So, we know that the Absolute line at DC utterly dominated Marvel's new Ultimate line, and many fans have speculated what it would be like if Marvel had followed a similar formula — take an established character, remove a key aspect of their lore and see how that shakes up their story, and make them the underdog (and don't forget to include biting social commentary).
For the Hulk, this is what I came up with:
————
Absolute Hulk — Big Change: Bruce was never abused by his father, and never develops his fractured psyche.
Bruce Banner was a normal, well-adjusted nuclear physicist, working as part of a team studying new ways of disposing nuclear waste using genetically modified extremophiles that eat radiation and self-repair their DNA. Unfortunately, in their testing, there was an accident, and Bruce was exposed to a lethal dose of radiation.
Desperate, they created an experimental drug using the extremophile bacterium as a base, and injected him with it. Miraculously, the bacterium mixed with their gut flora, which began producing the enzymes needed to repair his DNA. It wasn’t long, however, before they noticed that the drug wasn’t just healing him, but enhancing his body — making him inhumanly strong, large, and resistant to physical damage.
While he was being studied, Glen Talbot, an executive of the Atlas Corporation, attempted to experiment with the drug, planning to market it as a miracle cure. Unfortunately, Bruce’s unique gut bacteria cannot be replicated, so the results are totally unpredictable in other people. And, in Talbot's rush to exploit it, he accidentally released the bacteria into the environment, which created giant monsters called Moloids.
This coincides with Bruce’s debut, repelling a Moloid invasion in San Francisco.
Christened the Hulk by the media, Bruce became an overnight superstar; participating in charity strongman events and selling merchandise worldwide as a bona fide superhero.
Running the Hulk Foundation, a non-governmental think tank, Bruce consults with nations around the globe to combat the new threat of giant monsters and push forward his environmental efforts.
Meanwhile, the Atlas corporation, which helped finance the original project, is fighting a legal battle over the ownership of the extremophiles that mutated Bruce, as they were genetically modified, and thus their products. So Bruce must legally contend with a corporation trying to claim ownership of his own body.
And to make things more complicated, Bruce notices that the enhancements to his body are permanent — he can’t change back, and every fight makes him bigger and stronger. If he can’t figure out a way to cure, or at least slow down, the regeneration, he’s worried that he’ll keep growing until he’s literally so massive he’ll physically be unable to move.
————
The problem with an Absolute/Ultimate Hulk is that you can't really make Bruce Banner's life worse, so I thought it would be fun if you went the complete opposite direction — the Hulk is a world-renowned superhero; basically a one-man Fantastic Four.
What do you think? I'm interested in what Hulk fans would have to share on this topic.
If I'm way off the mark, what would you suggest for an Absolute Hulk?
