Summary
- Hulk's new weakness is revealed: a teenage girl named Charlie who he took in as a sidekick.
- Charlie ran away from an abusive home and idolized the Hulk because of his strength and inner rage.
- Hulk's current comic run shows him torturing Bruce Banner, but Charlie's presence may soften him and lead to a reconciliation.
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Incredible Hulk #8! Hulk is about as unbeatable as a Marvel Comics character can be, as he’s not only physically stronger than practically everyone around him, but he’s also virtually unkillable. The Immortal Hulk made great strides in explaining how the Hulk can just keep coming back no matter how much damage he takes, and the current Incredible Hulk run is pitting the Green Goliath against the deadliest creatures he’s ever faced. However, this doesn’t mean the Hulk is unbeatable. In fact, his new ‘weak spot’ reveals how to do just that (without ignoring his power level).
In The Incredible Hulk #8 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein, the Hulk and his new sidekick named Charlie are fighting an eldritch monster that’s been hunting the Hulk at the command of the Eldest. The Hulk is needed to awaken a cosmic Old One from the depths of the Earth, and the Eldest will stop at nothing to obtain him. While the monsters that had previously come after Hulk all fell beneath his fists, this one was different, as it attacked not just the Hulk, but those around him - including and especially Charlie.
Hulk and Charlie are taken in by a community of migrant workers, who were actually under the protection of a Ghost Rider for completely unrelated reasons. When this issue’s monster-of-the-week attacked, it did so by possessing the Hulk, turning him into the very monster he’s been trying to destroy. While the Hulk - with the help of Ghost Rider - was able to overcome this monster, Ghost Rider tells Hulk that next time it may not be so easy, as the Eldest will soon learn what his true weakness is and use it against him: Charlie.
Hulk's New Type of Transformation Pushes His Body Horror Powers to the Limit
The nature of the Hulk's powers is disturbing, but the transformation process has never been as grisly as it is now - especially in this latest issue!
Who Is Charlie, & Why Is She Hulk’s Greatest Weakness?
Charlie made her Marvel Comics debut in The Incredible Hulk Vol. 4 #1!
Charlie is a teenage girl who ran away from an abusive home. She idolized the Hulk because of his strength, and she identified with his inner rage. Charlie knew all too well what it was to feel unyielding hatred, anger, and fear, and perhaps the only other person in the world who could understand that was the Hulk himself. So, when the Hulk happened across her little town, Charlie jumped at the chance to leave her life behind and partner-up with the Strongest Avenger.
While the Hulk was initially reluctant, Charlie showed how tough she was while battling a horde of the undead. Seeing Charlie curb-stomp that zombie made Hulk smile for the first time since he stopped being Banner’s ‘Starship’, so he decided that Charlie could stay with him. And now, it’s being revealed that this decision was possibly the worst thing the Hulk could have done, both for Charlie and himself.
Marvel Just Made Hulk’s Humanity His Weak Spot with Charlie
The Incredible Hulk’s current run may end with a long-awaited reconciliation!
Another person being Hulk’s weakness would be less shocking if this entire current Incredible Hulk run didn’t revolve around Hulk actively torturing Bruce Banner. Due to the events of the previous ‘Starship Hulk’ run, Hulk and Banner are on horrible . Banner trapped Hulk in a swirling prison of suffering for his own benefit, so Hulk is returning the favor by making their transformations as painful as possible while also threatening to murder anyone Banner gets close to. Hulk is heartless in this run, but the fact that Charlie is his weakness indicates that he may be softening.
If the Hulk can care about Charlie enough that she’s his ultimate weakness against the Eldest, then it’s all-too possible that he’ll come around on his feelings towards Bruce. But, even if Hulk never forgives Bruce and continues torturing him till the end of time, fans know that he’ll likely never feel that way about Charlie, as getting to her is the only way to beat the Hulk (which, thankfully, doesn’t ignore his power level).
The Incredible Hulk #8 by Marvel Comics is available now.
