Hulk: Asunder (Comics) | Review

Here's the thing about separation: sometimes the cure becomes worse than the disease. Writer Jason Aaron (The Mighty Thor: The War Thor, The Mighty Thor: Thunder in Her Veins) explores what happens when Bruce Banner and the Hulk are finally split into separate beings only to discover that both halves need each other to stay sane.

This isn't your typical Jekyll and Hyde story where the monster gets destroyed and the man lives happily ever after. The premise sounds like wish fulfillment for Banner fans who always wanted to see him freed from his green curse completely.

Instead, Aaron crafts a psychological horror story where separation drives both characters toward inevitable madness. The Hulk retreats to underground and live with the Moloids, while Banner descends into obsessive experimentation, creating a scenario where neither can function properly alone without their other half.

Following the events of Fear Itself, Banner and Hulk have been permanently separated through unspecified means. The split initially seems like a dream come true for Banner, who can finally pursue his scientific work without the constant threat of transformation.

Meanwhile, Hulk finds peace in the underground realm of Subterranea, living among the Moloids who accept him without fear or judgment. This sanctuary provides the emotional stability he's never experienced on the surface world among humans.

Banner's newfound freedom quickly becomes a nightmare as he loses the emotional balance that Hulk provided. Without his alter ego to absorb trauma and rage, Banner becomes obsessed with recreating the Hulk through increasingly dangerous experiments.

His scientific curiosity transforms into mania, leading him to capture and experiment on gamma-irradiated subjects in ways that would horrify his former self. The ethical boundaries that once defined Banner fully dissolve under obsessive desperation. Each failed experiment pushes him further from the man he used to be.

The Hulk faces his own challenges in Subterranea, discovering that life without Banner's intelligence leaves him vulnerable in unexpected ways. While he enjoys the acceptance of the Moloid society, he struggles with complex problems that require Banner's analytical mind.

The separation that promised freedom becomes a prison for both halves of the same person. Aaron introduces the Mad Squad, a team of individuals affected by Banner's experiments, who become unlikely allies in confronting the scientist's descent into villainy.

These characters serve as both victims and mirrors, showing how Banner's actions affect innocent people while highlighting his growing disconnection from humanity. Their suffering becomes a direct reflection of Banner's moral decay, demonstrating real-world consequences of his recent uncontrolled scientific obsession.

The conflict escalates as Banner's experiments threaten not just individual victims but entire populations. His pursuit of the perfect Hulk recreation leads to increasingly catastrophic consequences, forcing the real Hulk to emerge from his underground sanctuary.

The story builds toward a confrontation where both Banner and Hulk must face the reality that their separation has made them incomplete. This inevitable meeting forces both characters to confront their fundamental need for each other.

This storyline connects directly to the aftermath of Fear Itself while setting up future Banner-Hulk dynamics. Aaron's work influences how subsequent writers handle the Banner-Hulk psychological relationship, establishing themes in later Hulk stories about accepting all aspects of one's nature that resurface in later stories.

Artwork by Marc Silvestri (Codename: Stryke Force, New X-Men: Here Comes Tomorrow) brings visceral intensity to Aaron's psychological horror story. His detailed linework excels at showing Banner's physical deterioration as madness consumes him.

Silvestri's underground sequences create an environment that feels both hostile and welcoming depending on perspective. The artist's handling of Banner's laboratory scenes deserves special mention for their clinical coldness contrasted with moments of explosive violence.

The artist's handling of Banner's laboratory scenes deserves special mention for their clinical coldness contrasted with moments of explosive violence. Silvestri understands how to make scientific equipment look both sterile and threatening, supporting the story's themes about how knowledge without wisdom becomes dangerous.

Aaron's writing treats the separation concept with appropriate seriousness rather than using it for simple wish fulfillment. He understands that Banner and Hulk represent different aspects of human nature that need each other to function properly.

Asunder succeeds by treating Banner and Hulk as two halves of a complete person rather than separate entities forced together by circumstance. Aaron and Silvestri created a compelling story that explores the psychological necessity of accepting all aspects of human nature, even the uncomfortable ones we'd rather eliminate entirely.

This storyline works best for readers familiar with Hulk mythology, as it builds heavily on decades of Banner-Hulk relationship dynamics. The story assumes knowledge of their previous conflicts and resolutions, making it less accessible to newcomers than other Hulk stories.

The horror elements distinguish this from typical superhero fare without overwhelming the core character dynamics. Aaron uses genre conventions to explore some serious themes about mental health, personal responsibility and the danger of eliminating uncomfortable personality aspects rather than simply accepting them.

Hulk: Asunder storyline begins with Incredible Hulk (2011) #1–7, collecting the full arc as Incredible Hulk by Jason Aaron Vol. 1 in trade paperback and hardcover. For digital fans, the collected editions are accessible on ComiXology, Kindle and Marvel Unlimited.