NOTE: Be sure to check out The Incredible Hulk #15 before you read this issue!

The Sanctum Sanctorum
Then

The crimson behemoth who referred to himself as the Hulk sat only a few feet away. He could overhear Leonard Samson and Stephen Strange speaking. They had only recently returned from their mission in Siberia and when they returned, they discovered that the Sentry had gone. He wasn’t the only one. Before they left Siberia, the Ghost Rider just turned his back on them, created a flaming Harley out of thin air, and rode off.

He couldn’t care less about either Blaze or that nutjob Sentry. His thoughts were still on Siberia and the events that occurred there. The Hulk felt power coursing through him. His body had grown with new muscle mass. He felt stronger than he ever did in his short memory. He had absorbed radiation from both the Presence and Starlight and it now burned inside his body.

On the television, CNN played back scratchy footage from Seattle. Wong had been wandering in and out, going about his duties and had left the television on as he worked, occasionally glancing at the screen to take in the latest news reports. For the Hulk, it had just been white noise as he reflected on recent events. But something in that report triggered him and he looked up.

“…as you know, I’ve reported stories from some of the worst disaster areas in recent memory but I’ve seen nothing like the holocaust The Hulk brought to Seattle three days ago.

“The count currently stands at 120,000 dead and 160,000 injured. The physical damage to the city totals in the billions. Seattle has been declared by The President a disaster area and designated off-limits to all. Executive permission from The White House had to be issued to myself and my staff to bring you the story. But it’s a story that has to be told. The carnage that The Hulk has brought upon this city has to be seen by the whole world. Because The Hulk is a global problem now and always has been. What has happened to Seattle today could just as well happen in Barcelona tomorrow. Or Berlin next month. Or Paris next year. It’s only a matter of time. I’ve asked officials at what they think the eventual total of dead and injured and the total cost of damage will be and they can only walk away from me, red-eyed from their own grief and their unwillingness to speculate on such a horror. It’s truly humbling to see seasoned veterans of many a disaster openly weeping, overcome with emotion at the thought of such a tragedy happening on American soil.

“The Hulk has gone on rampages before but never with the callous disregard for human life and property he demonstrated three days ago when he pounded the ground in savage rage and changed Seattle forever. The city will never forget the day which many are already calling Green Hell. Churches, synagogues, mosques…all houses of worship are filled to capacity as an entire city asks ‘Why?’

“It is a certainty that the superhero community will be taken to task for their long standing seeming inability to capture or contain The Hulk. Particularly The Avengers and The Fantastic Four, teams that have had long relations with the Hulk. The Avengers and The Fantastic Four have not as yet made any statements about the Seattle disaster. But surely they must soon come forward and explain how they could have let The Hulk roam free for so long. Will it now take the near annihilation of an American city for them to at long last take the appropriate action?

“As American citizens we must hold our leadership accountable and demand that justice be done. The soul of Seattle, the souls of her injured and her dead demand it.

“This is Anderson Cooper, CNN, live from Seattle. And now, back to our studio in New York.”

The red Hulk’s eyes burned brightly as he watched his emerald counterpart embrace the boundless rage inside him. For the first time he can remember, the Hulk had a singular purpose, a reason for being here. His lips curled into a dark smile and he spoke one word: “Banner.”

He stood from his seat, moving into the foyer of the Sanctum Sanctorum where he ran into Samson. Leonard looked up at his latest patient and adjusted his glasses. “Going somewhere?”

“Yeah, hunting.”

“Hunting what? The Sentry?” asked Samson. “Hulk, we need to take time to regroup, to discuss a plan of action.”

“You wanna stop me, Samson—go right ahead an’ try,” said the Hulk. He exited the front doors of the mansion and coiled his legs. When he sprung up the powerful leg muscles sent him soaring into the air and he could still hear Samson calling after him as he departed.

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU MIX RED AND GREEN?

Part II

By Dino Pollard

Somewhere in Arizona
Now

First strike went to Green as he grabbed Red’s fist in his hand, driving his own fist against Red’s jaw. Red countered with an uppercut so fast that it sizzled, leaving a trail of steam as it slammed into Green and rocked him back. Red raised his fists and brought them down like giant triphammers, slammed them onto the ground, generating massive shockwaves that would be felt as far away as Tucson.

Green recovered from the tremors quickly and jumped at Red, grabbing hold of him and climbing onto his back. He wrapped thick fingers around Red’s face and reached for him, clamping his teeth on the crimson behemoth’s ear. Red roared as the ear tore from his head. He jumped into the air with Green still holding on and grabbed hold of Green’s arm, maneuvering the two of them. As they plummeted towards the ground, Red positioned himself so he was on top and Green struck first, a crater generating in their wake.

“You sonnuva bitch!” said the Red Hulk, standing upright, dark yellow blood spilling from the spot where his ear once was.

The Green Hulk smiled as he spoke into the severed ear. “Can you hear me now?” he asked. He tossed the ear aside as the Red Hulk seemed to grow larger in size.

“I’m gonna tear off your head and shit down your neck, Banner!”

“Guess you don’t hear so well, but I ain’t Banner! I’m the Hulk!”

Red’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll see about that.”

Red charged towards him, moving with an unbelievable speed. As the pair collided again, Green noticed it was getting extremely hot. And whenever Red struck him, it felt like his fists were on fire. Red’s eyes blazed brightly, like hot coals. Green realized just what was happening here.

Radiation.

The red Hulk was generating radiation.

Although he was capable of absorbing radiation himself, it was getting too hot even for him. Green could feel himself getting dizzy with each brutal strike and his own blows became sloppy and were barely having any effect. He needed to get out of here, to clear his head a bit and regroup.

Green grabbed hold of Red’s shoulders and drove his knee into Red’s crotch. Green followed up with a kick to the chest and turned his back to his opponent. He coiled his legs and sprung, flying off into the distance. Red roared in anger.

“YOU GOT NOWHERE TO RUN, BANNER!”

“Agent Pratt!”

The large, bald man with dark sunglasses stopped in his tracks. He turned to see a young aide running towards him, waving a print-out. “What is it?”

“This just came through the wire for you, sir,” said the young man.

Pratt took the print-out from him and scanned over it. He smiled as he read it. “Well, well, well…looks like we’ve got some massive radiation readings out in Arizona. Isn’tthat interesting?”

“What does this mean, sir?”

“It means Big Red is out and about, my boy,” said Pratt. “And with radiation levels like this, it could mean that he’s actually doing what we created him to do.”

“And what’s that, sir?”

“You dense or something, kid? We created him to take out Banner,” said Pratt.

The Sanctum Sanctorum

Doctor Strange floated near the top of the high ceiling in the lotus position, his Cloak of Levitation moving like it had a mind of its own. His eyes were shut but mystical energy swirled around him. Down on the ground, Sleepwalker watched him up there with Doc Samson standing by his side.

“What exactly is he doing?” asked Sleepwalker.

“The Red Hulk seems to have some sort of immunity to magic, something that masks him from even Stephen’s abilities. But Bruce is a different story,” said Samson. “Not only does he not share the Red Hulk’s immunity, but he and Stephen have a connection—they’re friends. Or at least they were. Even if Stephen still thinks of him that way, given Bruce’s recent actions, I’m not so certain he’ll feel the same.”

“I can’t believe we’re going to go up against two Hulks,” said Sleepwalker. “I’m still not used to this whole thing.”

“I thought you’d been doing this for a few years now.”

“No, Sleepwalker’s been doing this for a few years. We were just bonded together. Me, I’m just plain old Rick Sheridan. Since I fell into that coma, I’ve somehow been able to take over Sleepwalker’s body. I’ve got his memories, sure, but it’s more like a movie I watched. And watching Bruce Lee flicks doesn’t make you a martial arts expert, y’know?”

“Yeah, I see your point,” said Samson. “We can only hope that Ste—”

Doctor Strange’s eyelids snapped open and he lowered himself until he hovered just a few inches above the ground. “I’ve located Bruce. Or at least his trail.”

“Where?” asked Samson.

“Arizona,” said Doctor Strange. “We must depart immediately.”

Phoenix, Arizona

The Green Hulk landed in the middle of a busy intersection in downtown Phoenix. His impact upon landing buckled concrete and caused it to ripple like water. Pedestrians were knocked off their feet. Yellow traffic lights fell to the street and exploded. Shop windows burst into fingernails-sized shards that sped through the air, injuring those few who had managed to stay on their feet. Cars screeched and spun out of control once the Hulk made his entrance. They swerved or stopped, piling up on each other. Horns blared and the sound of metal striking metal was like a cacophony.

As soon as he separated himself from his crimson counterpart, he already began to feel better. And he hoped the energy the Red Hulk would expand to catch up to him would drain some of his radiation reserves. He needed to be ready, though. He turned and saw a tour bus coming towards him. The driver laid his hand on the horn repeatedly as he desperately slammed on the brakes, trying to stop the bus. The Hulk merely stood his ground as the bus careened towards him. He held out his hands and the bus smashed into those impossibly huge hands. The Green Hulk didn’t even budge a millimeter. He glared inside with bright, green eyes and bellowed loudly, “get the fuck out!”

The Hulk barely gave them time to escape before he tore the bus into two pieces. He slammed a massive fist in each half, and then punched his fists together. The bus became like massive, metal boxing gloves for him.

He could feel the temperature rising and he looked to the skies. Off in the distance was a small dot, but it got larger and larger as the Red Hulk descended. Green smiled and coiled his fists. Once Red came within range, Green threw his arms forward, slamming the bus-covered fists against Red and throwing him back into one of the skyscrapers that lined the streets.

Red flew into the center of one of the office buildings, his massive form taking out an entire row of cubicles and offices. He dug his fingers into the floor, trying to slow him down, but he made it all the way through the other side of the building before he came to a stop, hanging over the edge. As he tried to pull himself back up, tremors caused the building to shake and Red looked down to see Green pummeling his fists against the building’s foundation.

Red was shaken loose and fell to the ground. A police car swerved towards him and Red braced himself, grabbing the car and swatting Green with it. Before Green could get back on his feet, Red jumped at him, slamming the car into his head.

“I wanna know who the hell I am, Banner! I wanna know why the only thing I can remember before wakin’ up in the Raft is hating you!”

The Red Hulk paused as something flashed across his mind’s eye. A man in a military uniform with a thin mustache. Another one, older, with a bushy, silver mustache. A young woman, attractive. He remembered a warning—stay away from the Hulk. But whose warning was it? His or someone else’s?

The Green Hulk’s fist punched through the police car and wrapped around the Red Hulk’s throat. Green stood, tearing the police car away with his free hand as he hefted Red into the air and drove his fist into Red’s face repeatedly.

“If I told ya once, I’ve told ya a hundred times, ya goddamn knock-off!” He punched the Red Hulk in the face to accentuate each of the following words: “I…AIN’T…BANNER!”

With the last punch, he released his grip on Red’s throat and sent him careening through the air into another building by an intersection. Green brushed the remains of the police car from his body and looked over at his opponent.

“I don’t know who the fuck you are, ‘Rulk.’ Maybe Banner’s curious, but I don’t think there’s a way I could give less of a shit,” he said. “What I do know is you picked a fight with me an’ it’s gonna be the last thing you ever did!”

Green jumped at Red. The crimson colossus tore the stoplight from the ground and flipped it around. As Green approached, Red jammed the jagged edge into Green’s chest, impaling him on it. Jade blood dribbled down the metal cylinder, coating Red’s hands in it.

With Green still attached, Red swung the post like a bat and slammed him into a building. He followed it up by shoving him into a fire truck. And topped it off by jumping into the air and throwing Green to the ground before impaling him with it again.

“This is gettin’ old.” The Red Hulk grabbed the post and twisted it, tearing apart Green’s chest from the inside. “Change back to Banner so I can find out just what the hell he knows about me. ‘Cause I’m gettin’ bored kickin’ your ass.”

“There’s…somethin’ you forgot…” grumbled Green.

“Oh yeah? And what’s that? All I know is you caved like a fuckin’ pussy under the pressure. Guess you and Banner aren’t so different after all, huh?”

“Nah…that ain’t it…” Green looked up with his eyes glowing brightly with gamma-fueled rage. “It’s that the madder Hulk gets—”

He reached out with newfound strength and grabbed Red’s hair. Green threw his weight upwards, headbutting Red. Within an instant, he was back in his feet and he pulled the traffic light out of his body. Already, the blood was starting to clot and green muscles began to knit themselves back together. He grinned darkly as he crumbled the traffic light into a metal ball, which he hurled at the Red Hulk.

“—the stronger Hulk gets!”

The force from the ball threw Red back and Green was back on him in an instant. He wrapped his mammoth hand around Red’s head and repeatedly slammed it into the ground. “An’ buddy, you’ve royally pissed me off!”

Sleepwalker knelt down at the edge of the crater and peered into it. He looked up at Samson when the psychiatrist-turned-superhero appeared at his side. “So I’m guessin’ they were here.”

“Good guess,” said Samson. “Question is where have they gone now?”

“We must find them quickly,” said Doctor Strange. “There’s an unforeseen factor in this little drama.”

“What’s that, Doc?” asked Sleepwalker.

“My mystic senses are detecting abnormally high levels of radiation.”

“That must be because of the Hulk. Umm, the red Hulk, that is,” said Sleepwalker. “In Siberia, he absorbed radiation from the Presence and Starlight. Maybe he’s sprung a leak?”

“If that’s the case, then we’ve got to find him and contain him before he causes untold damage,” said Samson. “We don’t really know enough about Red’s abilities. What if he sets off a nuclear explosion?”

“He’s left a trail, leading north,” said Doctor Strange.

“North?” asked Samson. “But that’s—”

“Phoenix, precisely,” said Doctor Strange. He rose as mystic energy surrounded the trio of Defenders. “We must hurry.”

“I’ve had just about enough a’you, Rulk,” said the Green Hulk, spitting out the nickname he had given his counterpart like a vulgar insult. He grabbed a street lamp and wrapped it around the Red Hulk’s neck, pulling it tightly. “So let’s get a few things straight, alright? Number one, I got no blasted idea who you are an’ I don’t fuckin’ care. Number two, you done fucked with the wrong Hulk!”

The Red Hulk said nothing, just began to shake a little. The Green Hulk looked down at him and heard a sound coming from his mouth. At first he thought it might be crying, but then it grew louder. And instead, he realized just what it was.

The Red Hulk? He was laughing.

“What’s so goddamned funny? You got a death wish, junior?”

“Nah, I’m just laughin’ because there’s something you don’t know about me,” said the Red Hulk. “See, I’m pretty pissed off myself. And the madder Hulk gets, the hotterHulk gets!”

Green noticed now how much the temperature was increasing and now it was coming off Red in waves. Far more than before. Green stumbled back as Red easily tore the lamp from his neck. He grinned wildly as he walked closer and Green collapsed to his knees.

The Hulk is powered by gamma radiation. After we finish with this process, you’ll have the ability to sap that radiation from him.

Another flash of memory. The Red Hulk recalled a black man in a suit with round sunglasses he never removed. He had a flash of removing his clothes as he prepared for the procedure. The clothes that he discarded…a military uniform.

The black man…The Red Hulk couldn’t recall his name…Agent something…he came up to him and smiled. Shall we begin, sir? You’re about to serve your country in a way you never have before. You’re going to be the man who killed the Hulk.

“Get it, Brucie?” asked the Red Hulk as he wrapped his hands around Green’s head. He brought his face inches from Green’s, his yellow eyes blazing with radiation. The Green Hulk noticed that his opponent’s ear had now completely regenerated, just now within seconds since he started to exude radiation. “The madder you get, the stronger I get! You’ve just been givin’ me more fuel to kick your ass with!”

{ENOUGH!}

The word struck the minds of both Hulks light a lightning bolt and they both roared from the massive headache they received. They looked into the air and saw Doctor Strange hovering above them, mystical symbols made of energy encircling his body. He placed his hands together with his palms facing outwards and then separated them. Following his actions, the Hulks were both separated from each other.

The Red Hulk tried to run back, but he hit an invisible barrier. Doctor Strange lowered himself between the two and Doc Samson and Sleepwalker joined him on the ground. Sleepwalker fired his eyebeams at the street and it rose up to circle around and contain each Hulk.

“I, for one, have had just about all I can stand of this childish behavior,” said Doctor Strange. “It’s time we had a talk.”

NEXT: The Hulks now have to stand up to the force of the Defenders! Be sure to check out The Incredible Hulk #16 for the stunning conclusion to What Do You Get When You Mix Red and Green?

And then come back here for The Defenders #11, when Ed Ainsworth joins the book as the new co-writer just in time for The Golden Age!