Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein’s The Incredible Hulk has easily been one of Marvel’s best ongoing comics of late. Like Immortal Hulk before it, the series stands out by reexamining the franchise through a distinctly horror-tinged lens. The series now reaches a major turning point in The Incredible Hulk #30, as Bruce Banner and his alter ego confront the terrifying force known as The Eldest.
Banner and Hulk alike will be profoundly transformed in the wake of that battle. So much so that Marvel is relaunching the series with a new title and a new #1 issue. The Incredible Hulk is becoming The Infernal Hulk, and the Marvel Universe is about to fear the Hulk in a way it never has.
IGN spoke with Johnson via email to learn more about this big shake-up. Check out an exclusive preview of The Infernal Hulk #1 in the slideshow gallery below, and then read on to find out how Hulk’s status quo is being profoundly altered.
It’s not uncommon for Marvel to relaunch monthly titles, even in the midst of a creative team’s ongoing run. It’s good business to give readers a fresh jumping-on point (and Johnson assures us that The Infernal Hulk #1 is most definitely that). But in this case, Johnson reveals that he and Marvel editorial saw an opportunity to reflect a major status quo change for the series and usher in what he calls the “second act” of his and Klein’s ongoing Hulk saga.
“We knew from the beginning we wanted to tell a story that took Hulk, Banner and the other characters through impossible trials and tremendous change, and that would involve the larger Marvel Universe more and more as it went on. Infernal Hulk is the Second Act of that story,” Johnson tells IGN. “The title change isn’t a relaunch, we just want to reflect the massive status quo change that happens in this month’s Incredible Hulk #30. Although it put a lot of new pieces on the board, Incredible was very much about Hulk, Eldest, and our POV character Charlie Tidwell. Infernal is about a monstrously leveled-up Hulk and the threat that he now poses to the Marvel Universe. We’ve seen some big-name cameos up until now, but in Infernal Hulk, readers will see a lot more interaction with other characters and stories as the Marvel Universe comes to understand the danger they’re in.”
While The Incredible Hulk #30 is still a couple of weeks away from release, Marvel is already making it clear that the showdown between Hulk and The Eldest doesn’t work out in Bruce Banner’s favor. That fight will end with Banner and Hulk physically split apart and The Eldest now possessing the body of the strongest Avenger.
The dynamic between Banner and Hulk has evolved a great deal over the years, but this is a rare example where the two are not just physically split, but diametrically opposed. Banner will now be forced to fight against his other half. Hulk’s strength is now being wielded by something far more terrible.
“We’ve been telling everyone who will listen that this is the biggest, most shocking status quo change in Hulk’s history, and that is 100% true,” Johnson says. “I have to be careful not to spoil anything, but: despite their long and complicated history, we’ve never seen Hulk and Banner further apart than they’re about to be. Lots of Hulk fans have their favorite ‘alter’ from Hulk’s past that they love to see: Demon Hulk, Joe Fixit, the Green Scar and others. This new Hulk that we’re about to introduce is completely different and separate from all the others, and with very specific intentions for Earth. I think this Hulk will shock readers. And when readers see what we have in store for Banner, they’ll be just as shocked.”
If the title didn’t make it clear, the new series will continue to lean heavily into the horror elements of the Hulk franchise. If Hulk was scary before, he’s far more terrifying now that he’s merged with The Eldest.
“From Incredible Hulk #1 to now, we’ve been telling a story in which Hulk is the monster of Banner’s movie, the thing that stalks him from the shadows of his own mind: like the monsters of The Ring, or Smile, or It Follows,” Johnson says. “Hulk has only been Banner’s nightmare up until now. But after the events of Incredible Hulk #30, he becomes the nightmare of the entire Marvel Universe. This is a Hulk with a new power set and origins that tie back to the foundations of the Earth. Readers will not see the upper limits to what he can do. In fact, I’m anticipating some rage tweets about the awesome, terrible things we’ll see him do. Stay tuned!”
As for why he and Klein have opted for such a horror-focused approach to their Hulk saga, Johnson says that they saw a lot of untapped potential there, even in the aftermath of Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s Immortal Hulk.
“Comics are a super effective medium for horror, and there’s a long tradition of horror comics, but in recent years most of the best ones have been creator-owned,” Johnson says. “Bringing real horror comics to the Big Two is so unbelievably fun, especially in a book like The Incredible Hulk, which was meant to be a monster book since its inception. The Cronenberg-esque, ‘black science’ brand of body horror that we got in Immortal Hulk was such a joy to read, and now we’re exploring other kinds of horror in Incredible and Infernal: folk horror, cosmic horror, the kinds of monsters that crawl out of flooded caves, potter’s fields and forgotten temples. Hulk just feels right in stories like that, and telling them has been insanely rewarding, especially alongside a genius artist like Nic Klein.”
Johnson continues, “Nic was born to draw this book, and he’s doing the best work of his already-legendary career. The transformations he’s given us since issue #1 have already changed the game, and I swear every issue he’s been turning in lately has been better than the last. It's absurd how good he is, and he’s getting even better right in front of us.”
The Incredible Hulk #30 will be released on October 15, 2025, followed by The Infernal Hulk #1 on November 26. You can preorder both issues at your local comic shop.
In other comic book news, check out our exclusive previews of Adventure Time: The Bubbline College Special #1 and Dracula: Book III - The Count.
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