—Lejori ZakariaWe've suffered enough for other people's wars.
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
- The Ultimates
- Lejori Zakaria (First appearance) (Origin revealed)
Supporting Characters:
- Abram (First appearance)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Tara (First appearance)
- Sorry (First appearance)
- Lejori's father (First appearance; dies)
- Lejori's mother (First appearance; dies)
- Other Monster Island inhabitants
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth-6160
- Bikini Atoll (First appearance)
- Monster Isle (First appearance)
- Bikini Atoll (First appearance)
Items:
- Gamma Bomb (Only in flashback)
- Iron Lad Armor
- Mjolnir
Synopsis for 1st story
Many years ago in the Pacific Proving Grounds, the North American Union Army conducted a gamma radiation nuclear testing in which it was called Operation Castle Gamma, led by Director Bruce Banner. The resulting fallout that transformed Banner into the Hulk also exposed a nearby island’s human population, flora, and fauna. A significant number of the plants, animals, and humans perished as a result of gamma sickness. Others, however, endured particularly severe mutations that contributed to the atoll's transformation into what the NAU personnel called "Monster Island". After three weeks of observation, Banner deemed the mutations on the atoll of great scientific value in order to study gamma's effect on life in general and human life specifically.
In the present, Iron Lad, Thor, and Sif travel to Monster Island to investigate the large readings of Gamma radiation. The trio soon encounters the local wildlife in the form of a giant mutated lizard, in which the Asgardians easily dispatch it within a minute. While Iron Lad expresses his scientific curiosity over the island, Thor expresses his concerns that this island to be very unnatural, stating it to be a poisoned place. They soon come under attack by a Gamma-irradiated lizard-like humanoid. The creature quickly proves impervious to their attacks and knocks over the Asgardians with ease until Thor tries a different approach by using his hammer against the creature. Before Thor delivers a killing blow to the creature, he is suddenly stopped by a She-Hulk.
The She-Hulk introduces herself as Lejori Joena Zakaria, the protector of Monster Island and everything on it, including the creature that attacked the Ultimates. Tony reassures Lejori that they only come to talk and his comrades backs down. Then to the Ultimates' surprise, Lejori calms the creature by singing a lullaby, lulling him to sleep and causing him to change back to a human baby who is named Abram. As Lejori cradles the baby in her arms, she explains to the Ultimates of how her people were left in the fallout caused by Banner.
Banner had come to Lejori's people with promises of receiving money, new houses, and protection of the world governments in exchange for using their islands as a testing ground for Gamma bombs. The NAU even claimed that once they finished their experiments and ended their wars, they would clean up the fallout. The inhabitants did not believe them and refused. But the NAU dropped their bombs and left them to live in the fallout. Tony realizes that Lejori's people are still on the island and asks her if her people are Hulks similar to her, hoping for an army of Hulks to oppose the Maker's Council. But Lejori takes the Ultimates to her village and the heroes quickly sober up.
The islanders are not Hulks, they are severely mutated from the Gamma radiation in which some are left physically impaired for life. Lejori considers herself and the others the lucky ones who survived the mutation and they are even afraid of having children who might become more deformed and helpless. Tony apologizes to Lejori for being insensitive earlier before requesting her help against the Maker's Council, in which he even offers in return to help move her and her people somewhere safe. But Lejori declines the idea of leaving the atoll, stating that their home is their ancestral land despite being inhospitable. Instead Lejori proposes to Tony that she would be only willing to help the Ultimates if he fixes the island like it was before the bombs. Tony is left overwhelmed by Lejori's demands as the entire island requires a massive amount of resources to remove the Gamma radiation. But Sif reminds Tony that he previously swore to fix the world and therefore he should be obligated to fix Lejori's island as well. Tony accepts Lejori's offer with a handshake.
Unknown to the Ultimates and Lejori, they are being secretly observed by the Hulk from a hidden camera. The Hulk is left deeply displeased by this development, in which he accuses the Ultimates for interfering with his long-running experiments on the atoll. He then orders his minions to assemble the Immortal Weapons.
Fifteen months remaining...
Solicit Synopsis
INTRODUCING…THE SHE-HULK!
The Ultimates search for a means of destroying the Maker’s most powerful pawn, the Hulk! And in the process they uncover an army of Hulks hidden away from the world… with She-Hulk at the helm!Trivia
- The Gamma experimentation that befell Bikini Atoll, named Castle Gamma, is based on the real-life Castle Bravo nuclear test conducted in the area by the United States in 1954. The data pages featured in this issue are based on the data report from Project 4.1, a medical study and experimentation of the residents of the Marshall Islands that were exposed to radiation. Some of the most egregious comments were paraphrased from these real-life documents. The comment, "While it's true that these people do not live as we do—as civilized people—it is also true that they are more like us than mice or fruit flies" is taken from the words of U.S. official Merril Eisenbud.[1]
- The Banner-Ulam Gamma Bomb that was used on the island is named after the Teller-Ulam design, which was the technical principal behind modern thermonuclear weapons. Ulam is named after Polish nuclear physicist Stanisław Ulam.
See Also
Links and References
References
- ↑ Camp, Deniz (August 14, 2024) Deniz Camp on X: "One small thing; the data pages were based directly o X. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Originally retrieved on August 20, 2024.