Appearing in "Prisoners!"
Featured Characters:
- ⏴ Hulk (Bruce Banner) ⏵ (Main story and recap)
Supporting Characters:
- Zgorian (First appearance) (Death)
- ⏴ Puffball Collective ⏵
Antagonists:
- The Magistrate (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- U-Foes (Main story and recap)
- ⏴ Vector (Simon Utrecht) ⏵ (Main story and recap)
- ⏴ Ironclad (Michael Steele) ⏵ (Main story and recap)
- ⏴ Vapor (Ann Darnell) ⏵ (Main story and recap)
- ⏴ X-Ray (James Darnell) ⏵ (Main story and recap)
- District Attorney Allison Munroe (First appearance)
- Henry Price Claringer (First appearance)
- Supreme Court (Referenced)
- The President (Mentioned) (Topical Reference)
- Fantastic Four (Mentioned)
- Dr. Strange (Referenced)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Crossroads
- Zgorian's World (First appearance)
- World of Symbionts (Referenced)
- Sol
- Earth
- North America
- United States of America
- Nevada
- High Security Prison
- Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts (Referenced)
- Nevada
- United States of America
- North America
- Earth
Synopsis for "Prisoners!"
At a maximum security prison, District Attorney Allison Munroe and lawyer Henry Price Claringer are paying a visit to the U-Foes who have been imprisoned since their failed attempt to murder Bruce Banner on live television. The U-Foes are kept under control in a specially designed cell that dampens their powers. When the DA and their lawyer having arrived, they begin discussing their release from the prison. Although the U-Foes insist that they did nothing illegal, the DA refuses to let the U-Foes free unless they agree to be stripped of their powers. The situation turns ugly, when Allison reaches out to hand over paperwork, breaching the nullifier and deactivating it. With the dampening field down, the U-Foes quickly attack the guards before they can reactivate it. As a show of strength, Vector uses his ability to control the velocity of objects around him to pin the guards and the lawyers against a wall. Unfortunately for the U-Foes, the restoration of the radiation that empowers them effectively increases the scale of Vector's powers. As a result, he repels the very molecules and reality around them, which causes the U-Foes to disappear from the universe.
Meanwhile in the Crossroads dimension, the Hulk is starving as he has not found a suitable world that has food he can eat. The mindless brute has retreated to the signpost where he sits motionless. The Puffball Collective, still trying to reach the Hulk's dormant mind and get help to escape this domain, tries to get the Hulk to consume some its self by taking on the shape of food. The Hulk tries to eat this "Puffball food", but finds it disgusting and spits it out immediately. Needing the Hulk to live in order to try and escape, the Puffball Collective then intentionally riles up the Hulk and tricks the monster into lunging into one of the portals.
The Hulk soon finds himself on an alien world filled with strange vegetation. He contemplates eating one of the plants, but remember his past experiences with harmful food. The brute changes his mind when he spots a strange humanoid creature eating from one of the plants. Deciding its safe, the Hulk also gorges on the plants as well. He then witnesses the strange creature fishing out of a pond. The creature tosses the Hulk a fish, a show of friendship. The pair then spend all their time together, travelling this alien world, lodging in caves, and foraging for food. Although the Hulk doesn't understand his words, the alien introduces himself as Zgorian. As they are walking across a mountain pass, there is an avalanche that buries Zgorian alive. Quick thinking, the Hulk deflects most of the debris and manages to dig his friend out before he can suffer any injuries.
As Zgorian thanks the Hulk for saving his life, a ship suddenly appears in the sky. Members of Zorian's race emerge from the ship. Their leader, the Magistrate, tells Zgorian that for the crime of showing compassion to others Zgorian is to be put to death. When the Hulk tries to stop them from killing his friend, he is incapacitated. As the Hulk watches in horror, the Magistrate and his men execute Zgorian for his crimes and they quickly depart. Devastated by the death of his new friend, the Hulk goes to his body. Unhappy to be alone on this world, the Hulk triggers the failsafe spell that sends him back to the Crossroads. When he arrives he finds that he is not alone, as the U-Foes are now in the Crossroads dimension with him!
Notes
Continuity Notes[]
- The mind of Bruce Banner commits "psychic suicide" in Incredible Hulk #299 leaving the savage Hulk in control of his body. This lasts until Incredible Hulk #312.
- Mentions are made to the U-Foes first battle with the Hulk from Incredible Hulk #254 and their failed attempt to murder him on live television in Incredible Hulk #277.
- It is also mentioned how the Hulk had recently been pardoned by the President, in Incredible Hulk #278. This pardon was rescinded when the Hulk went on a rampage across New Jersey in Incredible Hulk #296–300.