Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk #1

In this foundational tale from Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk #1, scientist Bruce Banner struggles to contain the monstrous alter ego born from a tragic accident—after surviving a gamma radiation explosion that saved a young boy, he now faces a nightly transformation into the raging Hulk. The story captures the haunting duality of a man torn between intellect and instinct, as the sun sets and the monster awakens.

In "The Terror of the Toad Men," Bruce Banner finds himself caught between two threats: the alien Toad Men, who seek Earth's greatest minds, and the desperate efforts of Rick and General Ross to contain the Hulk. When the Toad Men crash-land on Earth, Bruce is captured and brought aboard their ship—only to find himself the key to stopping their invasion. As the alien fleet descends, the Hulk breaks free, facing a new kind of enemy in a battle that tests both his strength and his humanity.

In "Banished to Outer Space," Rick Jones finds himself caught in a high-stakes gamble when General Ross manipulates him into launching the Hulk into space aboard an experimental rocket. Trapped in the void with the transformed Bruce Banner, Rick must confront the consequences of Ross’s deception as the Hulk’s fate becomes inextricably tied to his own waking hours.

In "The Ringmaster," Rick takes a rare break from his Hulk-sitting duties and stumbles into a traveling circus—only to find himself under the spell of a hypnotic criminal running the show. When the Hulk arrives to rescue his friend, he’s captured and forced into the act, his strength turned into spectacle while Rick remains helpless under the ringmaster’s control.

In "The Monster and the Machine!", Bruce Banner finds himself trapped in the Hulk's form, but with a twist: he's not just fighting the beast within—he's trying to master it. Using his own gamma-powered machinery, he attempts a radical transformation, leading to a shocking reversal where the mind and body swap, granting him control over the transformation like never before.

In "Beauty and the Beast!", the Hulk is drawn into Tyrannus’s underground kingdom when the villain kidnaps Betty to force the jade giant into servitude. With Betty’s safety at stake, the Hulk must navigate a subterranean realm where his strength is no match for Tyrannus’s schemes—until a moment of defiance changes everything.

In "The Hordes of General Fang!", the Hulk faces off against the ambitious General Fang, a would-be conqueror aiming to seize control of the Asian province of Llhasa. With a clever disguise and sheer strength, the green giant thwarts the invasion—once donning the guise of the Abominable Snowman to outwit his foe.

In "The Incredible Hulk vs The Metal Master!", the Hulk—still wrestling with the instability of his transformations—faces a terrifying alien threat in the form of the Metal Master, whose power proves overwhelming. When the Hulk's usual form fails him and he's captured by General Ross, a new resistance emerges in the form of Rick's Teen Brigade. With Banner's mind still in control, the Hulk must find a way to fight back, not just as a monster, but as a man with a plan.