Fantastic Four #25: Review

Apr 1964

Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

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Story Name:

The Battle Of The Century: The Hulk Vs. The Thing

Review & Comments

Rating:

Fantastic Four #25 Review by Peter Silvestro (February 15, 2010)

We find out that the Hulk can read. Plus, this is the infamous story where Stan Lee accidentally called his hero's alter-ego "Bob Banner" leading to Bruce's official naming as "Robert Bruce Banner." ~ Peter Silvestro

Fantastic Four #25 Review by Rob Johnson (August 10, 2011)

This 2-issue story is the Avengers first real foray out of their own comic (not counting the brief individual cameos in Tales of Suspense #49), following on from Avengers #4. In publication date order this honour should really fall to Journey into Mystery #101, but the Official Indexes move that story back to after Avengers #6. The story continues Avengers attempts to control the Hulk which dominate their first 5 issues. The Hulk was last seen in Avengers #3 as Bruce Banner slipping away from his partnership with Sub-Mariner against his former teammates the Avengers. The Avengers, now with their new member the revived Captain America are still trying to capture him. Hulk and Banner are now swapping identities more frequently and seemingly at random. And Hulk claims to be getting more powerful a nd more in control each time. Hulk's pal Rick Jones leads Avengers to Banner's secret cave laboratory. But Hulk has already been there ans smashed all the machinery, including the gamma ray device with which Banner and Hulk could transform at will with Rick's help. At the end of Avengers #4 Rick was worried how Hulk would feel when he learned he had been replaced by Cap. His worries come true here (despite the fact that Hulk actually quit the Avengers (in Avengers #2)), but Hulk also feels Rick has betrayed him by staying with Avengers. Hulk met the FF back in #12, during the run of his original series. Back then it was suggested that Mr Fantastic had worked out the relationship between Hulk, Banner and Rick. But there is no suggestion this issue or next that this is true.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Fantastic Four #25 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

At their headquarters, the Thing is rebelling against Mr. Fantastic's latest experiment to change him back to Ben Grimm, when his girlfriend Alicia arrives with news of the Hulk. The Green-skinned Giant is hiding in the Southwest when he learns from the newspaper that the Avengers have replaced him with Captain America.

Enraged, the Hulk heads to New York to take revenge on his former teammates, unaware that they are nearby, searching for him. In the Big Apple, the Human Torch confronts the Hulk but is easily defeated. Mr. Fantastic, seriously ill with a fever, sends Invisible Girl and the Thing to save the city. The Invisible Girl is easily knocked unconscious trying to rescue her brother so the Thing pitches into the Hulk, setting off a battle that wrecks everything in their path and lands them in the Hudson River. Atop the George Washington Bridge, the Thing manages to halt the Hulk by binding him with a broken cable. But Jade Jaws soon breaks free and beats down the Thing. Down but not out, the Thing sets out in pursuit of his powerful foe.

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