For decades, fans of Marvel’s Hulk have accepted one truth: Bruce Banner became the Hulk because of a tragic accident involving a gamma bomb. The origin seemed simple enough. It was science gone wrong that birthed one of the most powerful and tragic heroes in comic book history.
However, now, thanks to Hulk #28, Marvel has pulled the curtain back on a far deeper, far darker story. It turns out Hulk’s powers are not just the result of an experiment gone awry. Instead, they are tied to the very fabric of the Marvel Universe itself.
Gamma Energy Is Literally God’s Blood
Until now, readers believed gamma radiation was a scientific phenomenon harnessed in Marvel’s world. It was believed that the Hulk accidentally mutated Bruce Banner into the Hulk. Immortal Hulk complicated this history by introducing the One Below All, a dark manifestation of the One Above All, and tying it directly to gamma mutations. Fans came to understand gamma energy as a sort of divine balance that echoed the duality of Bruce and the Hulk.
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However, Hulk #28 turns all of that upside down. In a hidden text piece included at the end of the issue, Marvel reveals that gamma energy first came into existence when the One Above All was wounded. The attacker was none other than Vinruviel, the Mother of Horror, an ancient demon so primal that she existed without the One Above All’s knowledge. When the One Above All discovered her, a cosmic battle broke out.
But in that fight, the supposedly untouchable god was injured, and from the wound spilled an emerald green flame. This was the first eruption of gamma. This makes gamma energy not merely a scientific or mystical force, but something deeply corrupted. It is divine power tainted by the Mother of Horrors’ touch. And Bruce Banner, through his accident, became the most famous victim of this corruption.
This connection also explains why the Mother of Horrors’ daughter, known as Eldest, has been obsessed with the Hulk. She believes Hulk is the key to freeing her mother from exile beyond reality. After all, Hulk’s very body is powered by her corruption. Fans have always seen Hulk as both cursed and blessed by his transformation. However, it’s safe to say this revelation reframes everything.
The One Above All Created The One Below All
For years, comic readers have wrestled with the mythology of the One Above All and the One Below All. Immortal Hulk depicted the One Below All as the destructive, rage-filled opposite of the benevolent One Above All. It presented the two as natural halves of the same being. It was a poetic metaphor, mirroring Bruce Banner’s own duality with the Hulk. However, now, Hulk #28 reveals the One Below All was never supposed to exist.
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According to this new lore, the One Below All only manifested after the One Above All discovered the Mother of Horrors. In its rage, the supreme god birthed a dark reflection of itself. This darker self was never meant to be; it was an accident born of pain and fury. And gamma energy, rather than being some natural cosmic balance, is the direct result of this. So, what does that mean for Hulk? It means Bruce Banner is no longer just a man fused with raw power.
Now, he is a vessel of a cosmic mistake. This reframes Hulk’s role in Marvel’s grand tapestry. In Immortal Hulk, readers saw Hulk as a kind of messiah figure. He was someone whose suffering had purpose, whose endless rage helped maintain a fragile cosmic balance. But with this new revelation, Hulk’s existence takes on a more horrifying meaning. He is no longer the product of destiny. He is the embodiment of corruption, the fallout of a divine wound that should never have happened.
