By Marc Strom
The savage
Skaar makes his way to Earth on June 3, where he'll encounter his father's former allies, the
Warbound, in SKAAR: SON OF HULK #11 from writer Greg Pak and artist Ron Lim, kicking off "Planet Skaar" with a great deal of smashing!
Last seen in the five-issue WORLD WAR HULK AFTERSMASH: WARBOUND limited series, Sakaar's most vicious warriors have had their hands busy recently fending for themselves in Gammaworld.
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"The Warbound have spent the last year in the American Southwest protecting the poor, puny humans who were caught under the deadly dome of the Leader's Gammaworld," recounts Pak. "But as we'll discover in PLANET SKAAR PROLOGUE #1 [out May 20], some new, Dark Reign-related developments have changed the Warbound's status quo in some interesting ways."
While the Warbound fought side-by-side with the Jade Giant in "Planet Hulk," they began to question their leader's actions as he tore through the Marvel Universe in World War
Hulk. Now, with Skaar on his way to confront his father, the Warbound's allegiance could go either way.
"As fellow gladiators in the arenas of Planet Sakaar, the Warbound swore to stand by the Hulk and each other until the end," Pak notes. "But during World War Hulk, they learned that their attack on Earth was based on lies. Given the magnitude of the destruction they helped cause, they've had reason to question their support of the Hulk's unbound anger.
"That might lead them to oppose the Hulk if and when he rages again. Or it might lead them to oppose Skaar, hoping to help him avoid following his father's tragic footsteps."
Pak, who created the Warbound during "
Planet Hulk," has no trouble picking which member of the group he has the most fun writing.
"
Korg, the mighty stone man from Krona, natch," the writer confesses. "Korg's a rock, both literally and metaphorically. Now I love writing antiheroes with flawed motivations and really bad manners as much as the next guy. But there's something special about
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writing a character with such a big, big heart who always seems to know the right thing to say and do. We all need a Korg in our lives, don't we?"
Bringing the Warbound into SKAAR also helps to bring the larger story Pak began with "Planet Hulk" back to its beginning—but the writer promises fans that "Planet Skaar" is far from an ending.
"It's definitely the next mind-blowing step in the big plan, but I won't call it the 'culmination' just yet," Pak explains. "This is a critical moment for the Warbound and it'll help determine everything that follows, but rest assured, there's a long term story unfolding here and these guys ain't done yet."
When Skaar finally lands on Earth, though, fans can expect a great deal of chaos to ensue as the Hulk's son follows in his father's rampaging footsteps.
"Let's just say that everything Skaar's experienced in his brief life has pumped up his fury to the breaking point," warns Pak. "And that includes everything he's ever learned about his father."
Beyond the return of the Warbound, Pak teases that SKAAR #11 will also feature a major reveal for the titular character.
"A big revelation about Skaar himself plays out in issue #11, and a chunk of central Ohio may never be the same."
SKAAR: SON OF HULK #11 crashes down on June 3, but you can check out his first adventure right now on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited!
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