BRUCE BANNER was about to change the world. For years he’d been studying the effects of gamma radiation. Even in his undergraduate studies, he’d persisted with a clear focus, surpassing many of his professors in their understanding of how the rays might be manipulated.
In his studies, he’d become more and more sure that the radiation, which had always been viewed in terms of their potential for weaponry, could benefit human cell defenses and combat the effects of harmful radioactive waves. In other words, he could use it to make humans immune to many devastating diseases.
Bruce was so sure of his work that he decided to use himself as a test subject. He sat in a specially designed chair that would help his physical body remain stable and still as he received his dose of gamma radiation. The room sat apart from the control area, which was set off by a radiation-resistant glass provided by Stark Industries.
Bruce braced himself in excitement. He smiled and nodded toward the control booth, where colleagues who had also become close friends, including Dr. Betty Ross, were stationed. Also stationed there was General Ross of the US military, who was funding a large portion of the project. Bruce smiled and nodded, indicating that they should begin.
A low hum filled the room, and a green target moved slowly from the far end, over to the chair, gliding over Bruce and finally landing on his forehead, which is where the radiation would first be administered.
A green ray of energy streamed out toward him, and immediately Bruce felt altered. He’d never felt so good, so energized. But this was just the beginning. The dose of radiation was slow and steady, so he had a considerable amount of time left before the process was complete.
As the experiment continued, Bruce’s strength grew, but in a way he hadn’t anticipated. He glanced over toward the monitor that was tracking his heart rate. It was escalating. At the same time, the power welling up inside of him was reaching a fever pitch. Something was wrong.
Bruce panicked. He began to struggle to release himself from the bonds that tied him to the chair. As his panic increased, he felt power—and anxiety and struggles—well up inside him and then flow straight to his head. His eyes popped open and everything looked clearer than he’d ever seen it before. His anxiety had subsided, but he felt an anger—a rage—taking hold. Something else was in control now—and it was inside of him.
His hands and arms began to pulse grotesquely as bone and muscle bubbled and morphed into something purely inhuman. Green waves undulated over his skin, and as his muscles swelled. The hue deepened, leaving his flesh a bright green. His body expanded to a point where his limbs could not be contained and popped right out of the restraints that were binding him.
He leaped up, now fully transformed into a green goliath. He stood over eight feet tall, and the width of his frame had more than doubled. He breathed heavily, hunched over, staring at the scientists and military personnel before him, no longer recognizing them as friends, colleagues, and supporters.
They looked on, too, paralyzed in sheer terror as they gazed at what Bruce had become—an incredible Hulk.
“My word…” General Ross uttered.
At that moment, the Hulk leaped through Stark’s shatterproof glass window and crashed right through it. The gathered committee tried to flee, but nothing or no one was as quick as the Hulk, who tossed aside huge machines, tore through steel walls, and effortlessly swatted people aside.
The Hulk balled his fists and roared. He braced himself and aimed his head straight for a wall. Then he sprung up, held his forearm over his face, and crashed through metal, brick, and mortar to the outside world, where he could be free from these people who he could only identify as his captors.