Hulk, bulkier and bald from the recent
gamma bomb explosion, comes to Doctor Doom to tell him Bruce Banner
is dead. Doom wants to hear all about it....
As the bomb detonates, Banner slowly
dissolves, angry and utterly helpless. And Hulk feels the anger
burning out of himself, saying “I'm sorry” to Banner but it's too
late....
Seeing the explosion from their life
raft, Commander Amanda von Doom and Mr. Gor don protective suits
and return to the island (it's all her idea). There they encounter a
handful of gamma-irradiated animals who have somehow survived and who
blame the two humans for what happened to their island. Hulk, naked
and bulkier, finds them and, asked where Banner is, opens his hand a
pours out a fistful of dust. The animals blame the two humans and
prepare to kill them; Doom calls for help but Hulk reminds her that
he only promised to stop Banner and takes off. He lands on Doom's
rescue ship, takes a pair of pants and goes his way. [Ship: “Hulk
has stolen pants. Please advise.”]
Hulk accuses Doctor Doom of having
changed Banner in some way when he revived him that caused him to go
mad. Doom responds that Banner was already mad, it just took the loss
of the Hulk as his outlet/excuse to drive him over the edge. The
villain blasts Hulk and tells him never to come back....
Back on the island, Commander Doom has
averted death at the hands of the animal-men by promising to clean-up
and restore the island, before consoling herself with liquor and a
pair of beastly paramours. Hulk has also returned, and joins the
others in mourning Banner. Elsewhere Red She-Hulk knows something has
happened to Banner and heads out to investigate. Doctor Doom's robots
secretly capture and carry off a number of the beast men. Hulk again
hears Bruce Banner's voice in his head...but now he's only
screaming....