Spoiler warning for Immortal Hulk #38
Though Hulk might seem simple on the surface, the multiple personalities of Bruce Banner give the character a surprising amount of depth. These various versions of Bruce might not always get along, but over time they have developed a begrudging sort of respect for each other. Only one Hulk actively scares the others, and that's undoubtedly the Devil Hulk. As a literal manifestation of the rage Bruce faced as an abused child, the Devil Hulk is stronger and deadlier than any other, and when one of Hulk's oldest enemies takes control of a Hulk persona, the Devil Hulk doesn't take that lightly. In Immortal Hulk #38 the Devil Hulk is going to war with a Leader controlled Green Scar.
The Immortal Hulk series by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett has been building up the Leader as Hulk's biggest threat for some time now, and his plans are finally coming to fruition. After gaining control of Hulk's longtime friend, Rick Jones, the Leader created a gamma explosion during a press conference praising the Hulk. This leads to Hulk being blamed for the explosion. After a long fight with a team made to stop gamma mutates, Hulk is shot through the head with a laser, sending him to the Below-Place where he should be resurrected by a green door. Things don't go as planned though when the Leader steps through the door instead and takes control of Hulk's Green Scar persona. Inside Banner's mind, the Leader uses this opportunity to chain up and torment Bruce's various personas. The Leader makes one fatal mistake though; underestimating the Devil Hulk.
The Devil Hulk is a persona Bruce created specifically to protect himself against his father's abuse and as a result, it is incredibly protective of Bruce and his various personas. Because of this protective nature, the Devil Hulk is easily the deadliest Hulk, having no problems with killing people who even threaten to hurt the people he cares about. It's this deadly nature that led to Devil Hulk being locked away deep within Bruce's psyche. Fortunately for the Hulks though, Bruce didn't bury him deep enough. As soon as the Leader picks up Bruce to torture him, an explosion rocks Bruce's mental scape. The frightened Leader wonders what that was as a tied up Joe-Fixit tells him that, for a genius, he can be incredibly stupid. Rocketing on to the scene is the Devil Hulk, and he's never been angrier.
This moment will undoubtedly prove to be a turning point for the series. Up until now, the Leader has been working relatively unchallenged behind the scenes. Devil Hulk is the first real threat to the Leader's plan. It is satisfying to see the normally arrogant Leader reduced to a cowering mess. What makes all this doubly exciting is the prospect of finally seeing the Devil Hulk cut loose. As monstrous as the Devil Hulk is, he does genuinely care about Bruce, so it's hard not to cheer as soon as he shows up to put the Leader in his place.
Given the next issue's cover features the Devil Hulk going toe to toe with the Green Scar, readers can expect fireworks when these two titans face off. Immortal Hulk #38, like all great Hulk stories, proves that even monsters can be heroes.