Duel of Harlem

"Tell them to bring everything they've got and head for Harlem. It has to be me. You have to take me back there." "What are you saying? You think you can control it?" "No, no, not control it, but... I don't know, maybe aim it."

- Bruce Banner and Betty Ross

The Duel of Harlem, dubbed Harlem Terror by the press and the Harlem Incident by S.H.I.E.L.D., was the third open confrontation between Hulk and Abomination.

Background
"How are you feeling?" "Pissed off, and ready for round three."

- Thaddeus Ross and Emil Blonsky

Bruce Banner and Betty Ross were trying to get an antidote for Banner's Gamma Radiation condition, so they went to Samuel Sterns at Grayburn College, whom Banner had been working with indirectly for more than a year through the computer messaging aliases of "Mr. Green", and "Mr. Blue". Banner tested the antidote, which seemed to work, but only temporarily. General Thaddeus Ross and his team of soldiers captured Banner and Betty. Emil Blonsky made Dr. Sterns infuse him with gamma radiation. When he did, the mix of the Super Soldier Serum and gamma radiation transformed Blonsky into an "Abomination". Taking on the mantle, Abomination then threw Dr. Sterns into a container of Banner's blood, which leaked into a scar in Stern's forehead, which made his brain grow and gave him a higher than genius level intellect.

As both Banner and Betty Ross were taken into custody, Blonsky, now a hideous titan known as Abomination, began rampaging through the city in a bid to draw out Hulk. Banner, realizing that he was the only one who could stop the Abomination, was able to convince General Thaddeus Ross to release him. Banner suggested that if he focused on attacking Blonsky during transformation, Hulk would do that as opposed to him unleashing more random destruction. He jumped out of the helicopter, counting on the fall to trigger a transformation. Banner's plan succeeded and he transformed into Hulk. Hulk emerged from a crater on the street and roared to call the Abomination's attention, and the duel began.

Duel
"Use that thing, soldier! Give him some help!" "Which one?" "Help the green one, damn it! Which one do you think? Cut the other one in half!"

- Thaddeus Ross and one of his soldiers

Hulk charged toward Abomination, who speared him off his feet. Hulk smashed a police car in half and used the pieces as boxing gloves. He punched Abomination repeatedly into the pavement so hard it caused a crater.

Hulk prepared to give him one more punch, but Abomination kicked him through a wall into a nearby building. Abomination climbed the wall and General Thaddeus Ross ordered the helicopter to open fire on him, chasing him to the roof. The helicopter chased Abomination across the rooftops, then he lunged and grabbed the helicopter just as Hulk arrived and grabbed him. The two goliaths' wrestling caused the helicopter to crash on the ruins of a building and crush Abomination. Betty and the general tried to get out before Abomination appeared unharmed and taunted Hulk once more. The two faced off again and Abomination pinned Hulk against a wall and stabbed him in the chest with his exposed elbow while mocking him. Meanwhile, the destroyed helicopter was leaking fuel and releasing sparks, threatening to cause a fire with Betty and the general still trapped inside it.

However, seeing Betty in danger made Hulk angrier, so he overpowered Abomination and slammed him into the wall just as the helicopter caught fire. Banner clapped his hands together, creating a shockwave that blew out the fire, saving Betty and and the general.

Abomination hit Hulk with a concrete pillar on a chain, then turned his attention to the Ross'. As he was about to kill them, Hulk yelled "Hulk, Smash!" and smashed the ground to create a big crack in which Abomination's foot got caught causing him to lose the chain and the pillar hit him in the head. Hulk grabbed the chain and wrapped it around Blonsky's neck. After a final struggle Hulk managed to strangle Abomination into submission. Banner prepared to kill Blonsky with the chain, but Betty told him to stop. The police and several witnesses arrived to the scene only to find that Hulk had already won the battle. Knowing that Abomination was defeated, Hulk dropped him to the ground, stomped him, and roared to declare his victory.

Banner delivered an unconscious Blonsky to Ross who asked to call Nick Fury. Hulk shared a brief moment with Betty, but when the army appeared, he decided that staying would only put Betty in more danger and left the scene with the army in hot pursuit. General Ross silently allowed Hulk escape, having understood that his power is too great. At the same time, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Natasha Romanoff found Samuel Sterns and saw his mutation. When he tried to convince her to help him evade the authorities, she shot him in the leg and called a clean-up team.

Aftermath
"Thanks, but the last time I was in New York I kind of... broke Harlem."

- Bruce Banner to Tony Stark

Bruce Banner fled north to Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada. Thirty-one days on the run, he had found himself a secluded place to rest. Having discovered that Hulk's behavior indeed can be controlled, he began practicing a new technique of initiating his transformations in a controlled manner rather than suppressing them.

General Ross gave up on turning Hulk into a weapon and Blonsky was imprisoned under his custody. Frustrated and humiliated by the failure of the project he worked on for five years, he went to a bar to get drunk before running into Tony Stark.

Stark mockingly told the General that the Super Soldier program was "put on ice" for a reason and that a team was being put together. Blonsky was requested to be in the team, but as planned Stark annoyed Ross so much that Ross refused to release Blonsky and tried to have Stark removed from the bar. In reply, Stark bought the bar, and scheduled it for demolition.

Samuel Sterns was later taken to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters where he became part of "Project Mr. Blue". Ben Urich wrote an article for the New York Bulletin called "Harlem Terror" declaring Hulk victorious.

Thaddeus Ross' role in spearheading the response to the emergencies at Harlem and Culver University would be cited by President Matthew Ellis as examples of the newly appointed Secretary of State's experience with super-powered individuals and the incidents involving them, during an interview with WHiH Newsfront on May 3, 2016 in which he gave his vote of confidence in Ross' ability to negociate a governmental relationship with the Avengers.