The Ultimates: The Trial of the Incredible Hulk
Issue: #16
Writer: Mark Millar
Pencils: Bryan Hitch
Inker: Paul Neary
Colors: Laura Martin

Bruce Banner’s trial for murder begins, with Matt Murdock serving as Banner’s attorney. Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers and Janet Pym watch on television as lawyers argue legal terms and responsibility. Switching channels, they find a televised interview in which Thor denounces the trials as a smokescreen that diverts attention from the issue of using the Ultimates to serve US interests in the Middle East.

In the meantime, Betty Ross pays Banner a visit in his cell. What begins as a discussion turns into a shouting session, then into a round of soul-baring. After apologizing for the way she treated him, Betty asks him to forgive her, but he refuses, saying he’s too embarrassed to do so in front of all the people watching them over the video feed.

Murdock makes his closing arguments. We see Nicholas Fury come to Banner’s cell to deliver news of the verdict. He tells Banner that the bad news is the fact that he was overcharged for the bottle of Dom Perignon he brought with him. The good news is that the judge threw the case out of court. He offers Banner a drink to celebrate. Banner downs much of the bottle, then passes out — the drink has been drugged to prevent him from turning into the Hulk to protect himself when he finds out he’s received the death sentence.

Banner is to be executed by atomic bomb. He’s left aboard a SHIELD helicarrier; just before the explosion, he wakes up, eyes green instead of brown.

A small memorial service is held for Banner; unlike the service held earlier for the Hulk’s victims, this one is attended by only a handful of the Ultimates. Afterward, most them head off to have a drink in Banner’s honor, but Hank Pym leaves the group to return to his apartment. He listens to his phone messages. One concerns missing plans for his Ultron robots. The other is about an apartment for rent. In the middle of this, Pym receives an incoming call from an undisclosed location. It’s someone thanking Pym. When he picks up the phone, the caller has hung up. The final panel shows a man walking away into a crowd.

Submitted By: Seldes Katne