Entering Fresh
Kills, New Jersey, Red Hulk is attacked by a monster; he accuses Doctor Strange
(present in his astral form) of leading him into a trap. Strange responds that
it’s just the guardian of the underground network called Monster Metropolis and
he assumed Red Hulk could deal with it. Red Hulk deals with it. Warning Rulk
that the monster will heal and Rulk will have to fight it again on his way back
(Rulk replies,” Happy to.”), Strange directs Rulk down a watery conduit.
Strange then tells Rulk he will have to resume his human form; Rulk doesn’t
trust Strange but reverts to Thunderbolt Ross. Watching eyes note that the
image on their scanner following Ross isn’t a shadow but emits a gamma trail. Ross
is attacked by a toothy purple monster but he can’t transform back into Red
Hulk. The monster trips him up with his tongue and is about to devour Ross when
Manphibian bursts out of the water and fights the beast, killing and eating it.
It jokes about eating Ross next which isn’t comforting. An alarm sounds,
sending a band of creatures fleeing down their tunnel. Manphibian doesn’t think
he can stop them but now Ross can transform again so he becomes Red Hulk and
starts hurling punches. One monster is a banshee, emitting a hideous scream.
The Werewolf By Night arrives, having finally managed to pass the swarm of
monsters to get there, tearing out the banshee’s vocal cords. The three big
monsters then fight their way through the mob to reach the lab. Morbius
introduces himself to Rulk along with the final member of the Legion of Monsters,
N’Kantu, the Living Mummy—who delivers a violent electric shock to
Rulk’s back. Doctor Strange appears, telling Rulk the Mummy did it on his
request. Strange reveals that the mysterious entity possessing Rulk is now
trapped in N’Kantu’s body. The Mummy cannot identify the being within him and
Strange indicates the being’s identity is essential to overcoming it. Werewolf
reveals that the being used gamma radiation to cause the monster stampede. Rulk
thinks he knows who it is and he’s right: the ghost of Doc Samson emerges from
the Mummy and explains how he latched onto Red Hulk and the gamma radiation
enabled him to reform and recover his memories. He explains his resentment at
not being accepted into the Hulk family because he was “beautiful,” not a
monster. Now he wants to drain Red Hulk’s power and the ghost catching device
isn’t working because Samson’s is gamma formed not ectoplasm. As Samson tries
to drain Rulk’s power, Rulk pushes it out, sending Samson into the ghost trap.
Morbius reveals that the action ripped Samson apart and he’s gone. Rulk
expresses sorrow for his loss; Strange explains that the ghost wasn’t the real
Doc Samson but his shade, a darker emanation of his life-force. Strange suggest
they drink to the people our world calls monsters who stand between them and
things far darker. Red Hulk agrees….