WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Immortal Hulk #29, by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose, Belardino Brabo, Cam Smith, Paul Mounts and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.
For the last several issues of Immortal Hulk, Bruce Banner has focused his attention on taking down Roxxon, the evil energy corporation headed by Dario Agger/The Minotaur. His example has inspired disaffected youth to protest while wearing masks bearing his fearsome visage, but Roxxon isn't one to go down easily. In Immortal Hulk #28, Agger paid a visit to Monster Isle and set about recruiting some of the beasts living there in order to further his plans and beat Bruce. Although Xenmu, who appeared at the end of that issue, does not appear in Immortal Hulk #29, The Minotaur lays an ingenious trap with four other monsters that could threaten everything Bruce has done so far.
The issue opens with Agger and one of his assistants, Randolph, realizing the Immortal Hulk has never "been sighted in full daylight." Neither quite know what to do with the information, but back at Shadow Base, Dr. Leonard Samson makes the same observation and notes he's unsure of the effect Devil Hulk and Bruce are having on one another. They may even be getting more similar, potentially for the worse.
However, the theorizing is interrupted when Agger's plan kicks into full gear. Waiting until the Avengers and any other potential teams that could disrupt his scheme are occupied, Agger launches four giant monsters (named Harryhausen, O'Brien, Lovecraft and Bradbury) against the Arizona Herald building in Phoenix. Agger chooses this target because it's where Jackie McGee -- the reporter who worked with Bruce earlier in the series -- is located.
Bruce recognizes that he's walking into a trap, and he's not entirely certain of Agger's entire plan, though he thinks it might be "an attack designed to make [him] look like a superhero coming to the rescue." However, Bruce isn't one to back down, especially when someone he cares about is at risk. Hulk teleports to the location and ends up going straight into the mouth of one of the monsters. Agger watches, knowing he's got Hulk right where he wants him.
Agger's plan isn't explained, but Bruce might very well be on to something in thinking Roxxon wants to make him look like a hero. A major part of the Devil Hulk's appeal has been how he comes across as someone willing to do whatever it takes to rid the world of evil, even if that means doing things that are unsavory. Making Hulk a hero once again will certainly strip away some of that appeal by aligning him a bit more with the status quo from which he was breaking away.
However, Agger's plan may also have to do with the aforementioned conversation about Hulk not appearing in the daylight. Roxxon launches its attack an hour before sundown, which seems somehow important to the plan and the influence Bruce Banner and the Devil Hulk are having on one another. It's possible Agger is trying to create a situation in which the Devil Hulk can gain more control and thus do terrible things that would result in others stepping in to stop him, or Bruce's psyche cracking once and for all. Regardless of his intentions, Roxxon's plan is definitely going to push Hulk to his limits. He's not coming out of this confrontation unscathed.
Immortal Hulk #30 releases Jan. 29 from Marvel Comics.