Infernal Hulk, The (2026 series) #1

In Red Creek, Kentucky, just as workmen Bridger and Chig are done for the day, the evacuation siren sounds and Bridger heads off….

Later, the army is deployed outside the evacuated town, Bridger among them, awaiting the coming of Hulk. One soldier is certain it’s an impostor and that the real Hulk will arrive any minute. War hero Bridger assures his comrades that there is no such thing as a hero, everyone just wanting to stay alive; the good one keep their buddies from being killed. Bridger promises the guy next to him, Travis, that he will take care of him. And then the Hulk crashing down in their midst, creating a massive crater. Following army protocol, the commander addresses Dr. Bruce Banner—but the infernal Hulk rises from the pit, to tell them there is no Banner here. He then claps his hands and the wind tears the commander’s head off. The army opens fire with everything they’ve got and Hulk leaps up and snatches a helicopter, dragging it down and smashing it into a tank. He grabs soldiers and crushes them in his hands. He spies Bridger and recognizes the Jinni Dagaal, the War Devil, in him and announces that he belongs with “us.” The monster seizes Travis and crushes him, the soldier calling out to Bridger, “You promised.” As the soldier starts to transform into something worse, Bridger shoots him, ending his misery. Infernal Hulk summons the Living City of Gologolthia and it rises from the ground. Bridger falls into the pit….

Hours later, all the soldiers are dead, the undead Bridger, huge muscles and wrapped in razor wire, emerges from the ground and looks out over the new city. An army of undead soldiers call out to him to come down, claiming he promised to look after them. And Infernal Hulk sits on the throne and calls out to his subjects to rise….

On the news, as the superheroes watch, it is reported that a town in Kentucky has been destroyed and a creature resembling the Hulk was sighted near there. It has not been confirmed that it is Dr. Bruce Banner and superhuman incidents are on the rise around the world. The occult community has announced the rise of the Age of Monsters. Meanwhile, a man resembling Bruce Banner goes about his business, paying the news no attention….