Hulk's Scariest Marvel Comics Form Is Disgusting - And Heartbreaking
In the main Marvel Universe, the Hulk has one of the most tragic origin stories among any comic book hero, as being in the middle of a gamma explosion transformed Bruce Banner into a raging green monster. However, in Marvel's "Ruins" (by Warren Ellis, Terese Nielsen, Cliff Nielsen, Chris Moeller, and Jonathan Babcock), Marvel introduced an even more horrifying version of the Jade Giant, changing his body into its most repulsive form.
A take on the classic "Marvels" (by Alex Ross and Kurt Busiek), "Ruins" shows an alternate Marvel Universe featuring its greatest heroes and villains living on an Earth demolished by nuclear warfare, where things are bleaker than ever before. Numerous superpowered characters die due to the world's poor state, as documented by journalist Phil Sheldon, and Bruce Banner suffers one of the darkest fates.
A drug-addicted Rick Jones tells Sheldon that Banner saved him from a gamma radiation blast — similar to how he becomes the Hulk in the character's Earth-616 counterpart's origin. But, instead of becoming big, strong, and green, the accident causes his skin to turn black and crack, with tumors growing throughout his body. Banner survives as a giant cancerous mass but is kept in a vault underground, where the CIA keeps him locked away. Hulk seemingly lives the rest of his life in containment as his grotesque body continues to be enveloped by tumors.
The Hulk's transformation has never been pretty, but his appearance in "Ruins" takes the gross factor to an all-new level.
Hulk wasn't the only hero transformed in Ruins
The Hulk is far from the only hero or villain who suffers as a result of the poor, toxic state of the world. In "Ruins," the copy of the Daily Bugle reveals a young Matt Murdock died due to being exposed to radioactive material. Instead of a freak accident giving him powers, Murdock suffers radiation burns and doesn't survive. When reporter Phil Sheldon meets with Wolverine, the antihero's skin slowly melts off his adamantium body due to its toxic nature. Things only get more disturbing throughout the story, as a version of Nick Fury, who implies Captain America taught him about eating human meat, kills a sex worker (Jean Grey) before taking his own life after being unable to live in a world suffering from serious mutation.
Other shocking deaths include Silver Surfer and Johnny Blaze likewise dying by suicide and Kitty Pryde being ripped open by prison bars after trying to break free from a mutant prison. Even a character as powerful as Galactus ends up in a dire state, with his giant lifeless body being shown floating in space.
Those wanting to read one of the most depressing Marvel Comics stories ever told should check out "Ruins." It features many stomach-turning moments and isn't for the faint of hearts. The two issues published in the story were more than enough to show off a Marvel Universe where things turned out much darker, as evidenced in part by Hulk's repulsive transformation.
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