Few characters have Hulk's cache when it comes to the time honored tradition of inter-superheroes fisticuffs. Yes! As often as these titans of power see fit to unite their efforts against great evil, they also find themselves turned against one and other! Be it by means of manipulation, or simple misunderstanding, their battles are among the greatest!
Marvel endeavours to share with you two of it's greatest rivalries in their latest DTV (direct to video) DVD animation! Hulk Vs boasts an exciting fighting double-feature that pits Hulk against two of his famous heroic adversaries -- Wolverine and Thor!
Of particular excitement is the first feature, vs Wolverine, which revolves heavily around the exploits of a cast of Wolvie's personal antagonists. Deadpool survives the adaptation process better than anyone could imagine, making up for the inevitably obtuse inclusion of Ryan Reynolds in X-Men Origins; while The Professor and his lackeys serve up a solid tale with a flavour of diversity -- something arguably lacking in the very specific romp through Asgard. [Also look for Sabretooth, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike, and even a reasonably unoffensive X-23 cameo].
In keeping with the theme, we served up, as we so often have recently, another platter of pulse pounding confrontations between the incredible Hulk and the heroes of the Marvel Universe!
Tales to Astonish #79 (May 1966)"The Titan and the Torment!" Lee/Everett/Kirby
When a young man carelessly parks his jeep on a military testing range, he seals the fate of the noble Dr. Bruce Banner, destined become a lumbering green Hulk!
Banner dedicates his life to the struggle of reversing his condition, but complications continuously arise as his rampaging, childlike alter-ego encounters those that would seek to destroy, mainpulate, or channel the powers of the incredible Hulk!
When a Dr. Zaxon is hired to replaced Banner at missile command, the villainous scientist's true motivations are revealed to be that of harnessing the gamma irradiated powers of the Hulk for himself! Irrepressible; the Hulk escapes the bondage of the evil doctor, and in doing so, raises the ire of Major Glenn Talbot's military forces, who pursue him into the path of an on-coming train that just happens to ferry a demigod on the path to a career as a Hollywood star...
Marvel Treasury Edition #25 (1980)"Spider-man vs Hulk at the Winter Olympics" Mantlo/Gruenwald/Grant/Trimpe
The Thirteenth Winter Olympics have come to Lake Placid, New York, and it's not just the Russians who will antagonise the American hopefuls of ice hockey, figure skating, and bobsleigh. Lurking underground are the competitive aspirations of rival subterranean rulers -- the Moleman and Queen Kala!
In an effort to expand their underworld armies, Moleman and Kala each recruit champions from the surface world, both Olympian and superhero, against their will. It's at this time that Peter Parker, covering events for the Daily Bugle, is forced to spring into action as his alter-ego, the spectacular Spider-man!
As armies of Lavamen and Moloids clash underground; the Outcasts, kidnapped Olympians, Spider-man, and Hulk, are pitted against each other in a contest of champions. The stakes are high, as the battle for the underground threatens to destroy the surface as the battle erupts to rise Lake Placid into the air!
Iron Man #2 (December 1996)"Hulk Smash!" Lobdell/Lee/Portacio
When the evils of Professor Charles Xavier's psyche manifested themselves in physical form, the villain that resulted threatened to be the greatest threat to face the Marvel superheroes.
In what the world believed was a final act of heroism, Earth's greatest heroes confronted Onslaught and seemingly sacrificed themselves to thwart the entity's tyrranical plans.
Little did the world at large realise, the heroes had been rescued by the untamed intervention of Franklin Richards, the powerful mutant son of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman.
Thus, while the world mourns, the heroes relive their origins trapped in a pocket universe the size of a little boy's ball.
Avengers #5 (March 1997)"... Let No Man Tear Asunder!" Liefeld/Loeb/Churchill
Trapped in a pocket dimension created instinctively by the powerful son of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman; the world's greatest heroes are reborn in new lives in the wake of the epic battle with the creature called Onslaught!
As though destined to relive key events in their lives, Bruce Banner is again exposed to a massive dose of gamma radiation, turning him into the incredible Hulk.
A mindless and rage-filled beast, the Hulk seeks the one opponent he can never reach: Bruce Banner! Following beacons of Banner's work, the Hulk charges Avengers Island where a live gamma reactor core is housed. Having demolished much of the building and the few attending Avengers themselves, Hulk stands supreme, but a certain thunder gods would have words with him...
Deadpool #4 (April 1997)"Why is it, to save me, I must kill you?" Kelly/McGuinness
Once upon a time there lived this dude called Deadpool.
He shoulda died a whole heap o' times, but he got this crazy healing factor from these Canadian scientist dudes, who got it from this Wolverine guy, who got it from his parents, who got it from years of evolution, which began because of... Well, to be honest, it's against state law for me to continue beyond this point, but you get the picture.
So anyway, you probably didn't know it, but behind that big old homocidal facade lies a crispy, yet creamy center -- mostly because of cancer, and that whole Canadian thing. Seriously, dude looks like a piece of bacon that's been left on the roof for six years...
Of course, whether it has three or four legs, a bulldog is still butt ugly and slightly hilarious. So, 'Pool needn't worry about losing his finger, because his Irish crish [Siryn] probably can't stand his stink anyway. Still, she's probably upset that they just found out he can't heal his finger because he's probably dying... Eh, easy come, easy go...
1 comment:
couple of classic Hulk vs battles here!
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