Red Hulk Revisited

Warning, this article does spoil the identity of the Red Hulk, which was a long running (and how!) mystery in comics.  But that was revealed what, a year ago?  If I'm spoiling this for you, you're falling behind on your comics!

I don't know when exactly I started hating the Red Hulk, or what exactly put my dislike for him over the edge.  Maybe it was his cringe worthy dialogue about how he was so much smarter and badass than everyone else, or the Jeph Loeb's stubborn refusal to reveal his identity.  Maybe because his identity was unrevealed, there was this huge part of the character's motivation and personality that was missing.  Or, I don't know, maybe when he punched out half the Marvel Universe and went cruising on the Silver Surfer's board.  Probably that last one.  But despite my initial interest in the mystery and suspense in the character's origin three years ago, I found myself not caring about his eventual reveal as General Thunderbolt Ross.

And today, I find myself reconsidering that hatred.  With a new writer and a new purpose, Red has become alot less despicable.  There is no longer this huge, awkward divide between Ross and his new alter ego.  They're always the same person with the same personality, and it feels all the more natural.  The series has started exploring Ross and his mindset, rather than this weird, unknowable jerk.  I've always liked Ross.  That man never took shit from anyone, and I admire the man who will walk up to Hulk and shoot him in the face.  This is a man who can act tough, hates hippies, and is too stubborn to back down.  It's been increasing interesting watching Ross deal with the fact that he's become the very thing he hunted for a big chunk of his life.  Or how he's now being hunted down by a former protege (Rulk's identity isn't public) in the same way the Hulk was.  Thrown in a revamped MODOK and a few more original-and surprisingly compelling-villains and, wow, that's a damn fine supporting cast.

So if you were like myself and wrote off Rulk as a complete waste of a character, take a second look.  The current Hulk series has been a solid comic, and the Ross centric book is a breathe of fresh air from a relatively stagnating franchise.  It's a challenge to tell new Hulk stories, and with Ross in the spotlight, you're getting just that.