exile the Hulk temporarily while a cure was sought, Xavier agreed to surrender willingly to the Hulk if he spared everyone else, but the X-Men refused to allow the Hulk to take him (Emma Frost blocked Xavier's telepathy to prevent him from interfering). Kitty briefly stopped him by phasing his hands and feet into the ground and letting go, but he soon tore his limbs free and somehow adapted or overcame the merging of his tissue with cement. The Stepford Cuckoos sent telepathic requests for aid to X-Factor Investigations, another nearby group of X-Men, and Excalibur; the latter was too far away to help, but the Juggernaut promised to be Cyttorak's violent servant if Cyttorak transported him to the Xavier Institute. Elixir worked to heal the injured, but the Hulk overcame all attackers, even Wolverine (via virtually liquefying his brain via repeated concussion) and the Juggernaut. X-Factor (M, Madrox, Siryn, Strong Guy, Wolfsbane) and the other X-Men (Darwin, Hepzibah, Nightcrawler, Warpath) then arrived.

(World War Hulk: X-Men#3) - Darwin tried to drain the Hulk's power, but when it proved too great, Darwin's power enabled him to survive by transporting him away. The Hulk punched M into Jersey, overloaded Strong Guy's kinetic energy absorption ability, threatening his heart, and took out several others. Crashing a Blackbird ship into him did little to stop him, and even the Juggernaut (having accepted Cyttorak's need for a promise of violence and bloodshed) only slowed him down before the Hulk dodged him, causing him to run into the middle of the lake. Finally, however, Mercury showed the Hulk the school graveyard, telling him all that they had lost recently; realizing Xavier blamed himself for the X-Men's recent problems, the Hulk decided he was punishing himself enough, and departed.
    Returning to the Stone Starship, the Hulk looked forward to the end of the deadline so he could smash someone or something.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#1) - Front Line reporters Ben Urich, Sally Floyd, and others reported on the evacuation procedures and on the people remaining in the city.

(Ghost Rider V#12 (fb)) - The Thing aided in Manhattan's evacuation.

(World War Hulk#3/2) - Arch-E detected an electromagnetic disturbance from above.

(World War Hulk#3/2 // 4/2) - Korg confirmed Arch-E's mission parameters, specifically to observe from a distance, but neither endanger nor protect.

(World War Hulk#5/2 (fb)) - Arch-E happened upon a group of looters about to kill a homeless woman, Cheryl, for catching them in the act. Arch-E's presence frightened off the looters, saving Cheryl's life, for which she thanked Arch-E.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#1 (fb) - BTS / World War Hulk#5/2 (fb) - BTS) - Arch-E then destroyed himself after inadvertently violating Korg's orders to neither protect nor harm any humans.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#1) - Unaware of the cause of Arch-E's death, Korg believed it/him to have been killed by humans and sought answers. Detective Danny Granville of the NYPD's Costume Division was assigned to assist Korg in this matter; unaware of the term's significance, Granville agreed to Judicial Servitude alongside Korg.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#2/2) - Korg and Granville continued their investigation. Granville was frustrated by Korg's refusal to share certain information or to allow Arch-E's body to be "violated" to access his memory chips; Granville was less than happy to learn Judicial Servitude meant that their lives would be forfeit if Arch-E's death was not solved by the falling of the next day's sun.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#3/2) - From Thermo the Thermodynamic Man, Korg and Granville learned that Arch-E had been to Slappy's Deli shortly before it's death; entering the abandoned deli, they found a video monitor.

(World War Hulk: Gamma Corps#1) - Learning of the Hulk's return and actions, General John Ryker informed his Gamma Corps -- Grey, Griffin, Mess, Mr. Gideon, Prodigy -- of their mission against him.

(World War Hulk: Gamma Corps#2) - Using his technological resources to send a message to the Stone Starship, Ryker contacted the Hulk, seeking a confrontation. The Hulk suggested maybe later, but Ryker sent a missile to get his attention.

(World War Hulk: Gamma Corps#3) - Desiring to personally put an end to Ryker, the Hulk leapt out of the Stone Starship and incapacitated the missile, which Ryker then detonated. The Hulk then fell to Central Park, where a group of Prodigy's Humanoids assaulted him; though the Hulk swiftly balled them together and hurled them away, Prodigy had had each of them coated with a toxin created from Ryker's supply of the Hulk's blood, which attacked his genetic structure, reducing him to his pre-Sakaar power levels. The Gamma Corps then attacked him one-by-one; the Hulk overpowered Mr. Gideon, Mess, and Griffin, but each of them inflicted a wound to his neck as planned. Grey finished the assault, breaking the Hulk's neck.

(World War Hulk: Gamma Corps#4) - After hearing Ryker's plans (to make an army of gamma-powered warriors) transmitted directly to the Hulk, the Hulk recovered, defeating Mess as she attempted to strangle him (despite orders to the contrary). Noting his sympathies for the loss of Mess' son, the Hulk departed, tracking Ryker's base to below a dump in Staten Island. When Griffin attacked, the Hulk, feeling no sympathy because Griffin was just a revenge-crazed lunatic, shattered his arms and legs and left him behind. When Gideon attacked, the Hulk broke his wrists and hands after telling Gideon his son (Jim Wilson), had always identified himself as an orphan. When Grey attacked, the Hulk taunted him about being consistently bested by his older brother, Glenn Talbot, and then allowing himself to be used by Ryker; the Hulk's manipulations had the desired effect, sending Grey into a mindless rampage that would destroy Ryker's base in a matter of minutes. The Hulk departed, and the Gamma Corps, realizing Ryker's manipulations, left their leader behind as well.

(Heroes for Hire II#11) - When the Heroes for Hire -- Black Cat, Humbug, Misty Knight, Paladin, Shang-Chi, Tarantula (Maria Vasquez), & Colleen Wing -- returned to Manhattan with Moon-Boy, whom they had obtained for SHIELD, Derek Khanata explained the current situation with Hulk and asked them to assist in the evacuation. Humbug, having recently bonded with Earth's Hive-Mind while in the Savage Land, told his allies that the insectoids (Miek of Sakaar's Natives and No-Name of the Brood) were the bigger threat to Earth. Humbug led the Heroes (minus Paladin, who had refused to perform an unpaid mission) to a group of Native Hivelings and learned of plans for the spawn of Miek and No-Name to take over Earth. When one of the Hivelings discovered them, identified them as different, and fled, Humbug tore off the Hiveling's head and then doused the other Heroes in the Hiveling's entrails so the other Hivelings would recognize them as familiar, to aid in their reaching the Warbound's stone starship.

(Heroes for Hire II#12 (fb) - BTS) - Humbug's ploy succeeded, and the entrails-coated Heroes -- Black Cat, Humbug, Misty Knight, Shang-Chi, Tarantula (Maria Vasquez), & Colleen Wing -- plus Moon-Boy boarded a stone shuttle returning to the stone starship alongside the Hivelings, who recognized them as familiar.

(Heroes for Hire II#12) - En route, Humbug ate the dismembered Hiveling, feeling it would be disrespectful to waste its protein. After their arrival, however, the Hivelings told Miek of the new Hivelings they had encountered, and he discovered the ruse from Hiveling fluids they had touched. Miek informed the rest of the Warbound, who promised the killers would not escape. Sensing this, Humbug nonetheless assured his teammates that they presence remained undiscovered. Soon enough, all were captured save Humbug, who followed No-Name's voice to confront her. Though Humbug voiced the Hive-Mind's wishes that No-Name would leave Earth, No-Name could communicate with his mind chemically (like many insectoids), and knew that he was but a pawn of the Hind-Mind and wished to be part of a planet ruled by insects; on her command, he kneeled before her.

(Heroes for Hire II#13) - Humbug stood by No-Name, demonstrating his ability to order about the Hivelings, but promising to never try to give No-Name orders. The Hivelings prepared catacombs under Madison Square Garden where Miek would hatch "nerve maggots" to torture their captives. No-Name stopped Miek from killing Humbug upon discovering him in her presence, and Humbug convinced them both to only torture the one responsible for the Hiveling's murder. Humbug then identified Tarantula, whom he saw as the "meanest" of the group as the killer, and Colleen, gambling that Humbug's crush on her wouldn't allow him to let her be tortured, said she was the real killer. Though agonized by the decision, Humbug ordered both women to be taken for torture.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#2) - Sally and Ben split up to report on goings on in Manhattan's Lower East side.

(World War Hulk#1) - Various super-heroes and SHIELD assisted in the mandatory evacuation of Manhattan.

(Heroes for Hire II#13/2 (fb) - BTS / Heroes for Hire II#14 (fb) - BTS) - Seeking to determine whether Scorpion could be counted on to kill when needed, Scorpion's supervisors, Noriko Nagayoshi & Ayna Sareva, gave Paladin a prophylactic antidote to Scorpion's toxin (which, combined with his own enhanced physique should allow him to survive an otherwise lethal dose of her sting) and sent him to confront her in her next mission.

(Heroes for Hire II#11/2) - SHIELD sent Scorpion to an armory to locate a weapon to be used against the Hulk. Paladin followed her, but she discovered and fought him.

(Heroes for Hire II#12/2) - After Scorpion stunned Paladin, Sareva ordered her to kill him, because no one could know this operation existed.

(Heroes for Hire II#13/2) - After some agonizing, Scorpion delivered her lethal assault, then followed orders to obtain the remains of Elements of Doom alchemical homunculus Thallium, using a special attachment to absorb it into her gauntlet. Her supervisors revealed how she would deliver into the Hulk a gamma-irradiated thallium poison that would mutate with the Hulk, getting stronger the more he fought it until it killed him.
    After she departed, Paladin stopped pretending to be dead and contacted Sareva, noting they were right about him being able to survive her attack. Sareva was deeply troubled about having manipulated Scorpion thusly.

(Avengers: The Initiative#4) - Triathalon led Initiative cadets Cloud 9, Hardball, Komodo, Rage, Slapstick, Thor Girl, and Ultra-Girl to Manhattan in order to protect civilians and aid in their evacuation.

(Iron Man: Director of SHIELD#19) - The evacuation of Manhattan neared completion.

(World War Hulk#1) - Donning his new Hulkbuster armor, Iron Man publicly announced his responsibility for launching the Hulk into space and thus for his return and assault on Manhattan. He then confronted the Hulk, filling him full of SPIN (Superhuman Power Inhibiting Nannites) intended to neutralize his power, knocking him into Central Park(?), and then ordering an airstrike on him; but the Hulk, fueled by rage over Caiera's apparent death (and the SPIN of apparently limited effectiveness due to the original's theft and replacement by Hardball/Roger Brokeridge) overcame this and attacked Iron Man anew. The Hulk shattered not only the Hulkbuster armor (and captured Stark) but also collapsed the upper portion of Stark/Avengers Tower (the Sentry's Watchtower base).

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#10) - Monstro was swiftly knocked out when the Hulk crashed into his building while battling Iron Man. Ant-Man flew down Hulk's throat and tried to hurt from the inside to no avail, and then was nearly crushed when Hulk tackled Iron Man into Stark Tower.

(Incredible Hulk III#107) - Arriving amidst the above battle, Cho hacked into the Stone Starship and tried to forge an alliance, but Miek activated a sort of EMP that caused Cho's ship to crash near the docks of the Hudson River. Cho, Hercules, Angel, and Namora encountered a number of people, including Tom Foster, who supported the Hulk and/or wished to see his targets punished. They helped protect the people from damage caused by the battle.

(Avengers: The Initiative#4) - Along with the other Initiative cadets, Hardball watched Iron Man's SPIN tech assault on the Hulk fail and knew it was his fault. After the Watchtower collapsed, the other cadets rebelled against Triathalon's lead and decided to go help the Avengers against the Hulk.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#10) - The comatose Ant-Man was captured by SHIELD.

(World War Hulk#1) -  Spidey, Cage, Wonder Man, Ms. Marvel, and Doc Samson rush to the scene as the Hulk emerges victorious over Iron Man.

(World War Hulk#2) - Dr. Strange prepared incantations in hopes of defeating the Hulk without slaying or banishing him. A group of heroes, including Ares, Luke Cage, Doc Samson, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), She-Hulk (Jen Walters), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Spider-Woman (actually the Skrull imposter, Veranke), and Wonder Man confronted the Hulk and his Warbound, who plowed through, subdued and/or captured the lot of them; the Hulk refused to talk to those who wished to discuss things calmly and/or even aid him in peaceful alternatives, such as She-Hulk.

(Avengers: The Initiative#4) - Cloud 9, Hardball, Komodo, Rage, Slapstick, Thor Girl, and Ultra-Girl turned a corner and ran into the Hulk and his Warbound.

(Avengers: The Initiative#5 (fb)) - The Initiative cadets were captured by the Hulk and his Warbound.

(Ghost Rider V#12) - Seeking to aid the people of New York, Johnny Blaze forced control over the Ghost Rider form and drove there, where he confronted the Hulk.

(Ghost Rider V#13) - Blaze tried to reason with the Hulk, who knocked him away with a clap of his hands. Ghost Rider dropped a building on the Hulk, then tried to drag him behind his cycle, but the Hulk incapacitated him. With Blaze no longer in control, Ghost Rider unleashed a burst of fiery energy that pained the Hulk, but then departed, more interesting in stopping Lucifer than wasting time battling the Hulk.

(World War Hulk#2) - Aided by the Black Panther (T'Challa), Reed Richards designed a device to synthesize the Sentry's energies, hoping these could calm the Hulk as the Sentry had proved able to do so in the past. The Hulk and his Warbound arrived before the device was finished, and the Black Panther and Storm (Ororo Munroe) aided Ben, Sue, and Johnny against them. The Hulk engaged and overpowered both the Torch and the Thing, at which point Reed used the device to pose as the Sentry and try to calm the Hulk, who saw through it and shattered the device. Incapacitating Sue via assaults on her force shields as she tried to protect Reed, the Hulk then battered and captured Reed as well; Sue's efforts to convince the Sentry via radio to aid them met with failure. As the Hulk and the Warbound carried their captives with them, Rick Jones confronted the Hulk, stunning him with news of Captain America's seeming recent death, and agreeing to his reasons but not his methods. With the Hulk distracted, Dr. Strange tried to magically gain entrance to his psyche, but the Hulk drove him out of his mind and leapt away.
    Meanwhile, Gen. Ross contacted Gabe Jones, ordered the SHIELD agents out of town, and prepared a military strike against the Hulk.

(Incredible Hulk III#107) - Cho and his allies observe the Hulk rising from his recent nearby crash.

(World War Hulk#2 / Incredible Hulk III#107) - The Hulk was confronted by the Angel (Warren Worthington), Hercules, Namora, and Amadeus Cho.

(Incredible Hulk III#107) - Despite Cho's statement of support, the Hulk rushed him, and when Hercules stepped in the way, the Hulk battered him. After Namora and Angel distracted the Hulk sufficiently for Hercules to floor him with his mightiest blow, Hercules took several punches without resistance before convincing the Hulk to pause to view his supporters, who wished to help him.

(Incredible Hulk III#108) <Occurring roughly around the same time as#107 & 109> - Rick Jones encountered Miek, seeking to convince him that he was the Hulk's friend and wanted to help him. With Miek wanting to punish humanity and Rick wishing to try to make the Hulk see reason, the two came to blows. However, when another Sakaarian Native Mung (a King stage, like Miek) slew a Hiveling for reminding him that Hiroim had said not to harm the humans, Miek attacked Mung instead. Rick convinced Miek not to slay Mung (not to kill his own people, like Mung had), and Miek and Rick parted ways, each planning to help the Hulk in the way they saw fit.

(Incredible Hulk III#109) - As Hercules, Angel, Tom Foster and others spoke to the Hulk, offering support or trying to talk reason, the Hulk said, "Get away from me, or you'll all die." then stomped his foot, knocking everyone away, though it soon became clear he was driving them away to protect them from the start of Gen. Ross' assault. Cho and his allies helped protect both civilians and the arriving Warbound (and Hivelings), who returned the favor, forming a loose alliance of convenience.

(Avengers: The Initiative#5) - The Shadow Initiative -- Bengal, Constrictor, Mutant Zero, Scarlet Spiders, Trauma -- were sent into Manhattan to retrieve the cadets (and/or remove any evidence of their presence) and given orders to do so without trying to free others or to battle the Hulk or his allies.

(Avengers: The Initiative#5) - The Sentinel Squad and nearly every non-New York Initiative team (jumpgated in) formed a superhuman perimeter around Manhattan in case the Hulk's forces attempted to expand their assault.

(World War Hulk#3) - Ross' forces assaulted the Hulk with Adamantium bullets and other missiles, etc. This attack forced open the door to the Hulk's mind, allowing Dr. Strange access. With the Hulk's mind occupied in conflict and communication with Strange, his body mirrored his astral self's activities, causing him to swing wildly and leaving him unable to protect himself from Ross' forces' attacks; the Warbound were forced to hide him and themselves under their shields. Strange seemed to reach the Hulk, discussing their friendship and assuring him the Illuminati had no role in his ship blowing up, and the Hulk's astral self reverted to Banner and collapsed to its knees. Instead, the Hulk was getting Strange to come close, and as he took Strange's hands, he turned back into the Hulk and crushed Strange's hands, injuries which resonated across the astral plane and shattered Strange's hands in his physical body. His mind returning to his body, the Hulk swiftly incapacitated Ross' forces and captured Ross himself. The soldiers were added to the Hulk's prisoners.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#3) - As Ross' forces attacked the Hulk, Sally reported from Harlem and Ben from...a more surburban area...they later met back up closer to central Manhattan.

(Incredible Hulk III#109) - From the ground, Ross activated a remote assault, and the Hulk pushed the Angel and Namora aside to take its full force himself. The Hulk refused further discussion with Rick or any of the other heroes. Hiroim told the heroes to focus their on protecting the civilians, but warned them away from the Hulk. Gabe Jones also instructed the "Renegades" to protect the civilians, and advised Cho to focus his efforts on preventing a massive disaster from damage to the city; Cho did so.

(World War Hulk#3) - The Hulk took over Madison Square Garden, using it to house his prisoners, who were caged or chained, and incapacitated via obedience diss. Korg tried to convince the Hulk not to go any further, but a crowd of people supported the Hulk's plans to make a show of things.

(Incredible Hulk III#109) - Observing the Hulk's creation of what Cho recognized as an arena, Gabe instructed Cho to do what he needed to stop the Hulk. Intending to prove the Hulk didn't intend to kill anyone, Cho formally joined with Angel, Hercules, and Namora in the Renegades.

(Heroes for Hire II#14) - No-Name confirmed herself to be pregnant with Miek's children and convinced Humbug to be the incubator of her eggs to help them acclimatize to Earth. Korg then dumped Black Cat, Misty Knight, Shang-Chi and Moon-Boy in Central Park, warning them against crossing them again; meanwhile, within the catacombs beneath Madison Square Garden, Miek unleashed the nerve maggots on Tarantula and Colleen. Paladin met with Misty Knight and, in exchange for giving him Moon-Boy (for whom SHIELD was willing to pay $10 million), agreed to lead the Heroes to the catacombs and free Tarantula and Colleen. With a tank-weapon stolen from SHIELD (whose theft he had framed on the Heroes), Paladin led them into the coliseum  just after No-Name revealed to Miek Humbug was carrying her and Miek's spawn. When the Black Cat whipped off Humbug's mask, the Heroes were stunned by how insectoid he had become.

(Heroes for Hire II#15) - Miek led No-Name and the Hivelings into the inner catacombs, leaving Humbug to deal with the Heroes. Humbug held his own against them for a time, but after suddenly screaming and vomiting, and fled, apologizing for having dragged them into this and telling them they couldn't follow where he was going. Humbug, agonizing over the pain of carrying No-Name's eggs, collapsed upon reaching her, but she left him alone on the mound of stolen meat (protein) her Hivelings had obtained for her hatching eggs, telling him she had responsibilities to the Warbound. Aided by a radioactive isotope Paladin had placed in each of the Heroes' food on their previous mission, Paladin led the Heroes to free Colleen and Tarantula and destroy the nerve maggots. Unwilling to allow Humbug to go free after having delivered Tarantula into torture, Shang-Chi went after him. Meanwhile, the Hive-Mind animated Humbug's former helmet as a new agent, guided it to No-Name and had it sterilize her so she could produce no further spawn; it also told her Humbug was poisoned and that her progeny were doomed. No-Name then slew their agent.
    Shang-Chi encountered Humbug, mutating horribly and in agony from carry the insectoid eggs; noting he could feel them dying inside of him, he asked Shang-Chi to help him, to make the pain stop, but when he revealed he had only tried to sacrifice Tarantula (the "mean one"), Shang-Chi decapitated him, presumably slaying him.

(Punisher War Journal II#12) - The Punisher (Frank Castle) and Stuart Clarke protected civilians from attacking Sakaarian Natives and other attacks. Confronted by the monstrous Mung, the Punisher agreed to meet him for single combat in one hour, during which Clarke gave Castle a number of weapons, including his Venomech system to grant him enhanced strength and durability. Armed with this, the Punisher tore off Mung's arm and then sliced off the top of his head, including a part of his brain. With Mung apparently slain, the other Natives fled.

(Iron Man: Director of SHIELD#20) - The Hulk assaulted SHIELD's main helicarrier, confronting Dugan (actually a Skrull imposter), in charge in Stark's absence and asking the location of Nick Fury, who put him into the shuttle from which the Illuminati banished him. "Dugan" revealed that that Fury had been an LMD under the Illuminati's control; satisfied for the moment, the Hulk departed, intending to confirm this with Stark. Unsatisfied with SHIELD agent Lindsay (a former member of the Hulkbusters)'s recommendation not to confront the Hulk unless he attempted to expand his base outside of Manhattan, as well as Clay Quartermain's recommendation they attack the Hulk's forces immediately before they could further prepare, Dugan went into Stark's office to consider his options. Via a spare Iron Man helmet therein and his own Extremis abilities, Stark communicated with Dugan, revealing his doomsday contingency (File Seven Alpha Epsilon): a series of transmitters placed around Manhattan could banish it into the Negative Zone and annihilate everything therein instantly. Stark had Dugan arrange the Gaffer and Dr. Weinberg to work on parts separately from his prototype transmitter so only Dugan knew about it. Elloe then noticed Stark speaking and incapacitated him via the slave disc.

(Avengers: The Initiative#5) - Bengal, Constrictor, and Mutant Zero took out a series of Warbound that discovered the Shadow Initiative's presence. They then freed the cadets, and Trauma and Cloud 9 took out Korg and Elloe when they tried to stop them. The Scarlet Spiders then reported that the Hulk had finished with the army and was returning to Madison Square Garden. Trauma had all the others flee while he tried to use his fear power to stop the Hulk, but, overcome with rage, the Hulk proved immune. The Hulk let Trauma and the Initiative forces escape to tell their superiors that he wasn't afraid of anything.

(Incredible Hulk III#109) - As Cho sneaked into Madison Square Garden, he was joined by Scorpion (Carmilla Black/Thassanee Rappaccini). Trying to convince prisoners Mr. Fantastic and Tony Stark that the Hulk wasn't a killer and that he could talk to him, Cho was confronted by the Hulk.

(Incredible Hulk III#110) - The Hulk tried to drive Cho away, but Cho, knowing the Hulk wasn't a killer, pressured him to prove a point, knocking out Scorpion when she attempted to engage the Hulk. After disabling an attacking Death's Head Warguard, Cho showed the Hulk his plan for Gammaworld. The Hulk argued that he didn't want to hide but rather to slay his foes, but Cho attempted to convince the Hulk he wasn't a killer, noting how Banner/Hulk's mind subconsciously directed his assaults so as to spare and/or protect innocents.. Unable to convince the Hulk with discussion, Cho finally decided to provoke the Hulk to his maximum rage: He had Scorpion assault the Hulk with her intended-to-be-lethal assault, and then taunted the Hulk by blaming him for the fates of all of his lost lovers. Enraged, the Hulk smashed the ground beside Cho, covering him in shattered rubble. After Hercules dug out Cho, who was unharmed, Cho decided he had proven his point, that the Hulk could have killed him but didn't, even when pushed into a rage.

(World War Hulk#3) - The POTUS attempted to reach the Sentry with scripted lines from their psychologists, but the Sentry remained within his home.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#4/2) - After Korg revealed the exact mission parameters given to Arch-E, Granville resolved that Arch-E had blown himself up and that it was Korg's fault.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#5/2) - Confirming from a witness that Arch-E had blown himself up after inadvertently preventing a murder, Granville explained that Arch-E had destroyed itself for violating its mission parameters. Korg and Granville parted ways.

(World War Hulk#3) - When Hiroim and Elloe Kaifi, joined by Death's Head Warguards, invaded Dr. Strange's sanctum, they defeated Iron Fist (Daniel Rand), Ronin (Clint Barton), and Echo (Maya Lopez) and implanted obedience discs on them. As Elloe and the Warguards led their new prisoners (along with Rick Jones, who had also sought out Strange) back to Madison Square Garden, Hiroim confronted Dr. Strange.
    As Rick futilely tried to convince the Hulk to stop, the giant, Zom-possessed Dr. Strange hurled Hiroim to the Hulk's feet and challenged the Hulk.

(World War Hulk#4) - Despite his advisors' recommendations, the POTUS flew over Madison Square Garden in a helicopter. When Hiroim attacked the Zom-possessed Strange again, Zom/Strange shattered Hiroim's left arm. The other Warguard rallied against him, and the Hulk leapt from behind, but Zom/Strange punched his spiked manacles into the Hulk's chest and blasted him out into the city to crash amongst his supporters. Zom/Strange continued pummeling the Hulk, but when Zom/Strange caused a building to collapse, the Hulk shielded the innocent. Caught off guard by having realized he had lost control and nearly killed some innocent bystanders, Zom/Strange hesitated, and the Hulk took advantage and battered him into submission. Strange was soon added to the Hulk's obedience disc-wearing prisoners.

(World War Hulk#4) - Within Madison Square Garden, the Warbound held a trial for Black Bolt, Dr. Strange, Tony Stark, and Mr. Fantastic, allowing a number of people harmed by these four's actions in the past to speak out against them. Via the obedience discs, the Hulk forced the four accused to face a monster they had brought from Sakaar, but they ultimately slew it via teamwork.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#4) - Ben witnessed the gladiatorial combats, while Sally went to a bar where some Sakaarian Natives were drinking.

(World War Hulk#4) - Black Bolt, Dr. Strange, Tony Stark, and Mr. Fantastic were next forced to battle each other. Via his Extremis, Stark briefly managed to take control of Death's Head Warguards, but Elloe forced him to use his control to make them attack his allies instead. When Mr. Fantastic flattened the unarmored Stark and was forced to raise his mace for a killing stroke, the Hulk gave the "Thumbs down" sign; realizing his responsibility, the Sentry took Iron Man's words literally and decided to unleash his full power against the Hulk.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#5) - As people panicked and rioted, Sally tried to get to Ben as he was nearly pushed over a collapsed fence hanging off a ledge.

(Incredible Hulk III#111) - Wong led the Renegades in stopping Zom, whose essence had possessed Stark's Hulkbuster armor. Cho crashed Angel's amphibicraft into the armor, but it weathered the assault and burrowed into the ground. As the Sentry attacked the Hulk, Zom/Hulkbuster armor headed for SHIELD's emergency bunker 12B in order to teleport Manhattan into the Negative Zone. Instructing Angel to "kick my ass," Cho jinxed the code to Zom/Hulkbuster armor's doomsday system and leapt to confront Zom, knowing Zom would possess him in order to get the system back on line. Per Amadeus' previous instruction, Angel knocked "Zomadeus" unconscious with a kick, and Wong re-trapped Zom within its amphora. Cho then used the Hulkbuster armor to prevent the collapse around Zom's tunnel that Hercules had been holding up.

(World War Hulk#5) - The Hulk ended the struggle, announcing he and his allies had sought justice, not murder; rather than kill anyone, they would raze Manhattan to the ground so everyone would remember the accuseds' crimes. Shattering the Stone Starship, the Sentry then tackled the Hulk. As Stark continued trying to overcome the obedience discs and take control of strategic satellites, the Hulk and Sentry unleashed their full power against each other, the energies ultimately forcing both warriors back into their powerless Banner and Reynolds forms. Banner punched out Reynolds and seemed to finally reach some measure of satisfaction and peace, but the Warbound's Miek, seeking the Hulk's return to continue the conflict, attempted to impale Banner from behind. Seeing this, Rick pushed Banner out of the way and took the assault himself. With Rick seemingly mortally wounded, Banner turned back into the Hulk and assaulted Miek and then the rest of the Warbound when they tried to stop him. Miek encouraged the Hulk to finish them all off, revealing how he -- discontented both with the Hulk allowing the surrendered Imperials to survive and having found peace and love as a king and husband -- had allowed former Imperials to load the old warp core onto the shuttle that had delivered Banner, to remind the Hulk that he was the World-Breaker.
    Overcome with rage and still blaming the Illuminati for having precipitated these events, the Hulk announced he would hate them forever, almost as much as he would hate himself. As his raging power threatened to shatter the very planet, the Hulk encouraged Tony Stark to stop him with the satellites' power. Stark had the satellites target his home form and directed their strike the second he passed the Hulk; the energies drained the Hulk, leaving the unconscious Banner behind.
    Banner was transferred to and held in a stasis tank three miles below the new Hulkbuster Base in the Mojave desert.
    On Sakaar, Skar awakened and emerged from the planet's surface.

(Incredible Hulk III#111) - As the Hulk's power flared out of control, Cho realized too late that the Hulk might kill them all. After the Hulk was incapacitated and reverted to Banner, Cho felt he had let the Hulk down.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#6) - Sally helped Ben back up to safe ground.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#6) - Three days after the battle between the Hulk and Sentry concluded, portions of the city were still afire. Not sure what to do with the imprisoned Sakaarian Imperials, Granville's Captain ordered them to be released.

(World War Hulk: Aftersmash#1) - The rest of the Warbound -- Hiroim, Elloe Kaifi, Korg, No-Name -- having surrendered to SHIELD, Hiroim became convinced of Elloe's innocence in the bombing, though she had taken some joy in the destruction of Crown City. Tom Foster, still seeking revenge on Iron Man and the pro-Superhuman Registration Act forces, duplicated his uncle's growth formula and became the new Goliath. Meanwhile, Sakaarian Natives & Imperials battled in Manhattan, each blaming the other for the destruction of their world. When Death's Head Warguards, uncertain what to do in the Hulk's absence, planted bombs below Manhattan, Hercules aided Damage Control in trying to hold together a massive rift in the city. The Warbound broke free to help the city, and Elloe leapt between the warring Natives and Imperials; as she was impaled by spears, her sacrifice convinced both sides to stop fighting. Misty Knight helped Iron Man take over or incapacitate the Warguards and neutralize the bombs. Backed by the rocky strength of Korg and the Thing, Hiroim used his Oldpower to pull back together the shattered rock foundation of Manhattan. Having initially attacked Iron Man, Goliath saw the pointlessness of continued fighting by observing the warring Sakaarian forces, and he decided to help in the reconstruction instead.

(WWH Aftersmash: Warbound#1) <Two weeks after the conclusion of World War Hulk> - The Warbound saved Kate Waynesboro and another SHIELD agent from alligators and then fought off and escaped SHIELD agents who tracked them down. Hiroim was suddenly teleported away by the Leader, who tricked him into releasing Old Power into his machines, using the energies to form an immense energy barrier around what had been Stoneridge, New Mexico, and dubbing it Gammaworld. The Warbound (joined by Waynesboro) followed Hiroim through the warp portal but were separated from him and dumped into the desert, where Waynesboro stabilized Elloe's wounds. The Warbound were confronted by Sgt. Katapan and his US Army forces, but Korg detected Hiroim's old power and headed towards him, freeing Hiroim only to be trapped within Gammaworld and confronted by the Leader.