Marvel’s New Red Hulk has the most disturbing explanation for his color

Warning: Contains spoilers for Annihilation 2099 #3! When the original Red Hulk Debuting in Marvel Comics, it was revealed that his red color is directly correlated with his gamma radiation emission power, making his skin ‘red-hot’, with the temperature increasing the angrier he becomes. But now, with Marvel’s new Red Hulk, there is another explanation behind his red color, one that is definitely much more disturbing than that of his predecessor.

in Destruction 2099 #3 “The Storm Reborn” by Steve Orlando and Pete Woods, the origin of the new Red Hulk from the 2099 reality is revealed. When Ross Romero is chosen by the company he works for, Alchemex, to go on a mission in outer space, he is initially ecstatic to go, because traveling the cosmos has been his dream since he was a child. However, things quickly go horribly wrong the moment he and his team land on the celestial body they were sent to investigate, as it belongs to none other than Ego, the living planet.

Ross found himself stranded on Ego, who was dying after the Planet Hunter attacked him. In order to keep at least a piece of himself alive, Ego creates a piece of ‘fruit’ from his planetary flesh which he offers to Romero just as the earthling was on the verge of starvation. When he ate it, Romero was flooded with Ego’s power primordial, which mutated him into the Red Hulk. However, it didn’t just mutate Romero, but also the red space suit he was wearing, which bonded to his flesh, giving his ‘Hulk’ form the iconic red color.

Red Hulk 2099 is red because his red space suit is bonded to his flesh

When the power primordial surged through Ross Romero’s body, it couldn’t differentiate between his flesh and his space suit, so it mutated them together to create the aesthetic of Marvel’s all-new Red Hulk. What makes the transformation even more disturbing is that it seems that Romero’s transformation is permanent, and he will not be able to return to his human form like the original Red Hulk.

The assumption comes from the source of his power, as he was imbued with the cosmic energy of an Elder of the Universe, not exposed to gamma radiation. As Galactus creates heralds by imbuing them with the power cosmic (such as the Silver Surfer), Romero was offered every bit of Ego’s power primordial, which seems to indicate that – like the Silver Surfer – Romero is now forever changed, with His space suits a permanent aspect of his new body.

Red Hulk’s character design was inspired by two of the greatest artists in science fiction

The transformation, whether permanent or not, is unarguably disturbing, but the story behind Red Hulk’s 2099 character design makes it that much more interesting. In the backmatter to Destruction 2099 #3, readers are shown the character design notes written by artist Pete Woods, giving fans a deeper insight into the inspiration behind Red Hulk’s final appearance. As it turns out, the inspiration came from the work of two of the greatest artists in science fiction: Jack Kirby and HR Giger.

From Pete Woods’ notes: The idea is that Suit and Hulk are merged. An artist can draw the simpler Kirby-esque design from a distance, but when we zoom in, we pick up the creepy Giger-like details.

Red Hulk 2099’s biomechanical nature is reminiscent of HR Giger’s iconic style (which most fans will recognize in the Xenomorph design from Alien), and traces of Jack Kirby’s style can be felt when you see the whole design as a whole. Based on the inspiration behind Red Hulks new character design, plus the in-world explanation for why he’s red, it’s obvious why his origin is one of the most disturbing in Marvel Comics.

Annihilation 2099 #3 by Marvel Comics is now available.