Warning! Spoilers for Hulk #1 by Marvel Comics below
Bruce Banner is seemingly in more control than ever before, as he's turned the Hulk into his own starship. In the debut issue of the new Hulk series from Marvel Comics, it's revealed Banner has not only upgraded and modified the Jade Giant with an external frame courtesy of A.I.M. technology but that he's also somehow surgically implanted the tech into the Hulk's body.
Marvel Comics is taking the Hulk in a bold new direction following the conclusion of the epic Immortal Hulk series by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett. That series reimagined what it means to be the Hulk while taking a deep dive into his origin, powers, and his entire existence. Immortal Hulk will likely be remembered as not only one of the single greatest runs on the character but one of the best Marvel Comics runs of all time. Considering the impact Immortal Hulk had in its 50-issue run, Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley had to do something different when they took over the book - and the creative team absolutely delivered.
In Hulk #1 by Donny Cates, Ryan Ottley, Frank Martin, and VC's Cory Petit, Bruce Banner (free from Hell) operates the Hulk like Captain Picard inside the USS Enterprise. The Avengers are stumped with how to deal with the Hulk, with Doctor Strange even expressing confusion on how Banner managed to split his mind into different parts and turn the green monster into a starship. As the Hulk tries to break into one of Iron Man's armories and fights Tony Stark in his Hulkbuster armor, Strange tells his fellow heroes the Hulk has split his psyche into three different parts. Meanwhile, he's somehow upgraded his most dangerous form with advanced tech.
Using stolen A.I.M. technology, Banner surgically implanted the Hulk with upgrades that turned him into a new kind of beast. The upgraded Hulk easily dispatches the Hulkbuster, while Strange reveals Banner keeps the Hulk's psyche angry, as he controls his rage in the "engine room." He uses that anger to withstand a shower of adamantium nanoparticle shrapnel. He ultimately gets inside Stark's base, where he uses a Celestial wormhole to start the next part of his mission.
Readers have never seen Hulk as he appears in the new series. With the surgical enhancements and Banner's control, it's not even clear what he's capable of and whether it's possible the Hulk can be stopped. The new upgrades make the Hulk one of the most dangerous and terrifying versions of the hero ever. Hulk #1 is in comic book stores now.