Incredible Hulk Annual #15: Review

Oct 1986

Danny Fingeroth, Sal Buscema

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Body Double

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Incredible Hulk Annual #15 Synopsis by Louis Pieper

The issue opens with Doctor Bruce Banner having just stole access to Doc Samson's newly rebuilt Nutrient bath located deep in the bowels of Gamma Base. The nutrient bath had originally been built to cure Banner of becoming the Hulk. He must now try to recreate the experiment before sunset when he will once again change into the new grey Hulk who will most assuredly try to escape and take Banner further from any possible cure.

Rick Jones comes along to see how Banner is doing and Banner pops some tranquilizers to stave off the imminent change. Meanwhile Clay Quartermain and SHIELD are out in the desert where a huge meteorite has just crash landed. Yet to their astonishment a great green hand rises from the smoldering hole. "It's the Hulk!" one SHIELD agent exclaims only to witness, as the smoke clears that it is in fact the Abomination just returned from outer space!

The Abomination engages in a short altercation with the under prepared SHIELD agents and takes off toward Gamma Base. Meanwhile back at Gamma Base Betty Ross-Banner has shown up to exchange some dramatic words with Banner while Rick tries to make himself scarce. When the Abomination shows up he takes Betty to the basement and comes back to tell Banner that Banner must use the nutrient bath on him because in actuality he is not Emil Blonsky (the Soviet double agent who was originally mutated into the Abomination) but in fact the evil subterranean Warlord Tyrannus (who had plagued the Hulk previously and was thought to be dead). Well in fact in deep space somehow Tyrannus essence combined with the inert suspended body of the Abomination (which had been left in outer space previously). So now Tyrannus wants to free himself of the hideousness of the Abomination using the Nutrient bath the same way Banner had intended to for himself!

If Banner doesnt comply with Abomination demands then he will kill Betty Ross-Banner! This is all way too much for frail Doc Banner's nerves to handle and so sure enough despite the tranquilizers and the daylight Banner transforms into his titanic grey alter ego the Incredible Hulk!

The Hulk squares off with the Abomination but doesn't realize that as the gray incarnation he doesn't quite have the same oomph behind his punches and as the battle wears on Abomination comes to realize that this Hulk isn't even within the ballpark of matching his strength. He vanquishes the Hulk knocking him out with a mighty blow.

Having lost consciousness, the Hulk reverts back to Banner to find that Abomination has rested control of the Nutrient Bath from him and warns Banner that Betty has only moments to live. The Abomination takes the Nutrient Bath and comes out holding Emil Blonsky's body!

Eventually, Banner turns into the Hulk but this time, defeats the Abomination. SHIELD locks the Abomination and takes Emil Blonsky as prisoner, while Banner saves Betty from her imprisonment.

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