From the Comics: The Hulk’s Early Departure from the Avengers
Many know that the Hulk was one of the founding members of the Avengers (we discussed his involvement in our “From the Comics” exploration of that topic). However, many do not know that the Hulk’s association with the Avengers did not continue for long after that point. In fact, Avengers #2, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, featured events that would cause this founding member of the Avengers to quit the team. Today’s “From the Comics” insight will look at the second major event in the history of the Avengers, the departure of the Incredible Hulk.
The Space Phantom
Soon after the formation of the Avengers, a new villain rose to oppose them. This villain, the Space Phantom, had powers that allowed him to impersonate any human being. He would choose his target, take on their physical appearance and attributes, and banish them to Limbo, “the silent world between shadow and substance”.
The Space Phantom came to Earth from an unknown origin point and had his sights set on world domination. To accomplish this goal, he realized defeating the Avengers needed to take top priority.
In his first move against the Avengers, the Space Phantom encountered the Hulk. He took over the Hulk’s body and immediately got in a verbal and physical fight with Iron Man. Though Thor was able to break up the conflict, the false-Hulk stormed out of the Avengers’ Headquarters, right through a wall. He then went on to cause trouble in the streets of New York City, tearing apart sidewalks and even destroying nearby military armaments.
Iron Man, believing the Hulk finally lost control, went to respond to the incident. He told the false-Hulk that he “always thought we had made a mistake allowing you to join the Avengers” and was nearly able to beat him with an unexpected electric shock. At this point, the Space Phantom fled the Hulk’s body, leaving a confused Hulk in the middle of a battle he had no part in starting.
Luckily, Giant-Man (aka Ant-Man) was able to break up the fight and convince the two Avengers that an unknown villain was the cause of their strife. The two agreed, though Hulk went on to further threaten Iron Man and Iron Man called Hulk a “brainless gargoyle”.
Once back at the Avenger’s Headquarters, the Space Phantom took over the body of Giant-Man. However, this time, the Wasp and the Hulk both witnessed the switch take place. A battle began and the Space Phantom jumped into Iron Man’s body. In response, Thor called in a rainstorm to rust Iron Man’s armor, trapping the villain inside.
The Space Phantom, undaunted by his current situation, simply decided to take over Thor’s body next. However, upon doing so, the Space Phantom found himself trapped in Limbo. It was explained that his powers only worked on mortals so using them on a god caused some unexpected problems.
Despite their victory, the Hulk remained upset. He explained that the misunderstandings with the Space Phantom revealed a lot about how his teammates truly felt. He “never suspected how much each of [the Avengers] hates [him], deep down.” With this in mind, the Hulk left and became the first person to quit the Avengers.
Note: Some of the exact details surrounding these events have been slightly altered by later comics. The exact nature of those retcons will be the subject of a future “From the Comics” exploration.
Recommended Reading
If you’re interested in reading these comic adventures for yourself, we recommend picking up the following titles:
- Avengers #2- Which depicts the treachery of the Space Phantom and the impact it had on the Avengers. This issue is collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 1 (Review).
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