WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Immortal Hulk #27 from Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose, Belardino Brabo, Marc Deering, Sean Parsons, Paul Mounts and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.
Al Ewing's The Immortal Hulk keeps shaking up the status quo for the Jade Giant every issue, truly making Bruce Banner one of the most dangerous figures in the Marvel Universe. We recently saw him as the World-Breaker and ultimate destroyer at the end of time, while also linking to the energy of creation through the Green Door and its connection to the One Below All.
The Immortal Hulk #27 disrupts the established order even further with a couple of key changes to the Banner/Hulk mythos. First, the Green Goliath now has a sidekick like DC's Oracle, which basically creates a Destructive Duo unlike anything we've seen before. And second, the Devil Hulk we've come to fear since Ewing took over has now gotten a massive upgrade that puts him on the path to end the world as planned.
This issue focuses on Banner working with Charlene McGowan, the doctor in charge of Shadow Base when he took it over. She willingly handed over funds, personnel and just about every asset, because despite his tyranny, she believes in Banner's crusade to correct the course of the world. Even the public is buying into Banner's philosophy of change. Cult groups form around his ideas despite Roxxon's attempts to make its Fox News-esque smear campaign work for its own political gain.
Banner makes a statement by attacking the Oregon base where Roxxon's main servers, which drive their media initiatives, are stored. He turns into the Devil Hulk, who's been more cooperative lately, and wrecks the compound. But as he surfaces, we witness a very ominous upgrade: the Devil Hulk emerges at sunrise and soaks in the glow. Seeing him basking in these natural rays is very disturbing, because at the start of this run, the Devil Hulk wasn't able to walk in sunlight. He was nocturnal, which allowed Banner to run the show during the day. Now, however, Devil Hulk has free rein.
This means he can create chaos anytime, leaving us to wonder if the gate has been opened even more by the One Below All allowing him to take the next step in his evil evolution. More Devil Hulk and less Banner is one thing, but we also have to wonder if more powers will be unlocked. That said, Devil Hulk has a more arrogant attitude now that he can walk in the daytime, so it looks like Banner's plan to purge the planet just shifted into overdrive.
However, that's not the only upgrade we have to worry about; Banner/Devil Hulk now have their own Oracle. In the DC realm, Barbara Gordon became Oracle, whose job was to run ops for the Bat-family remotely from their lair. McGowan has adopted a similar role for Banner.
As Banner wrecks the wannabe Hulks that Roxxon installed as guards, it becomes clear McGowan's help to improve his assaults and coordinate missions is the missing link he always needed. What's even more sinister is she's also using tech to make Devil Hulk the perfect rebel, utilizing translocators to teleport Hulk anywhere, anytime. Basically, he's sneakier, angrier and now, has the perfect partner to cause destruction.
The relationship has worked so impressively, Devil Hulk lauds their dynamic in the field. As he walks into the daylight, he tells her, "Together... we're the strongest there is. And this is just the start!" -- confirming he loves what she's bringing to Team Green. She's helping him unlock his full potential, and in this sense, McGowan might be even more valuable to him than Rick Jones, Betty Ross or Doc Samson were to him in the past.
The Immortal Hulk #28 goes on sale Dec. 11.