HULK: THE END

Below is an excerpt from the comic one-shot HULK: THE END,
set hundreds of years in the future.

-------------------

"When the Government proposed the "Costumed Adventures Memorial Park," after all the casualties during the Hell on Earth War, I never thought it would actually happen... much less last. But it did. They're all laid to rest here... those who fell during Hell on Earth, and then those in the Outer World War... even those who just went from old age. All here. All gone. And none of them lived to see... after everything they went through to protect Humanity from Alien enemies, from evil forces who wanted to enslave or eliminate Mankind... none of them lived to see Mankind fall beneath the one enemy humans were helpless before: other humans. But.. he saw. Not only that... but he derived a sort of grim satisfaction from it. As if somehow seeing Mankind destroying itself was some sort of validation of the opinion he'd held for so long. The Hulk didn't care that the initial bombings were the results of terrorists acting outside government mandates. He didn't care that no one wanted war... but that retaliation was the only possible response. He didn't care that it all spiraled out of control. He didn't care about millions upon millions of innocent people dying. He didn't care that the remaining heroes, the Defenders of Mankind, died in these blasts. Just as did their villainous opponents, because Nuclear Holocaust doesn't care about good guys and bad guys. He cared about two things, and two things only: about being the strongest one there is. And being left alone. It never struck the Hulk as unusual that others died of old age while he kept going. Somehow, to him, it seemed... "right." It was his healing ability, of course, which repaired damage to his body at an accelerated rate, and to mine, albeit somewhat more slowly and far less efficiently. And all the radiation being released from the Last World War, why... it made him all the stronger. He didn't care about that either, though. The noise of explosions, however, and the cries of the dead... and the dying... these things bothered him. Whether they offended his sense of order, or jabbed at his conscience, or just served as an annoyance... I really couldn't say. All I know is that he wanted to distance himself from it. So, as he had so many times before, he returned to New Mexico -- to the place of his birth -- to the Gamma Cave... and he sealed us in. And there we stayed, until all the shouting died down, not using much energy... and, so, not requiring much in the way of sustenance. There was a natural spring running though the cave, although I suspect that it was contaminated by radiation. Not that that bothered the Hulk, of course... although it, along with the free floating rads, had a slow, visible effect on him. I have no idea how long we remained there... the Hulk in seclusion, me and unwilling prisoner... And then one day..."

--Bruce Banner.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The original comic is a bit pricey, but its been recently reprinted in the Giant-Size Hulk #1, on sale now at your local comic book shop (or order from Lisa at NeptuneComics!).