Summary
Warning: contains spoilers for Annihilation 2099 #3!Marvel’s newRed Hulkis already one of its most exciting new powerhouses, putting a wild new spin on theHulk’s iconic ability to leap hundreds of miles in a single bound. Hulk’s immense strength doesn’t just exist in his arms, andhis powerful leg muscles can send him flying from state to state- part of the reason why the army find it so difficult to track and stop his rampages. However, the new Red Hulk is using that same power for a staggering feat.
InAnnihilation 2099 #3, readers meet Ross Romero - a space miner tasked with digging up a unique resource on Ego the Living Planet. When Ross is marooned on Ego, he ends up consuming a bizarre seed, inheriting the living planet’s Power Primordial and merging with his survival suit as Red Hulk 2099. As the issue ends, Ross finally prepares to leave Ego, summoning his strength and leaping out into space with a leg-powered interstellar launch.
Fans have never seen a Hulk powered by the Power Primordial before, and it seems to have given Red Hulk 2099 unique powers, including a form of cosmic awareness. Indeed, Red Hulk 2099 uses this awareness of the cosmos to choose his direction, meaning that his immense leaps can now carry him from planet to planet as highly effective, intentional travel.
In his original appearances, Hulk’s powers fluctuated and he often had one-off abilities, such as being able to regrow his head andeven fly under his own power.
Red Hulk Turns Hulk’s Giant Leaps into a Literal Space Launch
In Space, Hulk’s Powers Have Wild New Applications
Marvel’s 2099 imprint is a separate reality which takes place in a possible future of the Marvel Universe.The newAnnihilation 2099is introducing a new character to this continuity each issue, with the new Starlord 2099 and Nova 2099 (revealed to be an aging Wolverine) already appearing. Issue 3 reveals the origin of Red Hulk 2099, who inherits Ego’s memories and powers while fighting off Terrax, the former herald of Galactus. Fans can see these characters again soon in the upcomingConquest 2099, which will unite these new heroes with Spider-Man 2099.
Spider-Man 2099 & Wolverine Unite as CONQUEST 2099 Redefines Marvel’s Future
Marvel’s revitalization of the “2099” imprint began with ANNIHILATION, and now the publisher has announced that will be followed by CONQUEST.
Red Hulk’s new leap is a genius take on the idea of a spacefaring Hulk - something the mainstreamHulktitle recently engaged with in Hulk’s ‘Smashtronaut’ era. In those comics, Bruce Banner restructured his entire Hulk body to travel through space using his rage as an engine. Red Hulk 2099’s powers seem to work in the same way, but nowwith cosmic awareness guiding his travels, allowing him to target specific locations and inhabited worlds.
Other Hulks have also gained ‘new’ powers in space - for example, Amadeus Cho’s Hulk realized he couldturn his gamma blood into high-impact bulletsby striking it in space, where the low gravity turned each droplet into a dangerous projectile. It will be exciting to see how Red Hulk 2099 builds on this trend, taking the Hulk formula and applying it to a hero who isn’t just visiting space, but is truly at home out in the cosmos.
Annihilation 2099just introduced a creative new take on the Red Hulk, with immense strength that makes him a force to be reckoned with in the cosmos - the Power Primordial means there are plenty of new powers coming soon, but for now it’s already awesome to seeRed Hulkturn the originalHulk’s iconic leaps into space travel.
