Hulk's New Horror Series Is Here, And It's The Best The Jade Giant Has Been In Years

Published Oct 11, 2026, 10:46 PM EDT Mark has been a comic book journalist for over 15 years and has interviewed comic book creators like Gail Simone and Caspar Wijngaard. And when he's not writing, he's working on beating his record of 1,200 comics read in a year. The cover of the first issue of Marvel's The Incredible Hulk showed Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk, who was grey at the time. On it was the text, “Is He Man or Monster? Or... Is He Both?” For decades, Bruce has called his other self a monster, while the Hulk would sometimes disagree. As time went on, it was easy to see that years of being chased, attacked, and mistreated led the Jade Giant to accept what many looked at him as. In 2018, writer Al Ewing created one of the best comic book series of all time, Immortal Hulk. It ran for 50 issues and showed the Hulk embracing that he was terrifying. He only appeared at night and did gruesome things to evil people. What made it truly frightening was seeing Bruce transform into his other half. It showed the painful truth of how a skinny person turned into an eight-foot-tall green giant, and the absolutely fantastic potential for horror the character still has. When the series ended, it seemed like that part of the Hulk’s life was over. Thankfully, writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson vetoed that idea and brought a new kind of horror to the Incredible Hulk. This time, Bruce's other side wasn't the only monster. The Incredible Hulk's New Run Is Perfect Nightmare Fuel Volume 1, aptly named Age of Monsters, quickly lets readers know that this won’t be their typical comic book. First, an ancient being, known as the Eldest, possesses someone, twists their head around while talking, and becomes a monster. Then they viciously murder someone and say, “I’m coming, Mother.” That lets everyone know that, as worried as they are about this creature, there’s something scarier coming, and they'll need the Hulk to let it loose. Soon after that, Bruce Banner makes his appearance, and it’s clear that he and his opposite aren’t on speaking terms after Banner did in Donny Cates’ Hulk. Banner tries to prevent the change, fails, and turns into the Hulk. Not only can readers see the grotesque transformation, but the creative team adds sound effects, so everyone can understand how painful it is. This is only the beginning. As the series continues, Hulk will fight undead abominations, ghosts, and so much more. Each of them will push his strength to the limit despite being the strongest there is. Not just physically either. The Jade Giant uses his underrated intelligence more than his well-known strength. Throughout the run, Phillip Kennedy Johnson reminds readers that monsters exist in the real world too. The Hulk and his companion Charlie meet abusers and murderers, and they’re dealt with in painful and satisfying ways. It was a reminder of what occurs in real life and adds to the terror of the series, and how that grim reality can still shake even beloved comic characters who have seen it all. Bring On The Infernal Hulk If the events of The Incredible Hulk end with the Eldest winning. They don’t just defeat him either. The Eldest absorbs Hulk's body and consumes their mother (the first monster) to become something unstoppable. Once they get to Earth, this Infernal Hulk creates grotesque beings out of innocent people and makes their base out of a city in Kentucky. Not even Iron Man or Wolverine could stop them. As this all goes on, the march to Hulk War is underway. The issues leading up to this will show the Eldest fighting Wolverine, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four. They’ve already defeated Logan, and it’s easy to guess that Spider-Man and Marvel’s First Family will lose too. However, the part that should frighten people is if the Eldest finds a way to control Ben Grimm. They're "recruiting" superheroes, and the Thing is the perfect person for the Eldest's army. Created By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby First Appearance The Incredible Hulk (1962) Alias Robert Bruce Banner Alliance Avengers, Defenders, Horsemen of Apocalypse, Fantastic Four, Pantheon, Warbound, S.M.A.S.H., Secret Avengers Franchise Marvel