Incredible Hulk, The (1968 series) #164

Hulk is near the North pole. With just gelid waters in front of him, but desperate to return home (the Nevada desert), Hulk leaps from iceberg to iceberg, and then swims for hundreds of miles. Eventually, an American submarine sees him, which the Hulk believes is attacking him, and receives the green monster’s fist baptism, losing its hull. As the submarine sinks, a giant strange-looking submersible uses enormous metal tentacles to rescue it.

Captain Owen, a tyrant who has been putting his crew to work for decades on the ocean floor to make it his own, commands the ship, or so he believes. The crew members are like the very Hulk in size; their bodies adapted to living 5,000 fathoms under water! Owen has them under strict control, censoring what they learn about life, and the surface world they never saw.

Captain Owen thinks the Hulk is a great addition to his line of workers. But Ol’Greenskin is not interested. Yet none of his attempts to escape are successful: It is so tough to leave with that water pressure, being so deep! And Owen knows this. So on Hulk’s last attempt, while out in the water, and nearly drowned, the Hulk has no option but to put on a breathing helmet and follow Owen’s ship to obey the Captain as a slave!

Meanwhile, Colonel John Armbruster is called to rescue Thunderbolt Ross from the Russians, who deny having the General as a prisoner. Glenn Talbot takes part in the mission despite Betty Ross‘ opposition.

Also in this story: Nick Fury, Bruce Banner.

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