Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Incredible Hulk #15-16! Contrary to what many fans might think, Bruce Banner is not the first Hulk in the Marvel Universe, as the latest addition to Hulk lore just revealed that the actual first Hulk is based on the real 4,000-year-old legend of the Enkidu, whose exploits were originally composed in the Book of Gilgamesh. And now, the myth of the ancient Wild Man is tied directly to that of the Hulk, and the Hulk’s horrific new enemy: the Mother of Horrors.

In the official solicitation for the two-part storyline “Lament for a Fallen Crown” (in The Incredible Hulk #15-16 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Danny Earls), Marvel Comics reveals that the Eldest is devising a plan to draw the Hulk closer to Las Vegas, where she plans to strike on behalf of her master, the Mother of Horrors. During that planning process, the Eldest thinks back to the last time she faced a ‘Hulk’ thousands of years ago: Enkidu.

THE ORIGIN OF EVIL! As Eldest’s plans draw Hulk ever nearer to Las Vegas, she remembers a time thousands of years ago. The terrible empire she ruled then… until her fateful encounter with the first Hulk, ENKIDU, brought it all to ruin, making them enemies forever! Don’t miss the ORIGIN OF ELDEST as the two-part story “Lament for a Fallen Crown” starts here!

THE FIRST HULK VS. ELDEST! In the conclusion of “Lament for a Fallen Crown,” the first Hulk, ENKIDU, brings Eldest’s empire of monsters crashing down! But he’s met his match in ELDEST, the first and most powerful of Earth’s ancient demigods. Can Eldest use Enkidu’s flesh to finally open the Mother of Horrors’ Divine Prison… or will the power of the GREEN DOOR be too much even for her? Eldest’s plans and the story of Enkidu are laid bare in this shocking conclusion!

It seems “Lament for a Fallen Crown” will take place exclusively in the past, with readers following the original Hulk as he battles the Eldest and the other ancient evils of the Mother of Horrors. It will also detail the extent of the Hulk’s relationship with the Mother of Horrors, one that seemingly transcends host forms, and is tied directly to the otherworldly source of the Hulk’s power beyond the Green Door.

The Introduction of Enkidu Cements the Current Hulk Storyline as a True Immortal Hulk Sequel

So far in the current Incredible Hulk run, the series has been something of a pseudo sequel to The Immortal Hulk basically in tone and style only. The Immortal Hulk was more akin to a horror series than a Sci-Fi adventure, and The Incredible Hulk Vol. 4 is going that same route. However, in terms of the storyline itself, The Incredible Hulk has proven to be more of a continuation of Donny Cates’ “Starship Hulk” storyline, given the relationship between Hulk and Banner. But now, everything will change.

The idea that the Hulk is an ancient otherworldly entity possessing a mortal host is more in-line with the cosmic horror nature of The Immortal Hulk, and the inclusion of the Green Door in Enkidu’s upcoming storyline (which is the pathway to and from the Below-Place, the origin of Hulk’s power) is a direct continuation of the plot of The Immortal Hulk. It seems the One Below All (aka the One Above All) created the ancient Enkidu to fend off the earthbound supernatural forces of the Mother of Horrors, which better explains why the horrific entity has chosen now to return.

Hulk’s Immortal Hulk Victory May Have Doomed His Current Self

After facing the One Below All in The Immortal Hulk, the Green Door – every Green Door – is closed and locked, cutting off Hulk’s connection to the original source of his power, while still retaining his full, isolated strength. Hulk’s connection to the Below-Place is gone, leaving this champion of the One Below All alone on a planet the Mother of Horrors secretly has dominion over.

When the Mother of Horrors first faced the Hulk (Enkidu), he had the full backing of the Below-Place, which is assuredly how he defeated the Mother of Horrors to begin with. But because of the events of The Immortal Hulk, the Hulk is more vulnerable, and the Mother of Horrors has her opening to kill her greatest rival and retake the world.

Of course, the details of the age-old war between the Hulk and the Mother of Horrors is still very much a mystery, meaning most of what’s to come in this series is drawn largely from speculation. But what fans can be sure of is that all the answers as to the origin of Hulk and the Mother of Horrors’ conflict will be answered in this upcoming storyline, as the series takes readers back in time 4,000 years to meet the first Hulk – one who’s based on a real-world legend.

The Incredible Hulk #15 by Marvel Comics is available August 7, 2024.

The Incredible Hulk #16 by Marvel Comics is available August 21, 2024.