In his powerful new form, the Hulk will face off with the current incarnation of the Avengers in Immortal Hulk. While the Green Goliath has fought with Marvel's heroes countless times, this and this is only the latest in a long line of battles between the Avengers and one of their founding members.
The Avengers have been forced to intervene in the Hulk's rampages many times over the years, ever since a battle with the Hulk first brought the Avengers together. While that fight led to his brief membership, most battles between the Hulk and the Avengers haven't ended amicably. Now, we're taking a look back at the brutal moments between the Hulk and the rest of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Avengers #1
In Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Dick Ayers' seminal Avengers #1 in 1963, Loki frames the Hulk for a bridge collapse in an attempt to use him as a pawn against Thor. News of the collapse drives Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp to search for the Hulk.
Thor quickly recognizes Loki's behind things and heads to Asgard. The rest of the heroes track Hulk to a circus, where he's posing as a robot clown. Very few punches are thrown, with the heroes trying to capture a fleeing Hulk. Thor arrives with Loki before the Hulk can take his frustration out on Iron Man, leading to the Avengers forming, making their first battle a draw.
Incredible Hulk #316
In John Byrne and Keith Williams' Incredible Hulk #316, Doc Samson's separation of the Hulk from Bruce Banner has led to horrible consequences in 1986. Banner was left in a coma while a completely savage Hulk went on a path of destruction that left hundreds dead.
While She-Hulk decides her cousin's fate, the rest of the "bi-coastal" Avengers' heavy hitters -- the strongest members of the Avengers and the West Coast Avengers -- deal with the Hulk. Iron Man, Namor, Hercules and Wonder Man take their best shots, only succeeding in making him angrier and stronger. Ultimately, Samson convinces the powerhouses that they're doing more harm than good. Meanwhile, the Hulk wandered away out of boredom, illustrating how ineffective the Avengers were.
Incredible Hulk #434
In 1995's Incredible Hulk #434, Peter David, Justiniano, and Al Milgrom told the story of Nick Fury's funeral, after his apparent death at the hands of the Punisher. The Hulk watches Fury's burial from a distance to avoid a fight with the assembled heroes, but he's ambushed by some Avengers.
Hulk incapacitates the Vision but doesn't fare well against Hercules and Giant Man. Tense words are exchanged by the Scarlet Witch and the Hulk, who backhands U.S. Agent into Fury's casket. Further hostilities are broken up by a grieving Contessa and the President of the United States, who calls off the Avengers out of respect for Fury.
The Ultimates #5
In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the Hulk was also the catalyst for the first mission of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's gritty Avengers reboot. He wasn't framed for his rampage. Banner intentionally injected himself with a super soldier-serum/Hulk formula cocktail in order to give the team someone to fight.
In Ultimates #5, the Hulk cut a bloody swathe through Manhattan in search of Betty Ross and her date, Freddie Prinze Jr. He defeated Giant Man easily and nearly killed Iron Man and Captain America. Thor's last minute intervention and a distraction from Betty allowed the Wasp to electrocute the Hulk's brain stem from the inside, reverting him to Banner. Captain America was waiting with an infamous stiff kick for his "teammate."
World War Hulk
In 2007's World War Hulk, the Hulk went to war with (almost) the entire Marvel Universe in the Greg Pak and John Romita Jr.'s miniseries at the center of the crossover event. While Iron Man's Illuminati were his main target, he defeated anyone in his way, including his cousin She-Hulk. Two teams of Avengers, Stark's pro-registration Mighty Avengers and the outlaw New Avengers, were a minor inconvenience for Hulk and his Warbound.
The only Avenger with more of a checkered past than the Hulk, the Sentry, was the Illuminati's last hope. The ensuing battle between the two powerhouses nearly obliterated Manhattan and caused them to revert to their human forms. Even cutting loose for the first time, the Sentry could only battle Hulk to a draw.
Immortal Hulk #7
The Avengers' first battle with the malicious Devil Hulk occurred in Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's Immortal Hulk #7. Thor was so rattled by a single punch that he thought the Hulk might have transformed into a god or a devil. After tearing the latest Hulkbuster apart, he psyched out She-Hulk, getting into her head enough to defeat her with one blow.
Left with no other option, Iron Man deployed the Helios Laser, a beam of hard sunlight. It killed the Hulk and destroyed the town of Georgeville, Iowa. The Avengers were so outmatched by the Immortal Hulk that they had to use a one-shot doomsday weapon to survive the battle. The Avengers may have "won," but they paid a terrible cost.