Hulk (2008 series) #49

Ancient Greece: A pair of Eternals, Ikaris and Phastos, look on as Hercules battles the hydra. While Hercules is a beloved demigod, they are concerned that more may arise, not as nice as Herc, and vow to monitor the situation….

Now: In Kavai, Hawaii, Red Hulk and Machine Man (X-51) are fighting a hydra-like monster; like the hydra, wounding it causes it to replicate. It was designed to adapt to any injury and grow stronger so X-51 recommends geothermal power; Rulk tosses it into a pocket of lava inside a nearby volcano where it can’t adapt fast enough to survive burning. Annie the LMD tries to get the people to evacuate the area but only Sersi can make them move with a magical command. Sersi asks what it was and X-51 tells her it is the latest threat from Zero/One. Sersi is an Eternal and reports to Ikaris that they seem to have good intentions….

At their home in Olympia in the Antarctic, the Eternals, led by Zuras, debate the situation. The Celestials created Eternals and Deviants to live alongside humans but the Eternals have never agreed on how they are to relate to humans: ignore them, protect them, or rule them? And now there are superheroes, mortals transcending human limitations, posing an even more urgent set of questions. The Eternals have worked with them in the past but now there is the problem of the Hulks, multiplying and the hardest to reason with. Then Sersi calls for help and Ikaris goes to her aid…

…caused by Red Hulk’s sudden realization that she is not human and demanding to know if she works for Zero/One. Sersi responds that she is trying to convince her people Rulk is a hero and he is doing everything to prove her wrong. Ikaris arrives and battles Rulk in the volcano. Their tussle breaks open a bed of cooled lava acting as a plug on the volcano. There is an eruption and Ikaris flies through the ground, cutting channels to send the lava away from the nearby homes. Rulk is puzzled but Ikaris points out he is the good guy but these modern heroes seem to have nothing but misunderstandings. Zuras summons Sersi and Ikaris back to Olympia for discussion. Annie informs Rulk that he made an enemy where they didn’t need one….

Zuras looks at this “hero:” a monster with two robots, questioning humanity’s judgment of their heroes. He dictates that the situation requires careful thought before he renders a decision—and he expects complete loyalty from his people—as the Eternals will be acting for the good of all….