WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Incoming #1, on sale now.
Everyone sees themselves as the hero of their own story. It's that outlook that makes the best villains feel so justified, and why it's so heartbreaking when heroes go bad even when their intentions are good. It seems another major hero has just made the transition from a nominal hero to a galaxy-ranging bad guy.
Incoming! reveals that Hulking has become the emperor of the Kree and Skrull -- and potentially a villain along the way.
HONORED FATE
One of the stories in Incoming! centers around Hulking and what role he will play in the future of the Marvel Universe. Teddy Altman spends an evening with Billy, his boyfriend (and fellow superhero, Wiccan). Wiccan's participation in Strikeforce means he's been extremely busy lately. But Hulking reveals he's about to become very busy too, and that they should enjoy the little bit of time they have together before they resume their respective missions.
However, while Wiccan is only returning to an (admittedly) secretive superhero squad, Hulking is revealed to have a much more epic role. He's taken to the remnants of the Skrull Empire where he's met by classic Fantastic Four villain, the Super-Skrull. The two have always had a difficult relationship, but now Super-Skrull serves under Hulking. It's revealed the Kree Imperium have done the same, swearing allegiance to the young man alongside the Skrull Empire.
Hulking embraces his birth name as Dorrek VIII, heir to the Skrull Empire and chosen lord for the Kree. His first decree is to create the Alliance, which bonds to the two former warring races together. Then, he points them in the direction of one, specific enemy: Earth itself. Just like that, a young B-list Marvel hero may have just become one of the most dangerous villains in the universe.
HULKING
Hulking was created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung for their Young Avengers series. Initially believing himself to be human, he eventually developed shapeshifting powers. When confronted by Super-Skrull for the first time, Teddy also displayed natural super strength. In reality, Teddy is the son of the Skrull Princess Anelle and Kree warrior Mar-Vell. This gives him a lot of potential in the galactic political landscape, as he could be seen as a hero for both the Kree and the Skrulls.
He's remained a hero in the years since, working alongside other young heroes, fighting to protect humanity and Earth. But things seem to have changed, with both Kree and Skrull agents on Earth successfully activating "the asset."
It seems that doing so forces Teddy to finally confront his heritage. He's greeted by representatives of the Skrull and Kree empires. Neither are doing particularly well at the moment, so it makes sense that they would try to finally put aside their differences and become a single unified empire.
Hulking takes the leadership role, and is quickly celebrated. But things get complicated when he seems to give the order for the empire to move towards the Earth. It's possible that he intends to make the case for the Kree and Skrull merely immigrating to the planet after so many hardships came to their own worlds and empires. It could even be a scheme to work as a double agent, protecting the Earth from inside the forces of the enemy. But the fact that Teddy doesn't seem hindered by the potential of battles could mean he sees it as an inevitability.
This could make Hulking into the villain of the upcoming Empyre story. Teddy could be getting manipulated somehow, but his final moments with Billy before departing for space suggest that he was being authentic to some degree. It seems like Hulking has abandoned Earth, which would be a bad thing even if he didn't get an army out of it, too. It also remains to be seen what this does to Hulking and Wiccan's relationship.