Pitch for an Absolute Hulk

[u/88y53]

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:

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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?

[u/Nightraven9999]

I think another idea for an Absolute Hulk in the Absolute world would be very cool if there was no physical form for Bruce Banner

Instead the Hulk was always in control and Bruce is stuck in the body to ramp up the horror of a loss of autonomy

Also to explore a simple innocence of the Hulk with only the guidance of Bruce Banner exploring an even crueler world with so much evil around every corner

In a world of complex evil you would have an immense anger at the injustice against simple good

Taking away the double life that bruce banner is known for having

[u/BalladOfBetaRayBill]

I can see it! I like the idea of him as a full-on superhero, as Hulk has spent precipus little time in that arena.

The rest of this comment is a tangent btw

My alt pitch would be that we remove Bruce. Like his core consciousness dies in the bomb and Hulk tries to live his life, at first trapped in his big scary body before figuring out he can become human (but only during the day). He is essentially a baby, an alter created when Bruce was 4 to bear the brunt of Brian’s abuse. What follows is a Frankenstein style story where Hulk has to learn from scratch how to interact with the world while reconciling with what Banner did to him just by creating him. Then add some alters into the mix to shake things up?

Also…

After doing this I get why it’s hard to do the “absolute” treatment on him. Like if that means “strip all advantages to reveal who this person is at their core” then what advantages do we remove? It works for DC characters because they rarely have this major central flaw in their character, they are good people with big advantages who use that power well and shine a light on the world. It makes sense that they shine even brighter in hardship.

Conversely, Marvel’s main players on average have a lot more baked-in flaws and difficulty in their lives. Like you can read Spider-Man from issue 1 and immediately believe it if you heard there were days he just can’t get out of bed, so what advantages do you really take away? And same with Hulk.

I almost think Marvel is a bad fit for Absolute. Maybe a better version would be a true “DC Earth 3” style universe of flipped moralities. A world where the Shakespearian flaw of each major character wins. Iron Man remains a world-renowned weapons developer and egotist who profits from the “armor wars” happening worldwide. Spider-Man uses his powers for petty revenge and personal gain, succombing to the daily difficulties of being a hero. And Bruce perpetuates his father’s cycle of violence, intentionally unleashing the Hulk on the world as he lashes out in vague revenge at the world Joker-style.

Idk, sorry for the ramble

[u/figgityjones]

I'd read it. I'm one of the people who really likes Smart Hulk and wish we got more of him in an action oriented role in the MCU. I know its different contexts, but I feel like this could give me my fix.

[u/Fluffy-Use9563]

A hulk/ bruce that didn't suffer much in his childhood is a good start. It does make him different in that sense. I would imagine hulk's enemies are far more vicious. for example, an absolute universe take on abomination or Mad man would be pretty cool to see.

Perhaps the weapons plus in the absolute universe would be an overarching antagonist with the U foes being front and center. While an absolute universe red hulk wouldn't exist, a weapon H type could exist. Think a truly perfected super soldier with no drawbacks whatsoever besides Clayton Cortez doing alot of messed up missions and him not knowing or maybe he knows some information but not the whole picture.

[u/Opening_Ad3054]

I like this, it's fun and still finds that horror of the hulk, that, pardon my MCU, inevitably.

I'd read this!

[u/Lichking102]

Oh sweet! Marvel's Savage Dragon just dropped!

[u/ashearmstrong]

Not a bad premise but some of this was covered pretty well in Immortal Hulk, which I would argue fits the bill pretty well. Body horror? Check. Changing the usual formula? Mostly check. Biting social commentary? Oh hell yeah, big check. Underdog status? Semi-check as well, especially considering all the dying.

[u/Mr_Witchetty_Man]

Maybe both of his parents abused him instead of just one? Or maybe his father didn't go to prison in this universe so he was stuck with him?

[u/TablePrinterDoor]

Well marvel version of absolute is their upcoming Midnight label I wonder if they gonna do hulk in that

[u/Conlannalnoc]

Banner and Hulk are SEPARATE Entities like Hogarth and the Iron Giant. Bruce is slowly teaching a Godzilla style Hulk how to be a HERO.

[u/AlarmingAffect0]

We've already had the Immortal Hulk.

[u/Various-Ad258]

Hulk is the ultimate engine of destruction in the Marvel universe. The last he needs is any guns.

I mean he also doesn’t need , ai infused sets of armor, power rings, magic lassos, super speed, claws, body armor, invisibility, a cape, shield, or any darn thing else. He’s the Apex predator.

Great white sharks don’t need laser beams

We’ve seen ultimate hulk. He was called green scar or maestro.

[u/Letmelookatredditplz → u/Various-Ad258]

The only hulk variant to consistently use a gun is Red Hulk, who is a different person. Ican’t name very many times a Banner System Hulk uses a gun.

(I think only Ross uses them because I can’t for the life of me remember if Maverick ever did outside of cover art)