The History of Red Hulk

The Red Hulk first appeared in Hulk volume 2, issue 1, in January of 2008, but we didn’t get his origin until two years later, in Hulk issue 23. But before we break down issue 23, let’s briefly discuss issue 22, where it’s revealed who he was after 21 issues of not knowing. In issue 22, the Red Hulk is doing his thing, laying the smackdown on a bunch of other characters. However, towards the end of the issue, the Red She-Hulk shows up. That’s right, there’s also a Red She-Hulk who first appeared in issue 15 of the same title. Not only did she show up, but she also showed up at the perfect time, as the Red Hulk is saying to himself, I pushed myself too hard. Gotta get to Banner, at which point someone kicks him in the face. He says, not now, not her, as we see Red She-Hulk saying, we took a vote. It’s time for you to die.

The two then start fighting, but Red Hulk, having already exerted most of his energy, is easily handled by Red She-Hulk. She even says, It’s the one thing Green Hulk has over you. The madder he gets, the stronger he gets. But not you. You build up all that energy like a reactor but without a cooling system. Your body overheats. For those who didn’t know, the madder the Red Hulk gets, the hotter he gets. She then proceeds to bash his face on her knee, saying, let me draw off some of that excess energy. On second thought, I’ll just take it all, as she literally drains the Red Hulk’s powers. Red Hulk then says, do it then, take my life, but she looks in his eyes and says, I can’t, and he responds, Why the hell not? On the final page of the issue, she says, because you’re my father, revealing that the Red Hulk is, in fact, Thunderbolt Ross. That also means that the Red She-Hulk is Betty Ross, General Ross’s daughter.