With the Hulk as one of them Marvel universe's most iconic heroes, it's hardly surprising that Bruce Banner is just one of many characters to become a gamma monster over decades of comics. There are other long-running Hulks, such as General Ross, Jennifer Walters, and Amadeus Cho. Several characters have also had brief skits as “The Strongest There Is”, such as Deadpool, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Thor and Captain America. The latest Hulk falls into the latter category, as Daredevil's transformation is only a one-off for now. That doesn't make it any less cool though, with there's also room for Marvel to turn the idea into a full comic later if there's enough interest in the concept.
“World War Hulks” is the 2010 storyline that saw many existing heroes get gamma monster variants, but it's a Marvel event that Daredevil missed, meaning his new look is the first time he's gone green in 62 years of storytelling.
Daredevil's Transformation marks a what if…? Milestone
Marvel's What if…? series turns 50 in 2026, and to mark the occasion, artists are sharing variant covers that tackle bold concepts worthy of the name. This is where Hulkdevil comes from, in the case of issue #3 of Stephanie Phillips' promising new Daredevil run, artist Netho Diaz tackles the concept of what would happen if the accident that blinded Matt Murdock gave him the Hulk's powers instead of heightened senses. Given that it was radioactive material that blinded Matt in traditional Marvel canon, the idea that it was gamma radiation in the barrels instead isn't too much of a leap. However, the result of this simple change is much more shocking.
Hulkdevil not only boasts the Hulk's green skin, but also a poison-like tongue and some curled green horns. Aspects of Daredevil's traditional look are present, however, such as a red eye mask reminiscent of the “Man in Black” costume, wrapped hands that serve as a nod to Battlin' Jack Murdock, and huge red clubs befitting a monster. The Daredevil-Hulk hybrid is even seen running along the walls of a skyscraper, suggesting that the beast is still quite nimble, although it's hard to imagine him being as stealthy as Matt Murdock normally is.
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Unfortunately, there is not a complete question about What if…? to go along with this amazing design, as a variant cover for another series is all fans have to go on. There is still reason to hope that Hulkdevil can eventually become something more. For starters, as highlighted by ScreenRant, the New Champions team was introduced via variant covers before they got any proper comics, so perhaps Daredevil Hulk will follow a similar path. Additionally, Daredevil has one of the most impressive comics legacies of any character, with few truly bad runs to his name but plenty of classics to boast. As such, readers are always clamoring for more Daredevil comics, so maybe people will push to see a miniseries that explores the version of the character from this variant cover.
Hulkdevil isn't the only what if…? Contents for year 50
Daredevil Hulk is just one of several variant covers that honor the legacy of What if…?as readers have seen so far:
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A heroic Sinister Six teaming up with Peter Parker
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Captain Marvel as a Skrull
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Iron Man if Extremis were a symbiote
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Punish if he had Magik's armor
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Sorcerer Supreme Rogue
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Colossus Wolverine
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X-Men as heralds of Galactus
Besides fun variant covers like the ones listed above and this awesome version of Daredevil, some proper ones What if…? comics are coming soon. June will see Marvel's creators imagine Cyclops' life if he stayed with Madelyne Pryor and tackle what would happen if Thor got the symbiote instead of Spider-Man. Juli imagines the original Ultimate universe if it survived Secret WarsJessica Jones if she had been bitten by a radioactive spider, and what would have happened if Kraven survived his last hunt. Finally, there's the August issue, which explores Captain America being frozen in 2099, the Runaways never living up to their namesake, and Cassandra Nova killing Charles Xavier.
The What if…? branding might not be perfect — the MCU TV series is divisive because of its focus on Captain Carter, and there have been some really odd ideas suggested in the books, like The Thing being blue instead of orange — but it's still great to see Marvel celebrate it for anyone who loves to ask that question. While a massive green daredevil sounds odd on paper, it makes more sense when you think back to its origins, and artist Netho Diaz really 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 not every day something truly new is done with a character that's over 6 decades old, and that boldness is definitely worth highlighting.
