Hulk (Vol. 2) #57

Mayan Rule, Conclusion

With the Mayapan poised to gain absolute power, Annie finally manages to make contact with the Red Hulk, who has been incapacitated due to the fact that these so-called gods have absorbed half of his life force. He begins to tell Annie and the active members of Alpha Flight on their next move. That's when X-51 informs him that he has been discovered by Xbalanque, one of the Mayapan who is trying to oppose her siblings. Xbalanque reverts to human form, she explains how she and her brother have constructed the pyramid that had imprisoned the Mayapan centuries earlier. By this point, the Red Hulk is visited by Ixchel who mocks him for being unable to defeat them. As she gloats, she tells him that they will bring back the remaining Mayapan who are entombed in the Uxmal pyramid which is in Egypt. As she talks, she is unaware that Hunahpu is nearby carrying a mystical amulet. Overhearing this over X-51's radio, Annie also knows what to do since she grabbed a similar amulet when she was in the temple earlier. With the help of Talisman, they deduce that they can use the amulet to reverse the flow of stolen life force being drained by Snowbird and restore her to normal.

By this point, Hunahpu is caught by a water-based Mayapan who reveals his true form. Ichxel then orders Ah Puch to sacrifice the traitor so that they can use his life force to bring the others back. X-51 tells Xbalanque to do something, however, the woman tells him that this is all part of the plan. As Ah Pau prepares to stab a dagger into Hunapu's chest, they are unaware that he managed to place one of the amulets on the Red Hulk, while back in the United States, Talisman has the other on Snowbird and is casting a counterspell to bring her back to life. At that moment, in Egypt, the Sultan Magus is advised to destroy the Uxal Temple. As Ah Puch stabs Hunahpu through the chest, the Sultan destroys the temple. With the temple destroyed, the life energies from the Mayapan is transferred into Snowbird and the Red Hulk, restoring both to life. Talisman then begins to restore the others, as Annie flies them back to Yucatan.

Realizing that the Red Hulk is responsible for this, Kulkulkan confronts his foe, only to discover that he has been restored to his full strength. As the two struggle, Kulkulkan pulls the dagger out of Hunahpu's body and attempts to sacrifice A-Bomb to get more power. Instead, the Red Hulk puts his necklace around his ally and wrests the knife away from him. When the rest of the Mayapan try to stop the Red Hulk, Alpha Flight comes crashing in and fight them off. When Ixchel and Camazotz attempt to escape, they are also stopped by She-Hulk and Lyra who have also been restored to full power. Meanwhile, A-Bomb grabs Kulkulkan and absorbs the energy that was stolen from him, killing the Mayapan ruler. With the rest defeated, they are turned over to the Mexican government for containment. In the aftermath of the battle, the X-51 rebuilds his body. Xbalanque is intrigued to see that she can finally see Machine Man as a living being now and wonders why. Later, when the Red Hulk wonders why the Mayapan kept on calling them gods, Annie points out that with all the powers they have, they are basically what the ancient Mayans would have considered gods and their adventures today will become the myths of tomorrow. Ross finds this too much to grasp especially how he just got used to being a Hulk.

Recurring Characters

Red Hulk, Annie, Alpha Flight (Guardian, Puck, Talisman, Marrina, Snowbird, Aurora, Sasquatch), Machine Man, A-Bomb, She-Hulk, Lyra, Hunahpu, Xbalanque, Mayapan (Jacawitz, Ixchel, Camazotz, Ah Puch, Tohil, Yum Kaax. Kulkulkan), Sultan Magus