Incredible Hulk #286

Aug 1983

Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema

Story Name:

Hero

Synopsis

Incredible Hulk #286 synopsis by Miguel Colomo

Rating:

"The Hero", an armoured soldier from the XLI Century, is sent to Bruce Banner laboratory by a Gamma ray. He starts shooting everywhere until Hulk knocks him out. When he awakes, he asks desperately for his helmet as he has to receive "war orders". He hits Bruce Banner apart and gets to his gun and helmet. Then, just when he shoots Banner, a Gamma ray hits the observatory and sends them both to the XLI century. Once there, they see a poster with a picture of the "Hero of the day". The Hero shouts "NO" several times. Bruce doesn't understand what happens until the soldier rips the poster. The poster underneath is a pic of the soldier. He was "The Hero" of the planet before he was sent to the past and has lost this "honour". Several soldiers appear with shouts of "Enemy". Bruce asks them "Who is the enemy?" and they ask him "It doesn't matter, War must go on" and shoot him. The Hero no longer shoots the Hulk as he sees he helps him and they begin to talk. Suddenly, everyone turns to fight Hulk until they capture him. They took him to the "king" who gives the orders trough their helmets. The kind results to be Kang. Kang continues saying "Attack the enemy! Destroy the enemy! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!" who is now the Hulk. Hulk escapes and destroys Kang, which really was a machine that repeated one thing: "Destroy!". The commands to war stop. Then the Hero takes his helmet off and faces the rest of soldiers saying "No more King! No more battlestructs! Voice over! Voice gone!". But the rest of the soldiers shoot him as they don't know anything else but war. The Hero dies. Hulk returns to Earth the same way he got there with The Hero in his arms.

Review / Commentaries

Incredible Hulk #286 Review by Miguel Colomo (February 15, 2010)

This is one of the best of the many chapters where Mantlo tries to send a message of peace and the meaningless of war.

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