Warning: contains spoilers for Immortal Hulk #47
The Avengers are famous. Though Hulk is often a member of Earth's Mightiest Heroes rather than an adversary, that hasn't stopped him from clashing with Marvel's most famous superhero team, and their latest brawl is the greatest of all time.
Ever since the Avengers first squared off against the newly Immortal Hulk in Immortal Hulk #7, Hulk has had nothing but contempt for his former teammates. That battle saw the Hulk's mind, meaning he's more than eager to throw down.
Now, in Immortal Hulk #47 from Al Ewing and Joe Bennet, Hulk is ed by his wife Harpy in his battle against the Avengers. With the more violence-prone Joe Fixit persona in charge, Hulk has no problem Blade aside. In the middle of the unfolding chaos is issue's narrator, Jennifer Walters the She-Hulk. As her cousin battles her teammate, she can't help but express that the whole battle is a tragedy. When Harpy attacks Captain Marvel, Jennifer tries to talk the Hulk's wife out of violence but has trouble finding the words. Harpy tells her that words are too small for Hulks, before getting blasted away by Captain marvel. Unfortunately, things only grow more chaotic when Hulk's allies in Gamma Flight arrive. Dr. Leonard Samson tries to tell everyone to stop fighting, but neither the Hulk nor the Avengers listens. It's only when Captain America recognizes the mutated form of Rick Jones that the violence ceases for a minute. Unfortunately not even that last long, as Black Panther impales Hulk with an energy spear. Only when She-Hulk unleashes a great clap to force everyone back do all of the gamma mutates have enough time to escape.
What makes this battle so strong is just how tragic and nuanced it is. Even though the Avengers come out of the battle looking worse, it's still completely understandable why they're behaving so aggressively with Hulk. Drunk off his newfound power, Joe was literally harassing bar patrons before Thor arrived to initiate their fight. That, coupled with the awful things the Leader framed Hulk for, make the Avengers far from the bad guys. Instead of the fight being a satisfying beatdown for either side, readers walk away wishing they could just talk it out.
This is a common theme among Hulk Vs. Avengers fights, including the very first fight way back in Avengers #1 where Loki tricks Marvel's greatest heroes into thinking Hulk is a menace. Half a century later, things aren't much different. No matter how many times Hulk has proven himself to be a hero, no matter how many times he's saved people, it doesn't matter, there will always be a level of distrust between the Avengers and Hulk. The one thing that has changed is that, now, Hulk actually has allies in his corner. Symbolizing all of this is She-Hulk, who experiences a genuine breakthrough thanks to Harpy. It's thanks to her that She-Hulk realizes the truth, that her difficulties in communicating aren't a weakness, they're a result of her strength. Hulk's latest battle with the Avengers isn't great because of its action, it's great because of how deeply it understands all of the characters involved.
