World War Hulk was Marvel's 2007 summer event. Building out of Greg Pak's "Planet Hulk" story, it featured Hulk and his Warbound, a group of aliens he had befriended on the Sakaar, going to Earth for revenge after the ship that sent him to Sakaar exploded and destroyed the planet. The story took place in the thick of the post-Civil War Marvel Universe, with Iron Man leading the charge against the Jade Giant.

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World War Hulk was big on action and spectacle, as the Hulk went on a rampage against the heroes he thought wronged him. All these years later, how well does it hold up? Let's take a look.

10 Aged Well: The Art

Hulk in World War Hulk

John Romita Jr. handled the art chores on World War Hulk and he did a phenomenal job. Romita Jr.'s style isn't for everyone, but he channeled his inner Kirby for this one- musclebound heroes clashing against each other in massively bombastic action sequences that draw the reader in with their power and detail.

There are few artists out there who could do justice to a book that is basically five issues of Hulk beating on everyone he sees, but Romita Jr does an amazing job, turning in some best of career work.

9 Hasn't Aged Well: Mired In Continuity

One of the biggest problems with going back and reading World War Hulk for a new reader is that it's definitely a product of its time. While that worked very well when the book was being published, for someone just picking it up in 2020, there's a lot in the book that's going to feel kind of mystifying.

For example, if one hasn't read "Planet Hulk", they're going to be very confused as to how everything is the way it is. There's also the fact it takes place post-Civil War, meaning there's all of that continuity that one has to know. On top of that, if one doesn't know who the Illuminati is and what they did, they'll also be a bit confused.

8 Aged Well: The Power Of The Hulk

The Hulk has long been known as the strongest one there is and this book really shows readers how he got that moniker. Hulk beats on everyone, regardless of whether they were involved with the destruction of Sakaar or not. A lot of people talk about how tough the Hulk is, but at the time especially, it was rare to see him go up against the heroes of the Marvel Universe and just clean house.

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The Hulk is basically a force of nature in this story, ripping through everyone in his path like they aren't even there.

7 Hasn't Aged Well: The Warbound

World War Hulk

The Warbound were Hulk's compatriots during "Planet Hulk", working with him to overthrow the corrupt government of Sakaar. They all survived the cataclysm that destroyed Sakaar and journeyed with the Hulk to Earth and then... barely did anything. They end up standing around a lot, sometimes helping out when the heroes attack the Hulk but most of the time they're just sort of there.

While World War Hulk isn't about them, there are a lot of pages in these five issues that could have been used to do more with them, instead of making them just be there because they were in "Planet Hulk".

6 Aged Well: Hulk Vs Iron Man

There are a lot of great fights in this comic, but the best is probably the Iron Man vs Hulk one. At the time, Iron Man was riding high as the leader of the Superhero Initiative... and a target of reader scorn. He makes a whole speech about how it's his job to protect everyone as he goes after Hulk in his Hulkbuster armor... and then Hulk proceeds to show him just how little his specialty armor matters.

Iron Man uses every trick he has and Hulk just demolishes Iron Man. It was plenty cathartic for readers angry at Iron Man for his part in Civil War and even divorced from that time, it's still a great fight.

5 Hasn't Aged Well: Rick Jones

Rick Jones was the catalyst behind the Hulk's creation way back in the day- Bruce Banner rushed out to save Jones from the gamma bomb explosion that turned him into the Hulk. He shows up in this story, ostensibly to talk some sense into the Hulk, but nothing really comes of it. The Warbound take him prisoner but do nothing to him. Hulk, at his angriest, just kind of ignores him.

He gets critically injured later in the book and it all feels kind of superfluous. Jones is one of those characters that is very important to the Marvel Universe and never gets much credit and his place in this story is sort of like that- it tries to play on who he is but doesn't treat him very well at all.

4 Aged Well: The Use Of The Sentry

The Sentry, one of Marvel's most powerful heroes, has had a strange relationship with the Hulk. The energy the Sentry exudes calms the Hulk down and he's basically Iron Man's ace in the hole against the Hulk... except for the fact that his own mental issues keep him from joining the fray until things are at their worst.

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It's pretty much the perfect way to use the character- the Sentry's an extreme agoraphobe and schizophrenic, always afraid of losing control. When he does finally join the fray, he enjoys the fact that he can cut loose against the Hulk so much that his own dark side starts to come out and the Hulk actually has to talk him down. It's a little twist that is so perfect for the story.

3 Hasn't Aged Well: Who's The Bad Guy?

One of the biggest problems with World War Hulk is that there isn't a bad guy. Eventually, a character is revealed to be the catalyst behind things that others were blamed for, but for most of the book, it's hard to know who to root for or against. The Hulk may be in full Worldbreaker mode, but as far as he knows, the Illuminati shipped him into space and then destroyed the planet he found happiness on.

The Illuminati- Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, and Reed Richards- deny that they did anything wrong, but at the time, they were well known for being shady. When the real culprit is revealed... well, more on that later.

2 Aged Well: Blockbuster Action

10 World War Hulk Iron Man Defeated by Hulk

World War Hulk pretty much delivers exactly what it advertises- the Hulk beating on everything in his path. There are some weaknesses but it's basically the ultimate summer action movie-type event comic- huge fights, spectacle, and just enough pathos and plot to make the whole thing work. There are some massively cool moments in this book, ones that make it worth the price of admission alone.

Seeing Hulk take the full brunt of Black Bolt's voice attacks is amazing, especially considering just how powerful Black Bolt is. The clash with Iron Man is wonderful and seeing Hulk grab astral form Doctor Strange and break his hands is a moment, to say the least. The book is chock full of stuff like that and it makes it so much fun to read.

1 Hasn't Aged Well: The Twist

So (SPOILERS), it's revealed that the Illuminati had nothing to do with the destruction of Sakaar. Servants of the planet's old ruler sabotaged the warp core of the ship that brought Hulk there and it was witnessed by Miek, one of Hulk's Warbound. He let them do it because he thought Hulk was getting too weak and needed something to arouse the hate in him.

It's basically the most blah way the story could have ended. Marvel was big at the time on not pulling the trigger on making the members of the Illuminati look that bad, even though a lot of their actions were pretty terrible, and this twist felt like a cop out. Would they have committed genocide on purpose? No, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have still been indirectly their fault. The book's twist robbed the book of any narrative heft it built up.

NEXT: Avengers Vs. X-Men: 5 Ways It Aged Well (& 5 Ways It Hasn't)