Bruce Banner Becomes the Cosmic Hulk: "Too Powerful for His Own Good"

An upcoming Hulk appearance is giving the legendary Marvel hero a jaw-dropping upgrade, with new powers and even a codename upgrade that will put him on the same level as Galactus.

In recently revealed solicit information for Hulk: Smash Everything #4 - from Ryan North and Vincenzo Carratù - Marvel reveals that Bruce Banner will become the "Cosmic Hulk," with the power to shatter entire planets. Hulk will gain his powers after being thrown into a black hole and use them to battle pretty much every hero on Earth.

The series sees the Leader trying to kill Hulk by throwing him into hugely destructive moments from Earth's history. In the most recent issue, Hulk survived the meteor that killed the dinosaurs. And after surviving a black hole, he'll be infused with cosmic energy. The issue's summary reads:

HULK GOES COSMIC! Galaxies are born, stars go supernova, but HULK will always remain!!! After deserting Hulk in Earth's pre-historic age, the Leader thought himself successful - only for HULK to get sucked into a black hole and become COSMIC. Now too powerful for his own good, COSMIC HULK goes up against Earth's mightiest heroes in a battle that rivals the big bang!!! GO FIGURE!

Hulk Is Now Strong Enough to Smash the Planet

So how strong will "Cosmic Hulk" be exactly? The answer is found in the solicit info from issue five, which confirms that Hulk's fight against Earth's heroes will damage the planet itself, leaving him as the only being strong enough to prevent the planet from collapsing. He's also shown with glowing hands, suggesting some kind of energy powers. The issue's summary reads:

HULK SMASH FINALE! In his endless pursuit of just being left alone, Hulk has smashed through the Earth's core. With the planet falling apart from the inside out, will Hulk shoulder the literal weight of the world? Or will he decide that everything is better off smashed?

Hulk's new form and powers seem to call back to Al Ewing and Germán García's The Immortal Hulk #25. That issue revealed a potential future where Hulk steals the powers of Galactus, becoming a cosmic giant capable of smashing entire planets to pieces. Hulk thankfully avoided that dark future, in which he would have been possessed by the demonic One Below All.

Now, Hulk: Smash Everything is giving him cosmic power once again - and this time he actually gets to wield it for himself. The series promised to break new ground in terms of Hulk's strength, and it's now clear just how impressive its ambitions are.

Hulk is about to undergo a cosmic transformation, lending him power comparable to the Big Bang - but when the Green Goliath's strength runs out of control, will he choose to save the Earth or destroy it?

Hulk: Smash Everything #3 is coming February 25 from Marvel Comics.