Spoilers for Maestro #5 ahead!
Marvel has revealed that the Maestro, an evil, future version of the Hulk, is the character’s true destiny. This horrifying truth is revealed in Maestro #5, by writer Peter David, artist German Peralta, and colorist Jesus Aburtov. The final issue of the miniseries is in stores now.
The Hulk has had different personas over the years, such as Savage Hulk, Mr. Fixit, and the Maestro; the latter is an evil version of the Hulk from a future timeline and first appeared in the classic Hulk: Future Imperfect. The current miniseries has filled in some of the gaps in the Maestro’s backstory, particularly how he came to power by killing Hercules and usurping his kingdom of Dystopia. Hercules also called himself the “Maestro,” and Hulk steals his title as well.
Now in charge, the newly christened Maestro attempts to consolidate his power. When the people question his authority and stand on the verge of a riot, he unleashes an army of cybernetically-enhanced war dogs to control the crowd. Hercules, whose body the Maestro had been burning in effigy, comes back to life thanks to a boon from the god Hades and attacks the Hulk, but the future Jade Giant is able to defeat him. The Maestro is then confronted by Rick Jones, who tells him that he has turned into his father, Brian Banner. Brian was an alcoholic who beat Bruce and his mother, and it is strongly implied that the Hulk is partially a response to the abuse Banner endured as a child.
Jones’ insightful words cut right through the Maestro and into his soul, but they are absolutely true. Brian subjected Bruce and his mother to abuse and neglect, leaving pain and agony in his wake. If Hulk’s transformations are indeed a response to the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, then many people are paying the price alongside Bruce. The Hulk has left much destruction in his wake, and now he has become a tyrant - all because he chose to perpetuate the cycle of abuse that began with his father.
At his core, the Hulk is a tragic figure, one born in violence and trauma. Banner has tried to free himself from the Hulk but is always unsuccessful. Perhaps it is because he cannot come to terms with the abuse he suffered as a child, and if that is the case, then the destiny revealed in Maestro #5 makes him even more tragic than before. Bruce long sought to escape the cycle of violence his father started, but instead only visited it upon other people.