Hulk is one of them Miracle of the universe's most iconic heroes, it's no wonder that Bruce Banner is just one of many characters to become a gamma monster over the decades of comics. There are other long-term Hulks like General Ross, Jennifer Walters, and Amadeus Cho. Several characters have also had brief stints as “The Strongest Exists,” 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 so far. That doesn't make it any less cool, though, as there's also room for Marvel to turn the idea into a full-fledged comic book later if there's enough interest in the concept.
“World War Hulks” is a 2010 story that saw many existing heroes given gamma monster variants, but it's a Marvel event that Daredevil missed out on, meaning his new look marks the very first time he's gone green in 62 years of storytelling.
Daredevil's Transformation Marks a What If…? Milestone
from Marvel What if…? comics turns 50 in 2026, and to mark the occasion, artists are sharing variant covers that tackle bold concepts worthy of the name. That's where Hulkdevil comes from, as well as #3 of Stephanie Phillips' promising novel Daredevil run, artist Netho Diaz explores the concept of what would happen if the accident that blinded Matt Murdock gave him Hulk powers instead of enhanced senses. Given that it was radioactive material that blinded Matt in traditional Marvel canon, it's not too much of a leap to imagine it being gamma radiation in barrels instead. However, the result of this simple shift is much more shocking.
Hulkdevil not only boasts Hulk's trademark green skin, but also a Venom-like tongue and some curled green horns. However, aspects of Daredevil's traditional look are present, such as a red-eye mask reminiscent of the “Man in Black” suit, clenched hands serving as a nod to Battlin' Jack Murdock, and giant red canes befitting the monster. The Daredevil-Hulk hybrid is even seen running along the walls of a skyscraper, suggesting that the beast is still quite nimble, though it's hard to imagine him being as stealthy as Matt Murdock normally is.
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Unfortunately, there is not a complete problem here What if…? to this amazing design, as only a variant cover for another comic is all fans have to reject. There's still reason to hope that Hulkdevil could eventually become something more. For starters, as ScreenRant pointed out, the New Champions team was introduced via variant covers before getting any proper comics, so perhaps Daredevil Hulk will follow a similar path. In addition, Daredevil has one of the most impressive comic book legacies of any character, with some really bad results but many classics to boast. As such, readers are constantly clamoring for more Daredevil comics, so maybe people will push for a miniseries exploring the variant cover version of the character.
Hulkdevil isn't the only one, what if…? Contents for the year 50
Daredevil Hulk is just one of several variant covers that honor the legacy What if…?as readers have seen so far:
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The heroic Sinister Six who team up with Peter Parker
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Captain Marvel as a Skrull
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Iron Man if Extremis was a symbiote
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Punisher if he had Magik's armor
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Sorcerer Supreme Rogue
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Colossus Wolverine
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The X-Men as Heralds of Galactus
In addition to fun variant covers like the ones above and this hulking version of Daredevil, some serious ones What if…? comics are on their way soon. June will see Marvel creators imagine Cyclops' life if he stayed with Madelyne Pryor and deal with what would happen if Thor got the Symbiote instead of Spider-Man. July imagines the original Ultimate universe if he survived Secret WarsJessica Jones if she was bitten by a radioactive spider and what would happen if Kraven survived his last hunt. Finally, there are the August issues that explore how Captain America was unfrozen in 2099, the Runaways never lived up to their namesake, and Cassandra Nova killed Charles Xavier.
The What if…? the brand may not be perfect — the MCU TV series is divisive because of its focus on Captain Carter, and the books have suggested some really weird ideas like The Thing being blue instead of orange — but it's still great to see Marvel celebrate it for anyone who likes to ask that question. While the hulking green Daredevil sounds odd on paper, it makes more sense when you remember his origins, and artist Netho Diaz really knocked it out of the park with his interpretation. Whether Hulkdevil remains a one-off or becomes a proper character down the road, it's not every day that something truly new is done with a character that's over 6 decades old, and this boldness is definitely worth highlighting.
