Threads begin to converge. Betty’s nutrient bath, the Leader’s schemes, and the fragile hope of a cure all circle the Hulk’s orbit. The episode opens with a rare moment of peace — the Hulk in a rock pool, gently observing fish, playing in the water with childlike wonder. It’s a glimpse of the creature’s innocence, a sweetness quickly shattered when Doc Samson blunders into the scene, triggering chaos.

Betty compares the Hulk to a freight train — warning Glenn Talbot that it’s too dangerous to play on the tracks. Talbot, ever the soldier, retorts that if she’s not careful, the train she’s riding will derail with her on it. His misguided attempt to take on the Hulk alone ends predictably — with the Hulk’s perfect, scornful response: “Puny Toy Army Man.”

Then comes the separation. Banner and Hulk, split at last. For a moment, it feels like victory. But the hope is dashed not by the monster, nor the man — but by SHIELD, who threaten to dispose of the now Banner-less Hulk. It’s a cruel twist, and a reminder that in this world, even salvation comes with a price.

Betty completes her work on a nutrient bath designed to separate Bruce Banner from the Hulk — a breakthrough that promises salvation, but demands risk. Meanwhile, Doc Samson attempts to capture the Hulk in the desert, leading to a brutal clash. Betty and Rick arrive to intervene, but the Hulkbusters descend, escalating the conflict.

With the aid of the gamma-irradiated Outcasts — survivors twisted by exposure and exile — the group escapes and returns to the lab. There, the Hulk is convinced to enter the nutrient bath. But Glenn Talbot interferes, and the experiment spirals out of control. Banner and Hulk are separated — physically, violently, and irrevocably.

SHIELD seizes the unconscious Hulk from General Ross, claiming jurisdiction. Doc Samson mounts a rescue, but only succeeds in breaking the creature free. Without Banner’s influence, the Hulk is pure rage — attacking Samson and fleeing into the wild, untethered and unrestrained.

It’s a turning point. The man and the monster are no longer one. And the cost of that separation — for Betty, for Bruce, for the world — is only beginning to unfold.

This three-part storyline comes from Incredible Hulk #314-#326. Many of the elements from these episodes, such as Doc Samson’s battle with the Hulk, the EXO-Armour, Ross’ unravelling and the Nutrient Bath all come from this portion of Al Milgrom’s epic Hulk run of the 1980’s.

The Nutrient Bath was first mentioned in Helping Hand, Iron Fist.

The battle between Doc Samson and the Hulk comes from Incredible Hulk #314.

THE LOVE RIVAL: GLENN TALBOT

Glenn Talbot first appeared in Tales to Astonish #61 (1964), introduced as a military man tasked with monitoring Bruce Banner and the Hulk. From the outset, Talbot was positioned as both antagonist and patriot — loyal to General Ross, suspicious of Banner, and deeply entangled in the emotional fallout surrounding Betty Ross. His rivalry with Bruce wasn’t just professional. It was personal, romantic, and quietly tragic.

On panel, Talbot’s arc is one of slow erosion. His loyalty hardens into obsession, his suspicion into vendetta. He marries Betty, loses her, and ultimately sacrifices himself in a failed attempt to destroy the Hulk. His death — in Incredible Hulk #260 — is brutal, but fitting. Talbot wasn’t evil. He was a man who couldn’t let go, and it cost him everything.

In animation, Talbot appeared in the Incredible Hulk series, reimagined with less nuance and more bluster. Talbot’s role became more archetypal — the military foil, the voice of authority, the man who never quite understood the monster. On screen, he surfaced again in Agents of SHIELD, where his descent into instability echoed his comic book collapse.

Talbot’s legacy isn’t in heroism or villainy. It’s in the cost of obsession, the fragility of loyalty, and the tragedy of being the wrong man in the right uniform.

And the Wind Cries… Wendigo! | Darkness and Light (Part 2)