Earlier this year, Marvel announced that a new character would take over the role of the Hulk after the Secret Wars crossover event. And while many comic book fans correctly guessed the identity of the “Totally Awesome Hulk,” Marvel treated it like a state secret… until now.
Entertainment Weekly was given the opportunity to reveal exactly who the new Hulk is. There are definitely spoilers ahead. If you don’t want to know before the comic comes out, stop reading now!
The new Hulk is Amadeus Cho, an Asian American supporting character in the Marvel Universe who made his debut in 2006. Cho was integrated into the World War Hulk crossover by co-creators Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, who kept Cho in the series when it was rebranded as Incredible Hercules.
Prior to his Hulk out, Cho had no powers except for his intellect, which supposedly makes him the sixth smartest person on Earth.
Marvel’s Axel Alonso explained the change from Bruce Banner to Cho in the Entertainment Weekly report.
“Amadeus came to mind for a lot of different reasons. One of them is that physically, he’s like Banner: he’s the 98-pound weakling who’s had everything but the physical aspect to make him seem super cool,” said Alonso. “And secondarily is that he’s so different from Banner. He shares the monstrous intellect but he’s so different — he’s a teenage kid, who’s hasn’t lived much yet. When Banner inherited the burden of being the Hulk, he was an adult. And I think that it showed in the way that he responded to it. Amadeus is a plucky kid. He’s got a chip on his shoulder, he’s the fifth or sixth smartest guy in the world according to the official rankings, and I think he’s just going to carry himself very differently with that power.”
Pak will be returning to the character for Totally Awesome Hulk # 1 alongside fan favorite artist Frank Cho. The first issue will be released this fall.
Comic fans, how do you feel about the increased diversification of the Marvel Universe post-Secret Wars? Let us know in the comment section below!
