Fresh off his MCU debut,Red Hulkis getting a major upgrade from Marvel Comics, as the character’s role in the massiveOne World Under Doomcrossover continues to grow more pivotal with each passing issue; now, thecharacter’s latest arc continues with a trial by fire – in this case, “nuclear fire.”
Red Hulk#5 – written by Benjamin Percy, with art by Geoff Shaw – features a main cover by Shaw which teases that Red Hulk will get the better of Doctor Doom, who imprisoned him at the start of the series, as it features Doom clutched helplessly in the Hulk’s hand as heavy artillery fires on the monstrous anti-hero.
The synopsis for the issue stokes further excitement, noting that Red Hulk will be going up against “an angry hive of Doombots,” and that the America armed forces will get involved – though on whose side remains an open question.
Red Hulk#5 – Written By Benjamin Percy; Art by Geoff Shaw; Available August 17, 2025 From Marvel Comics
According to the synopsis forRed Hulk#5:
PRISONER OF WAR! Red Hulk emerges from nuclear fire in Latveria! An angry hive of Doombots is ready for war with Thunderbolt Ross! But when the U.S. military arrive with a special weapon, who will they aim it at?
At first, most Marvel readers reasonably, and rightly, assumed thatRed Hulk’s prominent rolein theOne World Under Doomcrossover was the product of synergy between Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios. To the publisher’s credit, though, through the miniseries' early issues, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross has lived up to the expectation that he would be a formidableadversary for Doctor Doom, and an impediment to theFantastic Fourantagonist’s total dominion over the Earth. Now,Red Hulk#5 promises to take their confrontation to the next level.
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Much of thecredit goes to author Benjamin Percy, who has become a leading voice among Marvel’s stable of writers; Percy’s work with the Krakoan-eraWolverineseries was nothing short of spectacular, and he has been delivering pulse-pounding,lore-changing action in thePredator vs.series, which has pitted the iconic cinematic alien monsters against characters including Wolverine and Spider-Man. Marvel fans can trust Percy to deliver “Omega”-level stories, to borrowa term from theX-Menfranchise, andRed Hulkis shaping up to be no exception.
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Red Hulk#5 – Variant Cover By Danny Earls
One thing that stands out aboutRed Hulk#5, when coupled with the mention of “nuclear fire” and a “special weapon” in the issue’s advanced synopsis,is the variant cover for the issue by artist Danny Earls, which features a grotesquely-mutatedversion of Red Hulkemerging from fiery rubble. Whether this is the result of atomic radiation aggravating the character’s already Gamma-saturated cellular structure, or the product of this mystery weapon – or just an effective fakeout on Marvel’s part – will remain open to speculation untilRed Hulk#5 drops in a few months.
Marvel has done a sufficient job of hyping up the increasingly intense battle between [Red Hulk] and Doctor Doom.
If it does turn out that Red Hulk undergoes a dramatic transformation in the issue, this “upgrade” might not necessarily be a positive one, if Earls' illustration actually reflects the plot ofRed Hulk#5. In any case, Marvel has done a sufficient job of hyping up the increasingly intense battle between the eponymous monster and Doctor Doom; the only thing left is for the remaining issues of the series to manage to impress readers by following through on what has been promised – and hopefully, beyond that, to proveRed Hulkstill has some surprises in store for readers.
