Even the most casual of superhero fans know that the Incredible Hulk, to quote the man himself, “am strongest one there is.” However, that general statement undersells the utterly insane toughness of the Jade Giant. Marvel just offered a quantifiable measurement of just how hard it is to kill Bruce Banner, as his alter ego accidentally killed humanity.
The accidental extinction came about in Hulk Smashes Humanity #2, by Ryan North and Vincenzo Carratu. The first issue found The Leader, whose genius was enhanced by gamma radiation, conspiring to kill Bruce Banner once and for all. This involved a convoluted scheme that included stealing a time machine from Doctor Doom.
The end result of The Leader’s machinations was to send Hulk back in time to when dinosaurs still ruled the Earth. The opening of the second issue confirmed that he specifically sent Banner to just before the Cretaceous Paleogene Extinction Event. This meteor impact killed 75% of all life on Earth at the time. However, despite being at ground zero of a blast packing the power of a billion nuclear weapons, Hulk survived. Humanity, however, did not.
Why did the Incredible Hulk kill humanity?
While the Incredible Hulk is largely invulnerable and has an advanced healing factor, he still feels pain. The meteor impact fueled his rage, sending him on a rampage that had him murder everything that was still moving. This included the small mammals that, eventually, evolved to become the human race.
This led to an ironic reversal of roles, as The Leader found himself rushing to save humanity. Thankfully, Doctor Doom’s time machine protected its pilot from the effects of causality and time paradoxes. This did little to help Hulk, however, as The Leader had yet another plan to destroy his greatest enemy.
Hulk Smash Everything #2 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
