Marvel Comics have today killed off the alter-ego of the Hulk, Bruce Banner in Civil War II’s third volume.
Banner, who has been the alter ego of the green monster since The Incredible Hulk first debuted in 1962. However, Banner had been self-medicating to control his anger issues since last year.
His death came at the hands of Hawkeye, who killed his long term friend because he believed he was about to turn into the Hulk once again, and cause mass destruction and casualties. Banner is the second major casualty of Marvel Comics’ newest storyline, with James ‘Rhody’ Rhodes having already been killed at the hand of Thanos, during the first volume.
When asked about Banner’s death, Marvel’s editor in chief Axel Alonso stated: “This is uncharted territory for us,” before adding, “Only two things are for certain: It will take a long, long time for our heroes to come to terms with his loss, and the circumstance surrounding his death will leave a huge scar on the superhero community.”
Although other Marvel characters have suffered similar fates before returning one year later- Captain America and Spiderman are prime examples, there are currently no plans to bring Banner back. This seems unsurprising, as the Hulk mantle has been undertaken by Korean-American teenage genius named Amadeus Cho.
Marvel Comics Civil War II Volume IV will be released on the 27th July 2016. Watch a recap of events so far:
