THE INFERNAL HULK #9 (MARVEL COMICS)

With only one more issue left in this Infernal Hulk arc, the heroes are getting desperate and time is running out. As Iron Man sends Captain Marvel to retrieve a mystery “savior”, Bruce Banner enlists the help of Doctor Voodoo yet again. But will all of this be for nothing, as the Hulk pushes towards Washington D.C with his monster army.

The Infernal Hulk #9 - Written By Phillip Kennedy Johnson - Art By Adam Gorham - Colors By Matthew Wilson - Letters By Joe Caramagna - Edited By Jordan D. White - Published By Marvel Comics

Credit: Marvel Comics

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

STORY OVERVIEW:

Iron Man pleads with Captain Marvel to go somewhere in the universe to find someone to help. Carol eventually agrees to go, and she takes off in hopes of retrieving a savior. At the same time, Bruce has traveled to New Orleans to seek the help of Doctor Voodoo again. He lets him know that he needs to get the Hulk back if they have any shot of defeating Eldest. Voodoo and Banner enter into a Soul Cage to seek out Sumanguru the Flesh Weaver hopefully to have him return the Hulk to Bruce. However, this will take some convincing and maybe even some sort of wager to pull off. Meanwhile, Eldest in his Infernal Hulk form is marching his monster army towards Washington D.C, terrorizing the locals as they go. However, in a small town in West Virginia they might have bitten off more than they can chew.

WRITING:

This issue does a strong job of raising the pressure as the arc moves into its final stretch, and Phillip Kennedy Johnson uses that urgency to make every thread feel important. Rather than focusing on only one front of the conflict, Johnson splits the issue across three connected storylines: Iron Man sending Captain Marvel on a desperate mission, Bruce Banner returning to Doctor Voodoo for help, and Eldest continuing his march toward Washington D.C. with an army of monsters behind him. That structure gives the issue a bigger sense of scale because it shows how many pieces are moving at once. The heroes are not simply reacting to one crisis anymore; they are trying to find any possible opening before Eldest becomes impossible to stop.

The Captain Marvel portion is the smallest part of the issue, but it still carries a lot of weight because of how much mystery surrounds it. Tony’s request feels like a last-ditch move from someone who understands that normal superhero solutions are not going to be enough. Carol’s mission is left intentionally vague, which makes it easy to feel the importance of whoever or whatever she has been sent to retrieve. Even though this thread does not get as much page time as the others, Johnson uses it effectively as a promise for the finale. It creates anticipation without slowing down the main story, and depending on who this mystery savior turns out to be, it could become one of the most important pieces of the entire arc.

The strongest material in the issue comes from Bruce Banner and Doctor Voodoo. Their journey back into the Soul Cage gives the story a supernatural edge while also tying directly into the larger history of the Hulk. The callbacks do not feel like empty references thrown in for longtime readers; they matter because they remind us that Bruce’s past choices, failures, and buried trauma are still shaping the present. By bringing Sumanguru the Flesh Weaver back into the picture, Johnson makes Bruce’s plan feel both dangerous and necessary. There is a real sense that Bruce is willing to gamble with forces he barely controls because the alternative is letting Eldest continue unchecked.

What makes this section especially compelling is the way Johnson lets Bruce appear vulnerable while still keeping him unpredictable. At first, it seems like Banner is simply asking Doctor Voodoo for help because he has run out of options. As the issue unfolds, though, it becomes clear that Bruce has been holding something back, and that reveal gives the chapter one of its best turns. The idea that Bruce may have manipulated Voodoo changes the emotional tone of their scenes and makes Banner feel more complicated. He is desperate, but he is also calculating. That combination fits the character well, especially in a story where every decision carries a moral cost.

Johnson also handles the issue’s final surprise very well. The conversation about someone from Bruce’s past initially reads like a small piece of banter or character history, but by the end of the issue it becomes clear that it was setup for a major roadblock in Eldest’s path. That payoff works because it does not come out of nowhere; the issue quietly plants the idea early enough that the reveal feels earned. It is the kind of twist that rewards readers who are paying attention and gives the finale even more momentum. Between Bruce’s hidden plan, the mystery around Captain Marvel’s mission, and the return of a key figure from Hulk’s past, Johnson makes this penultimate issue feel packed with purpose. It is not just moving pieces into place for the ending; it is actively raising the stakes and showing how much history is being pulled into this final confrontation.

ARTWORK:

The artwork in this issue, much like the rest of the series, is phenomenal, and Adam Gorham continues to show why the visual identity of this run has been such a major strength. Gorham fully embraces the nightmare-driven atmosphere of the story and makes every page feel unsettling in a way that matches the horror tone Phillip Kennedy Johnson is writing toward. The environments do not feel like ordinary superhero backdrops with monsters dropped into them; they feel warped, infected, and dangerous. The streets, buildings, shadows, and open spaces all carry this sense that the world has been pushed into something unnatural, which helps sell the idea that Eldest’s presence is corrupting everything around him.

The monster designs are another major highlight because each creature feels distinct while still belonging to the same horrific world. Gorham gives them enough personality and physical variety that the army never comes across as a generic crowd of beasts. Some designs lean into body horror, others feel more demonic or feral, and together they create the impression of a force that is chaotic, unpredictable, and overwhelming. That variety makes the action scenes more engaging because the reader is not just looking at the same type of monster over and over again. There is always some new grotesque detail to notice, whether it is in a creature’s face, posture, wounds, or scale.

When the gore and violence hit the page, Gorham does not pull back, and that works well for this series. Even though this is still a Marvel comic, the horror elements are allowed to feel sharp and brutal. The violence has impact because it is not treated like clean superhero action. It feels messy, vicious, and frightening, which makes Eldest and his army seem like a real threat rather than just another group of villains for the heroes to punch through. The more intense moments are definitely not for the squeamish, but they serve the tone of the book instead of feeling added just for shock value.

Matthew Wilson’s colors enhance all of that atmosphere and give the issue an even stronger sense of dread. The subdued palette helps keep the world feeling bleak and haunted, while the heavier shadows and sickly tones make the supernatural elements stand out without overwhelming the linework. Wilson knows when to let the darkness dominate a scene and when to add just enough color to guide the reader’s eye toward something important. That balance gives the art more depth and makes the horror imagery feel richer. Together, Gorham and Wilson create a visual style that feels grim, textured, and completely in line with the story’s descent into chaos.

CHECK OUT MY REVIEW OF THE INFERNAL HULK #8

Final Thoughts:

The Infernal Hulk #9 is a near perfect penultimate issue and sets up the finale in a big way! This story has been wild and built up very well over these first nine issues. Now that we are entering the finale, the stage is set for something huge to happen. The one thing this issue shows us is that Johnson is willing to pull all of the stops in this series and that makes the anticipation for the final issue that much better. I for one cannot wait for the final issue of this part of the story and to see what the setup for the next arc will be. The anticipation for the last issue is going to be a tough wait after how awesome this issue was.

FINAL GRADE: 9.8/10

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