The Hulk: Origins (Marvel XV)

The Hulk: Origins is a 2019 featured storyline published by Marvel Comics. The storyline is the first to have been published through Marvel XV, a constructed universe by Solace. The story itself details an alternative incarnation of the Hulk's origin story, with Bruce Banner having been a test subject at the hands of the Osborn Corporation as a means of creating the first man-made mutant. The story was published in two seperate parts over a period of two months, being June and July respectively.

The story was met with criticism towards it's lackluster plot and it's failure to meet expectations placed upon by extensive promotion by Marvel Comics. Nonetheless, it served as the first introduction in XV, although it is technically the ninth story chronologically.

Part I
After the events of The X-Men, Norman Osborn, founder of the Osborn Corporation, realizes that the best way to commit mass-genocide against the mutant species would be to re-create the Superhero Serum from World War II and inject it into a suitable host. After much work, he selects the head director of the science team, Bruce Banner, to be a suitable test subject and forces him into a containment unit. He figures the combination of a highly-intelligent individual with a large increasement in strength and body durability would allow for the creation of a mutant both capable of fighting wars and outsmarting the enemy by strategic means. Osborn soon releases the chemical, in the form of a gas, into the container. Banner soon passes out from the gas, and Osborn initially declares the operation to have been a failure. After airing out the containment unit and opening the doors, a radiation-spotted Banner falls to the ground. A medic rushes to his side to check for a heart beat, and after checking twice, is declared dead.

Roughly two hours later, Banner awakens inside a room full of dead corpses all exhibiting the same skin conditions as he does. Many of them having mutant bodily organs and various other horroric sightings, he soon realizes that Osborn isn't the charismatic CEO that he had learned under, and builds up a large amount of anger, transforming Banner into the first iteration of the Hulk. In a subsequent rage, the Hulk crashes through the steel door, and after facing a killing a few security guards, is able to break through the Osborn Corporation and flee the organization.

Although the Hulk is on a rampage, Banner finds himself in a dark and cold dreamscape, with various demons and dragons flying across the entire region. After walking around for a bit in curiousity and fear, he is soon met face to face with the being Nightmare, who begins to imprison, tormet, and torture Banner as the Hulk continues to destroy much of New York City. The military soon becomes involved and is deployed to deal with the situation, enraging the Hulk even further, resulting in a large-scale confrontation between the deployed army and the Hulk.

Banner, through a means of manipulation of Nightmare's weaknesses and lack of supervision, is able to free himself from the imprisonment and begins searching for a possible exit. Nightmare soon realizes that Banner has escaped his imprisonment, and within minutes, is able to find Banner running across the dimension. Summoning multiple demons, many of the demons soon catch up to Banner and just as one of the demons starts terrorizing Banner, his body soon begins to morph into the Hulk as Banner "wakes up" in the middle of New York and surrounded by the military.

While Banner is arrested and transported to a high-security prison in SHIELD, the Hulk, continuing his rage, begins fighting Nightmare. The Hulk is able to fight off much of the Nightmare's demon army and subsequently begins clashing with Nightmare himself. Nightmare, having found himself bored of constantly fighting and becoming slowly exhausted, decides he would simply kill the Hulk and Banner respectively. Easily overpowering the Hulk within moments and slowly ripping him apart, the Hulk is ripped from the hands of Nightmare and physically thrown out of the dark dimension. This is later revealed to have been caused by Doctor Strange, replacing himself for Banner in the dark dimension, two decades later in The Hulk II: Annihilation.

With the consolidation of Banner and the Hulk into one singular body in one landscape, Banner soon turns back into the Hulk after realizing that they have morphed. The Hulk is able to destroy his way through much of SHIELD's security before running away in the night.