Incredible Hulk, The (1968 series) #322

In a sterile hospital room, a physician makes a chilling discovery: Bruce Banner’s deteriorating condition is not due to illness alone—it’s the result of his unnatural separation from the Hulk. The same is true for the creature itself. Without their shared existence, both are dying.

Time is running out.

Rick Jones and Betty Ross, armed with this revelation, race toward the battlefield where the Avengers and She-Hulk are finally gaining the upper hand. The Hulk, weakened and disoriented, is moments away from defeat. Hercules prepares to deliver a crushing final blow.

Just in time, Betty throws herself into the fray, pleading for the Avengers to stop. She reveals the truth: killing the Hulk means killing Bruce. The heroes hesitate, torn between duty and compassion.

But not everyone is willing to listen.

Elsewhere, General Thunderbolt Ross, still obsessed with eradicating the Hulk, strikes a covert deal with Clay Quartermain. Their plan: eliminate the Hulk once and for all, regardless of the consequences to Banner.

As the Avengers stand down and the possibility of reintegration emerges, a darker threat looms—one that could sabotage the fragile hope of saving both man and monster.