The Incredible Hulk: The Fury Files is a two-part comic which takes place before the events of The Incredible Hulk.
Synopsis[]
Nick Fury, investigating rumors that General Thaddeus Ross had started a secret project to recreate Abraham Erskine's Super Soldier Serum, tracks down Bruce Banner and witnesses his transformation into the Hulk.
Plot[]
Part 1: 'First Impressions'[]
Nick Fury is on a stakeout watching a scrawny guy entering Kirby's bar and follows him inside. In the bar, he strikes up a conversation with the man about the soccer game on TV and notices the scrawny guy is nervous, but does a good job hiding it. Fury had received word that Thaddeus Ross may have created a super soldier and is now trying to find out if the rumors and shaky intel are true by talking to Bruce Banner. They continue to chat and Banner declines Fury's offer to buy him another drink. Banner then starts suspecting that something is amiss as he asks about Fury's injured eye. At S.H.I.E.L.D., they would’ve rather sent someone else besides Fury, since the situation could get dangerous, but Fury was too curious if Ross had really done it and wanted to see the potential super soldier for himself. Fury answers Banner's question, stating that his injury was caused by the war. Banner wants to know which one, but Fury simply tells him to pick one.
Part 2[]
Unsettled by Fury's last comment, Banner decides to take no chances and wants to leave Kirby's. On his way to the door, he bumps into Johnson who starts to flirt with him, which was planned by Fury. Peterson, playing the jealous boyfriend, begins threatening Banner and grabs him by his shirt. Fury then intervenes, trying to calm the situation but gets punched in the face by Peterson. This makes the Hulk come out of his shell, much to everyone's shock. He throws Peterson away and begins to wreck the bar. Hulk picks up a jukebox that he wants to throw at the rest of the patrons. Fury then stands before Hulk as everyone flees, proclaiming he doesn't believe that the man he just talked to wants to hurt these people. Hulk roars in anger at Fury's face, breaking all surrounding glass and bottles, but Fury stands his ground. Hulk ultimately leaves by smashing through the bar's door and wall.
During a staff meeting, Fury is complaining to his agents about the poor intel involving Hulk. Phil Coulson tries to reassure Fury that they will be better prepared to deal with the creature next time. However, Fury reminds them of their mission to find a real super soldier, believing that Hulk isn't it. Fury declares that Hulk is Thunderbolt Ross's problem, and only S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secondary concern.
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- Bruce Banner/Hulk
- Nick Fury
- Phil Coulson
- Johnson
- Peterson
- Thaddeus Ross (mentioned)
- Katherine Fury (mentioned)
Locations[]
Events[]
Organizations[]
- S.H.I.E.L.D.
- United States Army (mentioned)
- FBI (mentioned)
- New York Yankees (logo)
- Boston Red Sox (mentioned)
Mentioned[]
Trivia[]
- The comic is featured in Iron Man: I Am Iron Man! (collection).
- The external appearance of the bar which serves as the main location for the story bears a striking resemblance to the bar "Moe's" in The Simpsons. However, its name, "Kirby's", is an homage to Marvel Comics editor and artist Jack Kirby.
Behind the Scenes[]
Continuity[]
On October 31, 2008, Frank Tieri confirmed that the comic is considered to be part of the main Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity by stating: Our story acts as a prequel of sorts to The Incredible Hulk. [...] This absolutely takes place in the larger, interlocking Marvel movie continuity—and that’s what probably makes this all the more exciting. We’re following the movie’s continuity and they’re following ours.[1] In 2010, Alejandro Arbona reiterated the comic provided a backstory for how Fury became aware of Banner in the MCU.[2] Thus, this comic is considered to be part of the official Marvel Cinematic Universe canon.