Warning: Minor SPOILERS for Avengers/Defenders: Tarot #1

In the pages of Marvel Comics history, many men and women have been powered by gamma radiation, but only one hero can simply call himself The Hulk. But that history may need to change, since an unexpected twist in a brand new comic suggests Bruce Banner actually wasn’t the first person to take the form of the Hulk we know and love. That honor goes to Captain America.

At least, that’s certainly what Marvel looks to have revealed, with Avengers/Defenders: Tarot #1 returning to the days of World War II. More specifically, the first official ‘Hulk-out’ demonstrated by Steve Rogers while in battle against the Nazi forces loyal to Hitler. And regardless of what magic or mysticism may be at work, if the scene is as it appears… then Captain America was the Hulk a good twenty years before Bruce Banner.

While the entire issue arrives on stands later this week, the official preview of Avengers/Defenders: Tarot #1 contains the scene in question. Following Captain America and his classic Invaders teammates Namor and Human Torch, the pages show the heroes chasing down ‘Oberführer Okkulte,’ a previously unknown head of Hitler’s Mystical Research Division. Rather than trying to fight off three certified superheroes himself, Okkulte relies on his magic wand. Literally, he has a wand to inscribe runes on statues and have them serve his will. But just when the heroes seem overwhelmed, Steve channels a future friend. Take a look at two of the official preview pages:

As hard as the twist may be to believe, there isn’t much room for misinterpretation: Steve wails, and erupts into the form of the Hulk out of his signature WWII costume. For the historical sticklers out there, the Incredible Hulk’s first official appearance came in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s debut issue of The Incredible Hulk in May of 1962. While that birth date has been pushed forward with the rest of Marvel’s heroes, even pretending it could remain canon puts the birth of Banner’s Hulk twenty years after the scene in the pages above.

The most likely explanation is that some sort of magic is at work, allowing either the power of the Hulk, or the hero himself to traverse time. Considering the tone and title of Avengers/Defenders: Tarot, and the tease of madness across two teams of heroes, mysticism is absolutely in play. But no matter how it is shown to have happened, only one man became the Hulk to combat Nazi magic. And he did it in Captain America’s body. Needless to say, fans will want to know the full story when the issue arrives, giving another reason to watch out for Tarot #1 when it arrives on January 1st.

  • AVENGERS/DEFENDERS #1 Written by: Alan Davis Art by: Paul Renaud Cover by: Paul Renaud An all-new epic adventure teaming the classic Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with Marvel’s premiere Non-Team by Alan Davis and Paul Renaud! A strange and impossible lost memory from his days in World War II draws Namor the Sub-Mariner to his one-time compatriot Captain America — but the two heroes and their respective allies find themselves pulled into a labyrinth of pain, destruction and madness courtesy of the Infernal Ichor of Ish’lzog!

Avengers/Defenders: Tarot #1 will be available from your local comic book shop on January 1st, 2020.

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