WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Immortal Hulk: King in Black #1 by Al Ewing, Aaron Kuder, Frank Martin, Erick Arciniega and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.

The holiday season is one of merriment and joy, with lights twinkling on their strands and cheery songs flowing through the air. This year, there's something besides Santa Claus creeping down chimneys, though, and it is neither holly nor jolly. Marvel's King in Black has finally arrived on Earth, and Christmas Eve just got a lot darker than ever before. For the Immortal Hulk, it isn't a particularly happy time of year, but that doesn't mean he can't enjoy a few Christmas classics or put them to lethal use in the fight against his symbiotic assailants.

The Hulk hasn't quite been himself lately, in fact, he's been several selves -- and they're all a bit off at the moment. For the big green guy, things have been more playful than they typically are, as Hulk is letting his inner child take the reigns. The snow is coming down on the streets of New York City and Hulk is just trying to find his way, but Knull's arrival has come with taggers on, and as soon as one of the dark god's symbiote soldiers catches sight of the Hulk, things take a turn for the wicked.

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Hulk is able to keep himself from becoming one of Knull's hosts, but the police who chase him off aren't so lucky. After making his escape, Hulk finds himself in front of a department store window display full of toys that sends Hulk reeling through the memories of his abusive father. The sorrow sets in, and after a disgusting transformation, Joe Fixit emerges as the dominant personality. The police show up on the scene, and they look worse than they had moments earlier, now fused into a single, grotesque form by the symbiotes. Joe tries to bring the Hulk back out, but Hulk is sad and scared, so it's up to the formerly grey giant himself to deal with the threat, and he knows just which holiday classics to evoke.

Taking a cue from Die Hard, Joe leaves a trail of bloody footprints through the store, leading his monstrous pursuer right where he needs them to be. It doesn't take long for the creature to walk right into his trap, one that feels more than a little like something Kevin McCallister from Home Alone might dream up. When the symbiote comes to the end of the trail in the middle of the store's surround sound display, Joe Fixit lets loose a blaring rendition of Greg Lake's "I Believe in Father Christmas," one that shreds the symbiote from its now skeletal hosts. Before the living darkness can pull itself back together, Joe comes around the corner with a lighter and aerosol can, letting his makeshift flamethrower finish the job.

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Joe Fixit isn't the strongest Hulk anymore, but he most certainly is at the top of the list when it comes to putting a cunning strategy into motion. He also might just be the most caring of Bruce Banner's alternate personalities. When the threat is gone, Joe takes a moment to look at the department store directory, knowing just how to spread a little holiday cheer to the one he knows could use it the most. With a moment of respite finally affordable, Joe lets the Hulk take back over as soon as they make it to the toy department, giving readers, and himself, what might be the last merry Christmas Eve in the Marvel universe.

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