Guide to Red Hulk (New For Patrons!)

I’m back with another new Marvel Comics reading order for Patrons of CK. This reading order is for a character invented specifically to be both the equal and opposite of another existing character, but who got popular enough to spin off on his own, join the Avengers, and even have a subsequent copycat character with his own unique arc. And, now he’ll be debuting in the MCU in a few short weeks! Yes, today I am sharing a brand new Guide to Red Hulk!

Guide to Red Hulk

I know it’s easy to look at Red Hulk and think, “It’s Hulk, but angrier!” But, in creating a comprehensive Red Hulk reading order, I realized he’s something very different.

Really, Red Hulk is Bruce Banner’s opposite. It’s not just that red and green are complementary colors. Where Bruce Banner often views The Hulk as a horrific curse that leaves him out of control, Red Hulk is a military weapon who is entirely in control of himself. While Banner’s Hulk is a cautionary tale of the horrors of the atomic age, Red Hulk is about how modern nuclear powers assume the world is theirs to command and control.

Red Hulk was launched in 2008 in an interesting way.

Hulk was coming off of years of being a surprise hit after Greg Pak steered him through Planet Hulk and World War Hulk. With his popularity as high as it had been in well over a decade, what would be the next move with one of Marvel’s most-iconic characters?

Make a second Hulk!

Not just any second Hulk, but an opposite second Hulk whose identity was initially a mystery in a Hulk (2008), a series launched by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. It followed how Red Hulk thwarted and tortured Bruce Banner, without Banner even knowing who he was.

Of course, now that we all know Red Hulk’s identity, it all makes sense – but, no spoilers here! In case you weren’t a big Marvel reader from 2008-2015, this is one of those surprises that is worth keeping under wraps.

Red Hulk was popular enough that when Bruce Banner took over his traditional title with Incredible Hulk (1968 / 2009) #600, Red Hulk stuck around in Hulk (2008) through issue #57 in a run that saw him exploring the wider Marvel Universe without framing his adventures with conflict with Bruce Banner. Plus, he is an active Avenger through that period, which means he’s present in the background of Fear Itself, Spider-Island, and Avengers vs. X-Men.

When the original Red Hulk stopped appearing after a massive fight with Green Hulk in Hulk (2014), Al Ewing cooked up a new version of the character in U.S.Avengers (2017). This second Red Hulk had the same military pedigree as the first one, just without the arrogance and the irrational hatred of Bruce Banner. This kinder-but-not-gentler version of Red Hulk had has own character arc throughout that series and into the weekly “No Surrender” event at the end of 2017 and early 2018.

After that, it seemed like the era of Red Hulk was entirely behind us. Al Ewing preferred to focus on other gamma-powered characters in his instant-classic Immortal Hulk (2018), including Red She-Hulk.

But, with Red Hulk joining the MCU next month, Marvel has been eager to get him back into the pages of their comics. This month we saw a return of the second Red Hulk in Captain America: Sam Wilson (2025). And, next month the original Red Hulk will be back in an ongoing solo title for the first time in over a decade in Red Hulk (2025).

Want instant access to new Guide to Red Hulk and every future guide to Marvel, DC, Indie Comics, and more? Become a Patron of CK for as little as $2 a month or $20.40 a year to gain access to this exclusive guide and over 70 other guides months before the general public gains access to them. Plus, in the past year I’ve also updated over 150 of my 200+ guides for both patrons and the general public.

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DC Guides (7): Batman – Index of Ongoing Titles, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Birds of Prey, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: Hal Jordan, Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner, Omega Men