Al Ewing's The Immortal Hulk has brought a sinister horror movie take to the strongest Avenger. The acclaimed series has uncovered many revelations on the Hulk, his origins and his various personalities. However, the latest bombshell development comes not from the comic book itself, but instead, the letters page of The Immortal Hulk #47.
The Devil Hulk name was first coined by Paul Jenkins, Ron Garney and Sal Buscema in The Incredible Hulk #13 in April 2000. The Devil Hulk represents the darkness within Bruce Banner, who suffered from an abusive relationship with his father David Banner. The Devil Hulk possesses all the intelligence of his alter ego, making him an extremely formidable threat. While the various personalities of the Hulks have played some role in the events of The Immortal Hulk, the Devil Hulk has emerged as the primary personality and explains the dark new take on the character.
The letter in question is from a fan who asks Ewing his thoughts on Incredible Hulk #323 and #234 as the first appearance of the Devil Hulk. The fan notes the Hulk's improved language skills as well as his threatening and often dismissive language. However, Al Ewing has a very different opinion on the first appearance of the Hulk's dark side, saying “Also, while your thoughts on the first appearance of Devil Hulk on panel are intriguing, I can’t agree – because I think his first appearance was in Incredible Hulk #1, as the very first Hulk alter to emerge on the page!" This is a very surprising development, since most associate the Hulk's first appearance with his more traditional, Savage Hulk personality.
The revelation that the Devil Hulk was present as far back as Incredible Hulk #1 definitely shakes up the perception of the Hulk's origins. It should be noted that it took several issues for the Hulk to develop his personality. While most fans associate the classic Hulk with his traditionally brawny and less intelligent Savage counterpart, early issues do show the Hulk displaying a cunning and ruthless intelligence against both friend and foe alike. Ewing's comments indicate that the Devil Hulk is, in fact, the first version of the Hulk seen on page. While the Devil Hulk has been, ironically, a force for good throughout most of The Immortal Hulk, that could certainly change if and when the Devil Hulk's objectives no longer align with Bruce Banner's. And given Ewing's perception of the Devil Hulk's origins, it will be difficult to completely exorcise this diabolical version of the Hulk from Banner completely.
Al Ewing's comments in the letters page call in question many of the assumptions made about the Hulk up until this point. It seems the Devil Hulk isn't just a repressed part of the Hulk's several personalities, but instead, the foundation the Gamma-irradiated hero has been built on up until now. Thus, the Devil Hulk won't be going anywhere for the time being.