Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #98

Mar 11

Mar 11 Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #98

Anarchy, Part 3

After helping found refugees in the Steepes of Sakaar, the Hulk finds mutiny on his hands when Miek seeks to mobilize an army to attack the Crown City and take their fight to the Red King. The Hulk tries to explain to Miek that unless they leave things alone, the fighting will never stop. However, recently transformed Miek refuses to do nothing and tries to fight the Hulk in his more powerful form. Miek is joined by a group of his warriors, but the Hulk easily fights them off. Growing angry, the Hulk is about to smash Miek to death, but Korg leaps in the way to take the blow. Korg tries to tell them to stop but Miek points out that the Hulk cannot stop destroying things because that is what he is made for. However, the battle has yielded something: the Hulk's blood has caused Eleha'al vines to begin to grow on land that has been barren for years. This reinforces the idea that the Hulk is the legendary Sakaarson who is prophecized to liberate the people of Sakaar. Pointing out that this is a sign of prophecy, Hiroim convinces the Hulk that he and the refugees need to go to war against the Red King and soon an army is mobilized.

As they press their way toward Crown City, they cross paths with an army lead by Caiera the Oldstrong. The rebels try to fire arrows at her, but they harmlessly bounce off her rock hard skin. The Hulk orders his troops to stand down and approaches Caiera. She warns the Hulk that the King has demanded his head, something that doesn't surprise the Hulk as he intends to do the same thing to Angmo-Asan. Ciera tries to convince the Hulk that he doesn't know what he is up again. She tells him about her past, how she was trained to become the Oldstrong by her people at the age of 13. On that day, her village was attacked by Spikes, and the Red King -- no older that Ciera at the time -- waited until the entire village was slaughtered before eliminating the Spikes with his Death's Head Guard. When Caiera was tagged with an Obedience Disc, he got what he wanted. She points out that the Red King is power-mad and will not think twice about slaughtering millions of people in order to destroy the Hulk. In order to spare countless casualties, Caiera challenges the Hulk to a one-on-one battle to the finish.

The Hulk accepts and the two battle it out, the two are skilled enough warriors to match each other. The pair quickly disarm each other, reducing themselves to hand-to-hand combat. Caiera tries to lay low the Hulk by striking him with the Old Power directly into his chest. It is a powerful blow that shakes the entire planet. However, this doesn't kill the Hulk, and even though both combatants are still exhausted. As the Hulk's blood touches the ground, more Eleha'al vines begin to grow. Listening via radio, the Red King is furious when his own troops begin believing that the Hulk is truly the Sakaarson. The King then orders his advisors to initiate his back-up plan. Suddenly, a ship comes screeching out of the sky and imbeds itself into the ground. Much to the horror of those who recognize it, thousands of Spikes emerge from the ship and begin merging with the soldiers, turning them into misshapen horrors that threaten to destroy everything.