Along with being one of the Hulks miracle One of the universe's most iconic heroes, it's surprising that Bruce Banner is only one of many characters to become a gamma monster over decades of comics. There are other long-term Hulks, such as General Ross, Jennifer Walters, and Amadeus Cho. Many characters such as Deadpool, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Thor, and Captain America have had brief stints as “The Strongest There Is”. The latest Hulk falls into the latter category, as Daredevil's transformation is the only one-off as of now. However, that doesn't make it any less cool, there's also room for Marvel to make this idea into a full-on comic book if there's enough interest in the concept.
“World War Hulk” is a 2010 story that saw several existing heroes gain Gamma Demon variants, but it's the one Marvel event that Daredevil missed, meaning his new look has seen the green light for the first time in 62 years of storytelling.
What if Daredevil's transformation…? milestone
of Marvel What if…? Comics turns 50 years old in 2026, and to mark the occasion, artists are sharing variant covers that tackle bold concepts worthy of the name. This is where the Hulkdevil comes in, for issue #3 of The New Promise by Stephanie Phillips Daredevil Run, artist Netho Diaz tackles the concept of what would happen if an accident that blinded Matt Murdock gave him the Hulk's powers instead of heightened senses. Considering that in traditional Marvel canon it was radioactive material that blinded Matt, the idea that it was rather gamma radiation in the barrel isn't too big of a leap. However, the results of this simple change are quite surprising.
Hulkdevil not only boasts Hulk's trademark green skin, but also a venom-like tongue and some curved green horns. There are aspects of Daredevil's traditional appearance, though, with a red eye mask reminiscent of the “Man in Black” suit, wrapped arms serving as a nod to Batlin' Jack Murdock, and giant red billy clubs befitting a monster. The Daredevil-Hulk hybrid is also seen running along the walls of a skyscraper, suggesting that the beast is still agile, though it's hard to imagine him hiding as Matt Murdock normally does.
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Unfortunately, there is no complete issue What if…? To go along with this amazing design, all that fans have left is a variant cover for a different comic. There's still reason to be optimistic that the Hulkdevil might eventually become something more. For starters, as highlighted by ScreenRant , the new Champions team was introduced via variant covers before getting some proper comics, so maybe Daredevil Hulk will follow a similar path. In addition, Daredevil has one of the most impressive comic book legacies of any character, with some truly badass runs to his name but plenty of classics to boast. As such, readers are always clamoring for more Daredevil comics, so perhaps people will push to see a miniseries that explores this version of the character from cover to cover.
Not just the Hulkdevil What if…? Content for the year 50
Daredevil Hulk is just one of many variant covers that honor the legacy What if…?So far, readers have seen:
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A heroic Sinister Six who teams up with Peter Parker
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Captain Marvel as a Skrull
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Iron Man if the Extremist symbiote
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Punish if he has Magik's armor
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Sorcerer Supreme Evil
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Colossus Wolverine
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The X-Men as heralds of Galactus
Fun variant covers like the ones listed above and this big version of Daredevil, some proper What if…? Comics are on the way soon. June will see Marvel's creators imagine Cyclops' life if he ends up living with Madeline Pryor and deal with what would happen if Thor gets a symbiote instead of Spider-Man. July envisions an original ultimate universe if it survives Secret WarsJessica Jones if she was bitten by a radioactive spider, and what would happen if Kraven survived his last victim. Finally, there are the August issues, which explore Captain America being frozen in 2099, the Runaways never living up to their name, and Cassandra Nova killing Charles Xavier.
The What if…? The brand may not be perfect — the MCU TV series is divisive due to its focus on Captain Carter, and the books have some really weird ideas proposed, like the Thing being blue instead of orange — but it's still good to see Marvel celebrating it for everyone who likes to ask this question. While a giant green daredevil sounds odd on paper, it makes more sense when you think back to its origins, and artist Netho Diaz knocked it out of the park with his interpretation. Whether the Hulkdevil remains a one-off or becomes a proper character down the road, it's truly something new every day with a character that's 6 decades old, and that courage is worth highlighting.
