Incredible Hulk, The (1968 series) #310

Hulk and the Triad arrive in a swamp-laden world, where a mysterious city prepares a ritual sacrifice. A woman stands at the altar, her fate sealed. Hulk intervenes, but is swiftly attacked by spectral death riders—warriors whose weapons kill with a mere touch.

Struck by their cursed blades, Hulk does not die. Instead, something extraordinary happens: he transforms into Bruce Banner, freed from the depths of Hulk’s subconscious where he had been trapped since The Incredible Hulk #299.

With Banner’s return, the Triad—Goblin, Guardian, and Glow—vanish, their mission complete. They had safeguarded Hulk’s mind until the man within could reemerge.

But salvation turns to betrayal. Banner, weakened and disoriented, is seized and brought to the altar—not as a savior, but as the new sacrifice. The woman he tried to protect now stands over him, ready to complete the ritual.