World War Hulk #5
World War Hulk #5 closes one of the most kinetically charged Hulk stories ever told and delivers the Earth-616 debut of Skaar, the son of Bruce Banner and the late Caiera, whose emergence from Sakaar's molten ruins instantly set up a new chapter in Hulk family mythology. The issue also contains the event's moral gut-punch: Miek's confession that the explosion that launched the entire war was not the Illuminati's doing but the act of Red King loyalists Miek deliberately allowed to proceed, recontextualizing every blow the Hulk struck across the series. It gave readers one of the few Marvel events of the 2000s where the nominal villain ends the story as a genuinely tragic figure rather than a straightforward monster — a tonal complexity that has kept the arc in conversation ever since. The 'Black Bolt' who appeared throughout the series was additionally revealed by the subsequent Secret Invasion event to have been a Skrull impostor all along, folding this issue's stakes into Marvel's next line-wide story.
In "The Incredible Hulk versus the Sentry," the Hulk's brutal victory over the Sentry is undercut by a devastating revelation: the destruction of Sakaar was orchestrated by his ally Miek, who sought to fuel the Hulk’s rage. Overwhelmed by betrayal, the Hulk demands Miek’s death—only for Tony Stark to intervene, subduing him with a satellite strike and taking Bruce Banner into custody. On Sakaar, Skaar rises from the ashes of Caiera’s final stand. Written by Greg Pak and illustrated by John Romita Jr., with colors by Christina Strain and letters by Chris Eliopoulos, this 2008 Marvel issue features a cover by David Finch and Danny Miki.
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The five-issue World War Hulk miniseries was written by Greg Pak with pencils by John Romita Jr., inks by Klaus Janson, colors by Christina Strain, lettering by VC's Chris Eliopoulos, and cover art by David Finch. The series grew directly out of Pak's preceding 'Planet Hulk' run on Incredible Hulk and was conceived as the payoff to the Illuminati's decision to exile the Hulk — a plot point seeded across multiple titles. Issue #5 was originally scheduled to arrive in October 2007 but was delayed, with Marvel announcing the slip via the Diamond Dateline retail newsletter in October 2007; the issue eventually shipped on November 14, 2007, with a January 2008 cover date.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance (Earth-616 canon) of Skaar, son of the Hulk and Caiera, who emerges from Sakaar's lava pools in the issue's final pages — created by writer Greg Pak and artist John Romita Jr.
- Written by Greg Pak, penciled by John Romita Jr., inked by Klaus Janson, colored by Christina Strain; cover by David Finch with inking by Danny Miki and colors by Frank D'Armata; a John Romita Jr. variant cover also exists.
- Published November 14, 2007 (cover-dated January 2008) as the final chapter of the five-issue World War Hulk miniseries.
- The issue's central battle pits the Hulk against the Sentry (Robert Reynolds) in a sustained, city-leveling clash that concludes with both combatants reverting to their human forms — Banner and Reynolds — simultaneously.
- Miek's betrayal twist reveals that the warp-core explosion that killed Caiera and Hulk's people on Sakaar was not the Illuminati's sabotage but the work of Red King loyalists whom Miek chose not to stop, rewriting the moral foundation of the entire event.
- Bruce Banner is taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and imprisoned in a secret facility three miles underground in the Mojave Desert after Tony Stark uses orbiting defense satellites to bring the Hulk down.
- The 'Black Bolt' who fought the Hulk throughout the series is retroactively established as a Skrull impostor, as confirmed in Secret Invasion: Inhumans #3 — tying this issue directly to Marvel's next major crossover event.
- The issue and the full miniseries have been reprinted in multiple collected formats, including Hulk: WWH – World War Hulk (trade paperback), the World War Hulk Omnibus (2017), and the Hulk: World War Hulk collection (2019).
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The Hulk defeats the Sentry but learns the destruction on Sakaar was caused by his own friend Miek, who wanted to inspire the Hulk to keep fighting. Overwhelmed with rage, the Hulk orders the assembled heroes to kill him before he destroys the Earth. Tony Stark narrowly defeats the Hulk with a satellite weapon then takes Bruce Banner prisoner. On Sakaar, Skaar emerges from the place where Caiera died.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).