Fan-favorite Bruce Banner, aka. the original Hulk, may not be dead for much longer thanks to the Marvel Legacy relaunch. Marvel Legacy was teased as being a story that would shine the spotlight on classic characters following a period where stories focused mostly on newer, younger heroes. With Wolverine coming back from the dead, adult Jean Grey being resurrected, and Captain America getting his shield back, it appears that Marvel is making good on its promise.
During Civil War II, a prophetic vision indicated that the Hulk would soon go on a murderous rampage, killing many of his fellow superheroes. To prevent this, Banner made a secret arrangement with Hawkeye, and managed to convince the archer to kill him if he ever started to lose control again. Hawkeye kept his word and killed Banner with arrows to the head and heart. With the classic Hulk dead, the character was replaced with the Totally Awesome Hulk, whose alter ego is Amadeus Cho, a former sidekick of the Hulk and Hercules. Banner's Hulk was briefly resurrected during Secret Empire but has since returned to the dead.
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New details on the Marvel Legacy relaunch suggest that the original Hulk could soon make a comeback. Marvel's Editor-in-Chief, Axel Alonso has commented on the possibility of the Hulk's return:
Let’s just say that if we were thinking about having Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk, return sometime in the near-future, Marvel Legacy #1 would be the perfect place to provide clues where that would happen.
Marvel Legacy #1, which is on sale now, does contain a mysterious scene pertaining to the Hulk. A transmission from someone on planet Sakaar requests helps from "Green Scar." This person claims that they have detected Hulk's energy signature, so they know he's still alive. However, it could be easily argued that the signature actually belongs to Amadeus Cho, since Incredible Hulk #709, which releases this month, will begin the first chapter of "Return to Planet Hulk" with Cho as the protagonist.
eBay is currently selling a limited amount of copies of Marvel Legacy #1 with a variant cover that puts the original Hulk front-and-center. The cover depicts Hulk's allies from his days with the Defenders, including Doctor Strange, Namor, and Silver Surfer. Also shown are Rick Jones, She-Hulk, Glenn Talbot, Betty Ross, Red Hulk, and several others. Only 12,000 copies of the special edition will be sold.