In Incredible Hulk #1, Bruce Banner throws Rick Jones into a protective trench just before the gamma bomb explosion that subsequently turned into the Hulk. But what if Rick threw Bruce and got bombarded with the gamma radiation instead?
Rick Jones becomes a savage Hulk who speaks like a teenager. After being spotted by soldiers, he leaps away. Banner eventually found him. The Hulk attacked him, but the sun rose and Hulk turned back into Rick.
To keep the dangerous Hulk contained, Rick spent his nights inside a highly durable bomb shelter. Banner worked on a cure.
Loki discovered who Rick really was and used him to battle his brother, Thor. But the thunder god defeated his evil brother instead.
Afterwards, Thor, Hulk, Giant Man, Iron Man, and the Wasp became a team called the Avengers. The Hulk did not remain for long.
Banner blasted Rick with gamma rays and cured him of becoming Hulk. Jones lived an ordinary life. At one point, Rick witness how Captain America was about to be killed by Hydra agents. Rick saves the hero. Grateful, Cap trains Rick and he becomes his partner.
In a fight against Hydra, Rick surprisingly turns into the Hulk. Captain America asks him to halt in fear he may murder the villains. Displeased, Hulk desists of being his partner.
Some time later, and wearing Nega-Bands, Rick caused Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) to return to Earth from the Negative Zone. When Mar-Vell appeared, Rick materialized inside the Negative Zone. Rick meets Annihilus and the Supreme Intelligence helps Rick to suppress his transformation into the Hulk. Eventually, Rick and Captain Marvel free themselves from switching places in the Negative Zone.
With the Supreme Intelligence’s aid, Rick played an important role in the Kree/Skrull War. But his life force decreased. To save his life, Captain Marvel merged with Rick Jones, forcing both to switch places in the Negative Zone again.
Later, Rick began a career as a singer, and met a special someone, a girl called Lou Ann. She asked Bruce Banner to free Rick from Mar-Vell. Banner contacted Reed Richards to locate Rick in the Negative Zone. But Annihilus attacked Rick. Captain Marvel was on Earth, unconscious because of a deadly gas. Rick, as Hulk, fought Annihilus. Banner used his Gammatron device to separate Rick and Hulk into two separate beings. Reed recovered Rick from the Negative Zone and Hulk destroyed Annihilus. Banner cured Captain Marvel. The Hulk stayed in the Negative Zone, becoming an admired leader for liberating the Negative Zone from Annihilus’ dictatorship.
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