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History

DSU[]

As a young woman, Susan Jacobson was friends with wilder[4][5] Monica "Nicky" Rappaccini.[2]

Jacobson attended nuclear physics classes[6] at Desert State University[4][5] in New Mexico. At that point her classmate Bruce Banner was the star student of Professor Herbert Josiah Weller,[6][4] and thrice-champion darts champion,[4][5] earning him a reputation.

Susan Jacobson (Earth-616), Bruce Banner (Earth-616) from Incredible Hulk Vol 1 377 001

Susan Jacobson's bumpy romance with Bruce Banner in college ended in break-up

Interested, Jacobson approached him, identifying him as a promising, attractive genius,[1] and they began dating.[1][6] Although Banner was especially introverted,[4][5][6] he had already dated previously Sally Moore,[4][5] but Jacobson was Banner's first serious romance. Caring about him,[1] Jacobson tried to bring Banner out of his shell,[6][4][5] but she became frustrated because, after months of dating, Banner barely made physical displays of affection, and she began to think that he was afraid of her,[1] or of behaving like a normal young man; or maybe she didn't find her attractive. When he was twenty years old, she kissed him passionately in his bedroom, but was offended because he did not react and instead made excuses, suggesting that he was worried about the germs in the kiss or the pending work. Jacobson reproached him for his childish attitude, tried to force him to identify the problem, and demanded that he treat her the way she needed and wanted.[7] Banner's emotions then exploded forth[6][4][5] and he grabbed Jacobson[7][6][4][5] to smooch her[7] in a way that terrified her.[6][4][5] Jacobson felt that the person kissing her had not been her boyfriend Banner, but a different, monstrous creature hidden under his skin.[1] She immediately ran away from Banner, demanding that he not approach her.[7] Jacobson broke up with Banner,[6][4][5] admitting that she was scared of him. Eventually Banner would recognize that he had managed the relationship incompetently and that at that time he was chasing away anyone who was trying to help him.[1]

Jacobson's friend Rapaccini visited then, and Jacobson told her about how he had broken with Banner due to him making rough advances on her,[2] thou admitting she had led him.[1] Rappaccini, young and more arrogant that Jacobson, was interested in rough men, so she attended a frat party with Banner the following weekend and was sure that Banner would get drunk.[2] They had a one-time fling[4][5][2] then Banner did not contact Rappaccini again.[2]

CIA[]

Jacobson became a Central Intelligence Agency.[1] She discovered about a Middle Eastern dictator's gas attack plans, which she reported to her superiors. She received explicit orders not to inform Israel, even though this endangered the Israelis, because several high-ranking officials in the American government had ties to the lawyers of powerful Arab clients. She ignored these orders[8] and revealed confidential information to Israel,[1] allowing the Israelis to publicly prepare for such an attack.[8] The enraged American government expelled Jacobson from the CIA[9] and accused of having violated the trust placed in her. She was tried and convicted of treason. The White House Secretary Oliveris made sure that she was sent to Fort Cheer, an inhumane maximum security prison in Nebraska, where he intended to keep her for life.[1] The details of Jacobson's conviction were classified,[8] but close analysis would have shown that she had been unjustly imprisoned.[10][9]

Fort Cheer[]

Susan Jacobson (Earth-616) from Incredible Hulk Vol 1 410 001

The inhumane conditions of Jacobson's confinement

Kept in permanent solitary confinement, Jacobson spent two years, three months and six days in a dark cell, receiving light and fresh air only when the guards opened a small slot to check that she was still inside and often to mock her. With minimal food, she lost weight quickly and kept her hair trimmed almost to zero. She remained shoeless, and shared her cell with at least one rat.[1]

After that time, Banner (at that point the superhero Incredible Hulk and associated with the group Pantheon) learned what had happened to his ex-girlfriend.[9][6][4][5][11] and planned to rescue her with the help of the Pantheon[1][9][6][4][5] The Hulk told Jacobson that he was going to rescue her by making an image of his head appear in her cell to give him the message; Jacobson logically interpreted this as a symptom of mental problems on her part. The Hulk also threatened Tarkington, warden of Fort Cheer, to give him the chance to free Jacobson and prevent damage to her prison; Tarkington, lacking the authority to free Jacobson because of Oliveris, moved Jacobson's cell to make the rescue more difficult.[1] Oliveris insisted that Jacobson should not be released.[1][8]

Despiste opposition from S.H.I.E.L.D.[1][8][11] and its director Nicholas Fury,[9] succeeded in freeing Jacobson[11][9] when Fury pretended to relent to the Hulk's bluff, and let the Pantheon leave.[8] The Pantheon then took Jacobson to a Pantheon safe location[11] while Fury met with Oliveris and threatened him with revealing to the press the details of Jacobson's case if Oliveris took any measure.[8] Jacobson thanked the Hulk, apologizing for having dumped him (thou the Hulk asked her to not reveal details about their former relationship so as to not hinder his own reputation), then the Hulk used the Pantheon's resources to send Jacobson and her family to a safe location abroad,[8] first in Europe,[9] then settling in Tokyo where she recovered and began eating more healthily. The Hulk was not in direct contact with her, thou he asked the Pantheon for periodic reports.[3]

Years later, the Hulk began a relationship with Rappaccini, who told him about her old friendship with Jacobson.[2]

Notes

  • Incredible Hulk #411 (1993) explicitly mentions that Jacobson discovered Saddam Hussein's plans to perform gas-based attacks one year before then-recent Operation Desert Storm (1991), leading to her decision to disregard orders to save Israeli lives. The part mentioning Hussein and Operation Desert Storm can be considered a topical reference; thou the part about Israeli lives and some American officials protecting Arab interests may not be.

Trivia

  • Dr. Samson's white paper Psychological Ramifications of Gamma Radiation, detailing aspects of Bruce Banner's life, included a picture of Jacobson.[12]

See Also

Links and References

References

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