Marvel's God of Thunder has just collided with the Starship Hulk, and he has uncovered the true depths of the horror that Bruce is running from.
The following contains major spoilers for Thor #25, available now from Marvel.
Life is never particularly easy for any of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, yet the past couple of years for two of Marvel's most iconic Avengers have easily been the worst of all time. While Thor has spent recent months grappling with the long overdue repercussions of his father's twisted legacy and his own place in the world, Bruce Banner has left Earth entirely in the hopes of escaping his own demons. Now that the two have collided, the God of Thunder has uncovered precisely what it is that has been haunting his fellow Avenger, and it is so much worse than anyone could have ever imagined.
Ever since some tragic, mysterious event unfolded in El Paso, Bruce Banner has been on the run from his fellow heroes, as well as the world at large, only to be besieged by Thor. Despite trying to explain his situation when confronted by the God of Thunder, the two Avengers still ended up trading blows, culminating in one especially devastating strike which left Odin's spirit behind as another passenger in Bruce's mind. During the encounter between the two in the pages of Thor #25 (by Donny Cates, Martin Coccolo, Matt Wilson, and VC's Joe Sabino), Bruce and Odin are transported back to that fateful day in El Paso. There they not only relive the horror of what happened, they finally come to understand just how grave the threat of Titan truly is.
RELATED: Tony Stark Trolls Mr. Fantastic About Hulk and Thor - And It's Absolutely Perfect
As the events unfold, Bruce is busy trying to work with the Hulk to put their powers to use making the world a better place. When Bruce attempted to shrug off an uncomfortable encounter with another bar patron, both his rage and radioactive powers spread like a plague. Finding himself surrounded on all sides, Bruce saw black before gruesomely tearing through the rest of the patrons with his own very human hands. From the looks of things, this was the first instance of Titan surfacing as the dominant psyche, and the fact that he didn't have to transform to cause so much death and destruction reveals just what it is that Bruce and Hulk are up against.
The idea that Titan could infect others with the Hulk's powers is already horrifying at face value, but it gets even worse upon closer inspection. It also explains exactly why Bruce was so desperate to leave his home world behind, let alone his home reality. Considering Bruce had no control over his actions the night that Titan emerged, there is no telling what could have happened had he decided to stay behind. On top of that, being able to create temporary Gamma irradiated threats gives Titan the ability to force his own transformation without being the dominant personality at any given time.
RELATED: Marvel Resurrects [SPOILER] For Hulk and Thor’s Giant Battle
Beyond everything else, there is the concern over whether the Hulk would be able to recognize Titan's emergence should his own darker half start making his way towards the surface, and what if anything the Emerald Avenger could do about it. Bruce spent years on end trying to tame the beast raging inside him, and not even his boldest or most dedicated efforts could do so. That being the case, it is hard to imagine that the Hulk would be able to hold Titan back under any circumstances. For what Titan was capable of from inside of Banner's body, the thought of him taking control of Hulk might just be the most terrifying possibility the Marvel Universe has faced in a very long time. Hopefully it isn't one that anyone has to deal with anytime soon.
John Dodge has been an avid consumer of comic books and nerd culture for as long as he can remember. An expert on competitive gaming and obscure kids shows from the 80's and 90's, John has far too many opinions about Beetleborgs for someone in their thirties. You can find him occasionally discussing them over on Twitter at @JohnJDodge.