Warning: contains spoilers for Hulk #7!
Marvel's Incredible Hulk has an all-new superpower, making him more dangerous than ever before - and in the process, making him a dark equivalent of DC's Superman. The adventures of Bruce Banner have taken a truly dark turn in recent years, with the end of the Immortal Hulk series and the beginning of a new era in which Banner controls his green monstrous form in a new and inventive fashion. Now, Hulk #7 debuts a new power that finally allows Hulk to overcome a long-held weakness.
Bruce Banner has finally managed to retain complete control of the Hulk through an ingenious control scheme that splits himself into three parts. Bruce's consciousness controls the Hulk through a Star Trek-inspired bridge, the Hulk's body is outfitted through a control harness, and the Hulk's rage powers the entire contraption (it is locked inside a mental 'engine room' of sorts, and Bruce feeds it progressively stronger foes for it to fight). Unfortunately, the control scheme isn't enough to stop what appears to be a Hulk rampage in a bar in El Paso Texas, where the Hulk supposedly killed seventeen people. The Avengers aren't clear on all the details, but the many deaths are enough for Thor to leave the planet in search of the Hulk with the intent to stop him once and for all.
Unfortunately, Thor is not alone; Iron Man launches into space against Captain America's orders and meets both in Hulk #7, written by Donny Cates with art by Martin Coccolo. The three-way clash results in true rage being expressed by the Hulk: fending off an assault by Iron Man's Celestial armor and the spirit of Odin (trapped in Thor's hammer Mjolnir), Hulk unleashes a gamma burst from his eyes, ripping apart the projection of Odin and obliterating Iron Man's armor. "The hell was that?? Hulk can shoot eye lasers now?!" exclaims Iron Man, both confused and horrified.
For all of his powers, the Hulk has absolutely no long-range attacks of any kind. This has hurt him in the past, most notably in 1996's Marvel vs. DC in which Superman used his heat vision against Banner to great effect. Here, the Hulk seemingly unleashes a concentrated burst of gamma radiation that allows him to attack his enemies without making physical contact - and the proof of the attack's benefits are seen clearly as Hulk is pinned by Mjolnir but manages to inflict catastrophic damage against both of his opponents.
The eye blasts combined with the uncontrollable rage finally grants Marvel their own rage-filled Superman - a trope DC loves to include in many stories as the infamous "evil Superman." But while the Hulk isn't necessarily evil, he is fueled by rage, something Superman controls every day. Now that the Hulk has long-range attacks and little to no control over the ability, Marvel finally has a character as durable as Superman who can hit just as hard - at both friend and foe.