A new cover for the upcoming Immortal Hulk #50 showcases Hulk's new 'Smashtronaut' costume, equipping him with a helmet and jetpack as the Green Goliath sets off to explore space in his new era from Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley.

Immortal Hulk #50 - from Al Ewing and Joe Bennett - will conclude Hulk's latest critically acclaimed run, with Cates and Ottley beginning a new era in November with Hulk #1. While fans don't yet know how the dark, psychologically complex story will end, many are already looking forward to what comes next, and a variant cover for the final issue of the current run will show exactly that, as Hulk engages in what Free Comic Book Day 2021: Avengers/Hulk #1 labeled 'Operation: Smashtronaut.'

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In 'Ignition' from Cates and Ottley - set after the still-to-come conclusion of Immortal Hulk - Free Comic Book Day 2021: Avengers/Hulk #1 saw the Hulk raid an A.I.M. base in order to acquire the components he needed for his no-frills space suit. Having acquired a red visor and a container full of tech components, Hulk jumped away, apparently leaving MODOK to perish in the explosion caused by their fight. Declaring he's done as both a hero and a villain, Hulk stated, "I'm going to explore the unknown in my indestructible green spaceship... and I'm never coming back." The suggestion is that Hulk will be a spacefaring hero in his new series, and artist Ryan Stegman has shared a variant cover for Immortal Hulk #50 on twitter - created with inker J.P. Mayer and colorist Jason Keith - that celebrates exactly that fact. However, while Hulk's 'Operation: Smashtronaut' costume is definitely a cool new look, there's reason to believe it heralds a dark twist in Bruce and Hulk's relationship.

In preview pages for Hulk #1, Hulk battles a new form of Iron Man's Hulkbuster armor in his Smashtronaut costume, and the comic pulls in close on the visor, then shows a distant Bruce Banner in a hovering chair. Given the reference to Hulk being a spaceship, it's possible that Banner has established a new form of control over his violent other self. Immortal Hulk has paid a huge amount of attention to Banner's various personas - from Devil Hulk to Sunshine Joe - and it's possible the series intends to end with a brand new status quo that leaves Banner effectively piloting the Hulk.

Hulk Smashtronaut preview costume

Fans have already speculated that the Sunshine Joe persona may remain as Marvel's new Red Hulk, removing him from Banner's mind. With the Devil Hulk persona seemingly killed and others dormant, 'Operation: Smashtronaut' may see Bruce effectively hijack the Hulk's form for a grand space adventure. It would be a heartbreaking twist given that Immortal Hulk has effectively established the classic Savage Hulk as Bruce's child self, but Banner has always been something of a mad scientist, and having tackled the multiversal evil of the One-Below-All, Free Comic Book Day 2021: Avengers/Hulk #1 certainly seemed to suggest he'll be pursuing his own agenda from here on in. Fans can get the Smashtronaut variant cover from Stegman, Mayer, and Keith when Immortal Hulk #50 hits retailers October 13.

Next: Immortal Hulk Comes To An End With Epic 80-Page Finale

Source: Ryan Stegman