House of M #3: Review

Hulk appears only in a flashback to THE INCREDIBLE HULK #181-182. For the full story on the Hulk’s whereabouts during this period see THE INCREDIBLE HULK Vol. 2 #83-86.

As well as Wolverine recognising the change in reality, we will meet Layla Miller next issue who also knows the truth. And New Avengers (2005) #45 will show that Skrulls like Jessica Drew all also know what's going on. An important point is that all these characters realised what's happened as soon as Wanda created the new reality. This means that they haven't actually *lived* through the past that Wanda built to support this fictitious present. Thus whole limited series such as HoM: Civil War didn't actually happen. Also, because they too are set in the past of HoM, the central characters of such issues as Hulk (2000) #83-86 don't actually live through the issues, merely remember them. The only tie-ins I'll tie in to this issue are Wolverine (2003) #33-35. The current action here takes place between Mystique's appearances at the beginning and middle of this issue. She and Sebastian Shaw, head of SHIELD, discuss certain elements of Wolvie's past in this reality (via copious flashbacks), and come to the conclusion he's looking for Nick Fury to kill him. (Fury is supposedly dead, but Mystique recently impersonated him. It's complicated.) All of this past never actually happened of course.

The Hulk flashback in this issue qualified it to be originally included in the Hulk Library. So for the same reason I've also put it in the Captain America and Iron Man Libraries. We will be told next issue that Wolverine not only remembers his life in the main Marvel reality, he's also got *all* his missing memories from that life back, as will become clearer in subsequent issues of his own title. This is another example of Scarlet Witch giving certain characters what (she thinks) they most want. As well as finding out that Charles Xavier and the X-Men school don't exist, Wolverine also learns that Stark Tower in New York isn't Avengers Tower (and Stark is actually based in Chicago as seen in the Iron Man: House of M mini-series). And Peter Parker/Spider-Man is a well-loved celebrity (as seen in the Spider-Man: HoM limited series). The SHIELD squad that chases him are Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman, but actually a Skrull replacement), Nightcrawler, Rogue, Toad and Logan's lover Mystique. Luke Cage's gang are human resistance fighters. Here, as well as Cage, Cloak and Hawkeye, we probably see Black Cat, Iron Fist, Lotus Shinchuko (of Sons of the Tiger), Misty Knight and Moon Knight. Next issue will confirm some of these characters.