When Bruce Banner transformed into the Incredible Hulk, he became the strongest being the Marvel Universe -- but he also often found himself an unstoppable rage monster. For this reason, his friend and fellow super genius Amadeus Cho thought he was doing Banner a favor by taking the burden of the Hulk from the elder scientist.

Cho had a relatively happy go lucky outlook on life, which led him to believe he could control the darkness of the Hulk. And, to be fair, up until recently, his tenure as the Jade Giant has been as “Totally Awesome” as he thought it would. All it takes is one slip-up, though, and on a recent mission into space, Cho gave into his and the Hulk's dark half.

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In Incredible Hulk #714, writer Greg Park and artist Carlo Barberi kicked off a new arc titled “World War Hulk II” which saw Amadeus return from space with his dark half firmly in control. However, there is a downside to this; the Hulk's dark side seems to be capable of blending Amadeus' super genius and his gamma powered might into the ultimate weapon, and at the end of the issue, he declared war on his enemies.

CBR spoke with Pak about Amadeus' state of mind, the heroes that will oppose him, and what it's like to wrap up the story he kicked off with Amadeus back in 2015's Totally Awesome Hulk #1.

Art from Incredible Hulk #715 by Carlo Barberi, Walden Wong colorist Frank D'Armata.

CBR: So Greg, in Incredible Hulk #714 Amadeus returned to Earth, but the monster he kept in the metaphorical trunk of his psyche is now in the driver's seat. And from what we saw of him in action it's not his savagery that makes him so dangerous, but it's the way he combines Amadeus large intellect and ability to calculate things on the fly with his vast strength. Can you talk a little bit how those abilities combine and how dangerous that makes Amadeus?

Greg Pak: For much of Amadeus's tenure as the Hulk, we've played with the idea that when this incredibly smart person becomes the Hulk, his ingrained brashness becomes even more pronounced and he often does things that are a little dumber than usual. But with Amadeus's Dark Hulk personality taking over, we're seeing him calmly and efficiently use all of his big brain as well as all of his brawn, which might represent him reaching his full potential -- or him becoming the most terrifyingly monstrous version of himself there could be. Keep on reading, friends!

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We've gotten some sense of the psyche of Amadeus' dark alter ego these past few issues, and it seems to me that he's sort of driven by rage and a desire to prove himself the very best. Is that what you intended? Or is there something else going on?

We're going to dig right into the heart of these questions in every issue moving forward. I don't want to spoil too much, but I will say that as generally amiable as Amadeus is, there's a part of him that resents the fact that everyone around him is constantly critiquing him, telling him to hold back or watch out or take care. The Dark Hulk tells him that he's smarter than all of those clowns -- he already knows exactly what to do in every situation, and everyone around him is just holding him back. Right or wrong, that's a very tempting voice to believe, and we'll see what happens when that voice becomes incredibly loud and strong.

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At the end of Incredible Hulk #714 Amadeus issues a bold proclamation that's seen by a number of people around the world. What can you tell us about the immediate effects of Amadeus' warning to the enemies of the Hulk? Approximately how much story time passes off panel between issues #714-715?

Issue #715 keeps the momentum going by picking up right from the end of #714. Once Amadeus makes his big statement/threat at the end of #714, stakes go sky high and the action kicks into high gear until the big, big end. I'll just tease that the Hulk's fighting massive threats throughout this story both externally and internally. And that quiet, internal battle may end up being the most brutal of all.

Art from Incredible Hulk #715 by Carlo Barberi, Walden Wong colorist Frank D'Armata.

The Hulk's Champions teammates Ms Marvel and Spider-Man witnessed Amadeus warning and it appears they'll be a big part of "World War Hulk II." Will Amadeus' other Champions teammates like Viv and Nova appear in this story as well?

We won't see Viv and Nova, but we will see Silk and Jimmy Woo, who teamed up with Amadeus and the other Protectors in the "Big Apple Showdown" arc of Totally Awesome Hulk and also stood by his side in Totally Awesome Hulk #23. One other character Amadeus has spent time with recently will also make a thunderous reappearance.

Captain Marvel, her former Ultimates teammate Black Panther, and Alpha Flight all appear in this story as well. Are they prepared for this darker version of Amadeus' they're about to confront?

T'Challa is ridiculously smart and he's been on missions before with Maddy and Jimmy Woo in which they've discussed Amadeus's incipient dark side. So don't be surprised if they have a plan.

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As a fan of your Incredible Hercules series I have to ask if there's a chance of seeing Amadeus' old friend Herc in this story?

I'm itching to write Herc and Amadeus together again at some point, but we'll find another place for that in the fulness of time. This current story is the huge climax to everything we've been building with Amadeus since Totally Awesome Hulk #1, so we're really focusing on characters who have been close parts of Amadeus's life during that time.

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What can you tell us about the action and tone of the remaining chapters of "World War Hulk II?"

What I really love about this story is how huge it gets emotionally. I actually teared up while writing the climax to Incredible Hulk #717.

And of course we've got massive action that Carlo Barberi is drawing gorgeously.

Speaking of Carlo, I really love the way he draw both action and larger than life super heroes like the Hulk. Which elements of Carlo's style do you enjoy the most?

He's got a gorgeous, clean line and a brings a huge, exuberant sense of fun. That's a great match for Amadeus, who's a young, cocky character. And that provides a great contrast with all the big action and the darker moments, which Carlo's knocking out of the park. This is a good place to also give a big thanks to Marco Lorenzana, who's brilliantly pencilling issue #716, awesome letterer Cory Petit, tremendous inker Walden Wong, and stellar colorist Frank D'armata, whose work throughout has added so much vibrant punch to every page and every panel.

Art from Incredible Hulk #715 by Carlo Barberi, Walden Wong colorist Frank D'Armata.

Finally, you mentioned you teared up writing the climax of Incredible Hulk #717. So how does it feel overall to be wrapping up this chapter of Amadeus' life? And might we see some of the elements and ideas from Totally Awesome and this particular Incredible Hulk run make it over to your Weapon H series?

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These are big issues for me. Amadeus is one of my favorite characters ever to write in comics, and we're bringing this chapter of his life to a massive head here, so it's emotional. As for the future... time will tell! Amadeus played a key role in the origin of Weapon H, as seen during the “Weapons of Mutant Destruction” storyline, so it's not impossible that elements from this Incredible Hulk storyline might find their way over to Weapon H. Or we might be setting up something else altogether. Keep on reading!

I'd like to conclude with a big shout out to the readers and retailers who have supported this big story with Amadeus for almost three years now and to all of the artists and editors who have given this book so much. It's all been leading up to this, so hang on to your hats, and thank you so much!