Before Immortal Hulk: How the Leader Revived the Dead the FIRST Time

In recent months, the Leader's recent actions have given him great control over the Hulk and his allies. Samuel Sterns has demonstrated a dangerous power over life and death. Throughout Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's The Immortal Hulk, the Leader's plans have unfolded in a series of subtle, powerful moves. Taking control of the Green Door, Sterns has manipulated the Hulk and his allies. For example, Rick Jones' lifeless body was taken over by the Leader, who used the Green Door to invade this gamma-irradiated vessel.

Most important has been The Leader's manipulation of life and death. After killing Doc Samson, Sterns turned the hero's door red, holding him within the Below-Place. This action forced Samson to return through another body, unable to reach his old one. Sterns also manipulated Jennifer Walters, another Hulk. The Leader allowed Jennifer to return after she was killed by the Cotati, but he proceeded to close her Green Door afterward, effectively meaning that any future deaths will be permanent.

While his new power is shocking, this isn't the first time that The Leader has played god, as his fascination with death and resurrection was forecast by the early '90s Hulk tale, "Ghosts of the Past."

In The Incredible Hulk #397-400, by Peter David, Dale Keown, Jan Duursema and Chris Bachalo, the Leader tried his hand at playing god. Sterns had created his own underground city, known as Freehold, which was intended to rule the Earth. The city housed gamma mutates and scientists from around the world. From this city, the Leader approached Rick Jones, offering to revive his recently-murdered fiancé, Marlo Chandler.

In addition to reviving Marlo, the Leader also brought back General Thunderbolt Ross. The general emerged as the new Redeemer, a vegetative henchman for Sterns. These resurrections were possible because of a priest named Jason McCall, Soul Man. This priest possessed mystical powers, which powered the Leader's Deus Ex Machina machine. Soul Man could return someone's soul to their body, which, along with the machine, resurrected Marlo and Ross.

The Leader tried to duplicate Soul Man's powers so he himself could gain immortality, but he was foiled by the Hulk. After the Leader was seemingly killed during his battle with the Green Goliath, both Ross and Marlo remained in vegetative states. After a while, Marlo's consciousness reawakened, and she went on to marry Rick Jones. Ross, meanwhile, was found by the Troyjans when they invaded Freehold. Shortly afterward, the Troyjans helped Ross regain his consciousness, and he returned to his life.

Overall, "Ghosts of the Past" set a precedent for the Leader's role in Immortal Hulk. For instance, both stories demonstrate Sterns' attempts at immortality. Just as the Leader attempted to manipulate Soul Man so he could live forever, so does he manipulate the Green Door so he can live on through the gamma mutates.

Sterns is also playing god in Immortal Hulk by killing and reviving whoever he wants. In "Ghosts of the Past," the Leader similarly manipulated the lives of Marlo Chandler and General Ross. Now, the only difference is that the Leader is acting on a much larger scale than before, enacting his plans over a long period of time and a larger volume of people, such as Banner, Jones, Samson and Walters.

When the Leader died at the end of "Ghosts of the Past," that event served as one of his many deaths. Immortal Hulk shows that all of Sterns' death make up a larger tapestry, as he continues to return through the Green Door. And now, Sterns is using the Green Door to control the resurrections of others, in addition to himself, proving that he has just as much of a god complex as ever before/

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