Hulk/Thing: Hard Knocks #2
Truth Hurts
When trying to get nostalgic with the Hulk at a diner in the middle of nowhere, the Thing has angered his companion enough to start a fight between the two. As the two battle it out, the Thing recounts their first battle against each other and insists that he won the fight. The Hulk believes that the Thing is mistaken and the two continue to trade blows. However the Hulk is intrigued by this claim and stops fighting and sits down to listen to the Thing's tale, as the Thing tries to recall where he left off in his story, American soldiers begin to surround the area around the diner. The Thing finally recalls how he began his tale beginning with the Fantastic Four's first battle with Doctor Doom....
.. Trapped in an air tight room the male members of the Fantastic Four were rescued by the Invisible Girl. While the others help break themselves free from Doctor Doom's castle....
Ben pauses his story as he recalls how Doctor Doom mocked his inaction that day. The Hulk becomes impatient with the apparent lack of a point to this story. The Thing then tells the Hulk to sit down as he has an entirely different story that involves him...
... the Thing recalls back to when the Fantastic Four were called in by General Ross to help hunt the Hulk, who was being accused of sabotaging various equipment on the base. During Ross' briefing, the Thing almost comes to blows with General Ross when he refers to the Hulk as a monster. However, Ben is pulled back by Mister Fantastic and forced to hear out the rest of the briefing.
The Hulk interrupts the story to point out that the reason General Ross' words cut so deep was because what Doctor Doom said to him earlier. The Hulk mocks the Thing's constant struggle over his humanity. The Thing questions what's going on with the Hulk, wondering if he and Banner are merging together again. This leads to the Hulk losing his temper once again. The Hulk grows impatient again and is about to leave when the Thing insists that he's going to want to hear the rest of his story. To entice the Hulk to stay, the Thing pulls out some photos from his back pocket and continues his story...
... After the briefing the Fantastic Four were interrupted by the arrival of Bruce Banner and his aid Rick Jones, and scientist Karl Kort. While Banner and Jones insist that the Hulk is not responsible, Kort demands that the Hulk be destroyed immediately. Soon the Fantastic Four are hunting for the Hulk. When they find the Hulk, both he and the Thing come to blows...
... as the Hulk remembers it, he trounced the Thing and won that bout. However the Thing recalls it differently. He then shows the Hulk a satellite photo taken on that fateful day showing the Thing standing over a defeated Hulk.
Recurring Characters
Thing, Hulk, (flashback) Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch), Doctor Doom, Rick Jones, General Ross, Wrecker
Continuity Notes
The first flashback takes place during the Fantastic Four's first clash with Doctor Doom circa Fantastic Four #5.
The flashback involving the Fantastic Four's hunt for the Hulk happened during the events of Fantastic Four #12.
In the early flashback, the Fantastic Four were unaware that Bruce Banner and the Hulk were the same person. The Hulk's double identity was not public knowledge until Rick Jones revealed it in Tales to Astonish #77.
