Warning! Plot spoilers and body-horror imagery ahead!
Marvel has some massive plans for for the Hulk franchise.
The Incredible Hulk #28, written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, with art by Adam Gorham, finds “Bruce Banner…reaching out from the Hulkscape with warnings of imminent danger,” which will lead to a murder mystery arc.
By far, the most significant expansion of Hulk lore from the past several years has been the development of the “Hulkscape,” the Hulk’s interior world, and the first question on readers’ minds, in response to this issue’s synopsis, is how exactly Banner, trapped inside the Hulk, has information his alter-ego doesn’t.
It Has Been An Incredible Few Years For The Hulk, But Now Marvel Is Teasing A Major Shake-Up
The Incredible Hulk #28, Written By Phillip Kennedy Johnson; Art By Adam Gorham; Available August 2025 From Marvel Comics
As per the full synopsis for this summer's Incredible Hulk #28:
CHANGE IS COMING! As Hulk acclimates to his new hard-earned life of solitude, Bruce Banner is reaching out from the Hulkscape with warnings of imminent danger: Hulk's recent allies are going missing, and all the signs point to a mysterious murder in New Orleans! Featuring the return of Francis Bergeron the GHOST DETECTIVE, the biggest status quo change in Hulk's history begins HERE!
Over the past few years, Phillip Kennedy Johnson's The Incredible Hulk, and its predecessor series, Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk, have consistently remained among Marvel's most ambitious books, particularly in regard to their deliriously detailed artistic style, which emphasizes the true body-horror nature of the Hulk. Both of these runs embraced a surreal, evocative, and boundary-pushing take on what Hulk stories can be, and look like. So, of course, the question now is, where does Marvel go from here?
Planet Hulk Finally Gets the Twist It's Deserved for 19 Years
The Marvel cosmos is soon to be embroiled in a cataclysmic war unlike any other, leaving the planet Sakaar in need of a new Hulk to lead them.
One answer is space; starting in June, Jonathan Hickman's Imperial series has teased the return of the interstellar warrior version of Hulk made famous by World War Hulk, and later adapted into the MCU, at least in of design, in Thor: Ragnarok. How Hulk will get embroiled in the galactic intrigue of Imperial likely has something to do with this "status quo change" Marvel is hyping; yet if it is as historic as the company is making it seem, the next thing on readers' minds is how different the Hulk series will feel, and look, this time next year.
The Next Few Issues Are The End Of One Era For The Hulk, And The Start Of Something New
Marvel Promises An Unprecedented Change For Its Classic Character
As it turns out, Marvel has been teasing this turning point for Hulk for months already. The synopsis for next month's Incredible Hulk #26 informs readers, "a MAJOR status quo shift begins this issue," while the plot summary for the following issue offers further context:
Hulk has finally found the solitude he wanted: no more enemies, no companions, not even Banner. But deep in the Appalachian Mountains, when his peace is interrupted by a young boy in danger, Hulk wonders if Charlie was right about him... Could he be a hero again after all? Meanwhile: one of Hulk's newfound allies is taken, hinting at an unseen threat emerging! The ramp-up to a shocking new Hulk event begins here!
In other words, The Incredible Hulk #27 sounds like a major pivot issue, one which will tie up many of the threads the series has been weaving, while beginning to lay the groundwork for a change in direction for its eponymous character.
What the "status quo change" for Hulk will be, and how it might involve Bruce Banner, and the vast Hulkscape, remains wide open to fan speculation.
It seems this issue will find Hulk attempting a kind of retirement, though it clearly won't be long-lasting, or at all peaceful. Meanwhile, it sounds like a particularly dangerous time to be how it might involve Bruce Banner, and the vast Hulkscape, remains wide open to fan speculation.
The Incredible Hulk #28 will be available August 27, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
Hulk
- Created by
- Jack Kirby
- First Film
- The Incredible Hulk Returns
- Latest Film
- Avengers: Endgame
- First TV Show
- The Incredible Hulk
- Latest TV Show
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
- Cast
- Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Mark Ruffalo
