Warning: Contains spoilers for The Incredible Hulk #26!!
Bruce Banner's transformation into the Hulk has never been pleasant, but Hulk's newest form reaches a disturbing new level. Gone is the massive form of the mightiest Avenger, and in his place is something that can only be described as body horror, and in fact, for some it will be straight up nightmare-fuel. It is certainly one of the giant's most memorable forms yet, and that isn't necessarily a good thing.
For the Incredible Hulk #26, written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, artist Nic Klein has crafted a cover image that will haunt the minds of Hulk fans for a while to come, featuring the cavernous mouth of a massive, yawning Hulk head with a maw wide enough to walk through and covered in overgrowth and fungus.
It's a disturbing visual, to say the least. There's always been something particularly visceral and jarring about the Hulkscape, and Hulk has already undergone grueling changes and transformations in the past, yet Cave-Mouth Hulk manages to be a whole new level of weird.
Hulk’s Newest Transformation Is His Most Disturbing Yet, As Marvel Outdoes Itself
Incredible Hulk #26; Written By Phillip Kennedy Johnson; Art And Cover Art By Nic Klein; Available June 25, 2025 From Marvel Comics
The process of becoming Hulk has never exactly been kind to Bruce Banner. Throughout the giant’s long history with Marvel Comics, the change has been presented as causing varying levels of pain, with The Incredible Hulk's depictions seeming downright cruel to Bruce. The horror aspects of the series have allowed the writer and artist duo of Johnson and Klein to push boundaries, which has meant inflicting quite a lot of pain on Banner and Hulk along the way. Fans have already watched Banner stretch, break, and reform all in the most brutal fashion imaginable, but Hulk hasn't had it easy.
The idea of traveling into a hollowed-out Hulk makes things even worse. Its gaping mouth and massive teeth are a horror-show, but the single visual likely doesn't capture what the green Avenger endured during the change.
The Incredible Hulk #19, gave readers another twisted Hulk look, courtesy of the Elder forcing Hulk to change into a haunting skeletal tree, but Cave-Mouth Hulk takes things even further. Though Hulk's massive skull makes up the cave's entrance, complete with mushrooms sprouting and bones jutting out from the sides, it stands to reason that the rest of his body will form the cave itself. The idea of traveling into a hollowed-out Hulk makes things even worse. Its gaping mouth and massive teeth are a horror-show, but the single visual likely doesn't capture what the green Avenger endured during the change.
Cave-Mouth Hulk Shows There’s No Boundary Marvel Won't Push With Hulk's Transformations
Emphasising The Horror Of The Giant Green Avenger
Although Cave-Mouth Hulk is only one in a growing line of strange and distorted Hulk forms, it's also a solid indication that there's more to come; the Hulkscape, a pocket dimension tucked away in Hulk's fractured mind, has already presented a variety of horrors, and Cave-Mouth Hulk will only be the most disturbing for a short while, until something even worse comes along to unseat it. Hulk and Bruce Banner never get a break for long, and the newest transformation proves it.
The Incredible Hulk #26 will be available June 25, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
