So it's come to this.
Marvel is taking its Hellverine title to the next logical step by giving the be-clawed Spirit of Vengeance his own Hell Hulk to fight in a devilish twist on the match-up that introduced the original Wolverine to the world back in 1974.
Coming in May's Hellverine #6 by writer Benjamin Percy and artist Rafaelle Ienco, the Hell Hulk is connected to a secret government organization known as 'Project Hellfire' - though his non-Hulk identity is still unknown. It's also unknown whether Project Hellfire will have any connection to the X-Men's longtime adversaries the Hellfire Club, though it seems unlikely at the moment.
Here's a gallery of covers for Hellverine #6 featuring Akihiro fighting the newly christened Hell Hulk, including the main cover by Kendrick 'Kunkka' Lim, and the variant cover by Chris Campana, as well as the Hell Hulk character design created by series artist Rafaelle Ienco:
"Project Hellfire is a shadow program dedicated to studying and developing the science and technology of Hell. Their labs - located deep beneath the Pentagon, in a facility known as the Pentangle - have discovered something worrisome," writer Benjamin Percy explains. "All around the globe, in isolated pockets, people are being driven to murderous rage, a threat to themselves and others. An investigation reveals a common factor unites these cases: the presence of the HELL HULK, a monster who gives off infectious waves of infernal power. A larger pattern is being uncovered, and only Hellverine can unpuzzle its meaning and put a stop to a demonic conspiracy that threatens the world."
"It's been so much fun to build up new mythologies for the Marvel Universe in Hellverine," Percy continues. "There's a world beneath this one, with laboratories and monuments and missions and personalities of its own, and readers are learning about all of this alongside Akihiro. We gave you the fiery mashup of Ghost Rider and Wolverine that is Hellverine. Now we're bringing some more toys to play with in this hot sandbox, including the Hell Hulk, who has (no surprise) a BIG story to accompany his smashing debut."
Marvel has a history of mashing-up versions of its most popular characters, as with the titular Hellverine, who is Logan's son Akihiro reborn as a Spirit of Vengeance. Hulk and Ghost Rider is a new one, though - and at this point, something this just-plain-weird could actually wind up working, thanks to the iconography of the classic Hulk Vs. Wolverine showdown.
Hellverine #6 goes on sale May 14.
Just as a devil-red Hulk is debuting, the actual Red Hulk is appearing in the MCU in Captain America: Brave New World.
