World War Hulk: A Solid Guide 1. The Essential Premise (No Prior Reading Needed) World War Hulk (2007) is the sequel to the 2006 storyline Planet Hulk . The core premise is brutally simple:
The Hulk was betrayed by his friends, shot into space, and landed on the brutal planet Sakaar. There, he became a king, found love (Caiera), and had a child. Then, the shuttle he arrived in exploded, killing his pregnant wife and destroying his kingdom. Hulk blamed the Illuminati—the secret cabal of Earth's mightiest heroes (Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt) who sent him away.
The Result: The Hulk returns to Earth, not as a mindless monster, but as a calculating, wrathful war leader with one goal: Make them pay. 2. The Core Reading Order You don't need to read Planet Hulk to understand this, but it helps. Here’s the essential path: A. The Prelude (Highly Recommended)
Planet Hulk (Incredible Hulk #92-105) – Why he's so angry. World War Hulk Prologue: The Exile – A one-shot catching you up. WORLD WAR HULK
B. The Main Event (Read in this order)
World War Hulk #1 – The landing. The declaration of war. The first beatdown. World War Hulk #2 – Hulk systematically dismantles the Marvel Universe. World War Hulk: X-Men #1-3 – Hulk vs. the X-Men (Juggernaut fight!). World War Hulk: Front Line #1-6 – The civilian and journalist perspective. World War Hulk #3 – The Illuminati get their reckoning. World War Hulk #4 – The Sentry's arrival. The turning point. World War Hulk #5 – The devastating conclusion.
C. The Aftermath
World War Hulk: Aftersmash – One-shot + one-shots for Warbound, Damage Control, etc. Incredible Hulk #106-111 – Hulk’s immediate fate post-event.
3. The Main Players Hulk's Side (The Warbound)
Hulk (Green Scar) – Smart, tactical, furious. This is the most dangerous Hulk yet. Miek – A small, insectoid alien who secretly knows a terrible truth about the explosion. Korg – The gentle Kronan (rock giant) from Planet Hulk (yes, the same one from Thor: Ragnarok ). Elloe Kaifi – A rebel warrior from Sakaar. Hiroim – A wise, shadow-powered warrior. World War Hulk: A Solid Guide 1
Earth's Defenders (The Targets)
Iron Man – Leader of the Illuminati. Architect of Hulk's exile. Top target. Mr. Fantastic – Built the shuttle. Second target. Doctor Strange – Agreed to the exile. Hulk breaks his hands to stop his spells. Black Bolt – King of the Inhumans. Hulk forces a terrifying confrontation. The Sentry (Robert Reynolds) – Marvel’s insane Superman-level hero. The only being who can fight Hulk to a standstill. The X-Men – Neutral, but Hulk crashes on their lawn.