It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since Marvel published the original Planet Hulk storyline. This hugely influential tale saw Hulk dragged across space to battle for his life on the wartorn world of Sakaar, eventually rising from gladiator to king. That journey has had a profound influence on Marvel's comic book line, including paving the way for 2007's World War Hulk crossover, and its influence can be felt in the MCU even now.
To celebrate Planet Hulk's 20th birthday, Marvel has reassembled some of the original creative team - including writer Greg Pak, artist Carlo Pagulayan, and editor Mark Paniccia - to craft a new adventure set on Sakaar. Return to Planet Hulk #1 is a one-shot special that takes place during the original storyline. It promises to add even greater depth to a modern Marvel classic.
To learn more about how this special connects to the original run, IGN spoke with Pak via email. Check out an exclusive preview of Return to Planet Hulk #1 in the slideshow gallery below, then read on to learn more:
20 years ago, Pak couldn't have known just how big an impact Planet Hulk would have on the Marvel Universe. We asked him why he thinks Planet Hulk has resonated so strongly over the years.
"It's always a little presumptuous for a writer to talk about what makes their own work popular, ha ha!" Pak tells IGN. "But, of course, we wouldn't be anywhere without the incredible art, coloring, and lettering of Carlo Pagulayan, Aaron Lopresti, Ladronn, Chris Sotomayor, Randy Gentile, Joe Caramagna, and everyone else who worked on the book."
Pak continues, "I think there's also always juice in a story in which the strongest hero is somehow the biggest outcast and underdog. And there's a tremendous feeling when a character thought of as a monster has the chance to step up for others and become a true hero. So Planet Hulk delivers on all that vicarious glory. But it's also a Hulk story, which means it's about the price of anger, no matter how righteous that anger is. So it's also a tragedy, and I think that's honestly a huge part of its attraction. It's emotionally raw and honest and I think folks have appreciated that. I'm also enormously grateful to all the Hulk writers and artists who preceded us and laid the groundwork for this kind of story and all the readers who embraced it so wholeheartedly. You never really know how a book will be received, and when everything really hits, and it's overwhelming in the best of ways to know how much the story has meant to so many people. THANK YOU!"
Pak reveals that he was the catalyst behind Return to Planet Hulk, as he reached out to Marvel after realizing the 20th anniversary was approaching and developing the nugget of an idea for a way to revisit the original book.
"The world of Planet Hulk is always kicking around somewhere in the back of my head," Pak says. "So when I realized that the 20th anniversary was coming up, I shot a note off to Marvel and after a while Mark Paniccia, the brilliant editor of the original Planet Hulk run, reached out and said they had this one-shot approved. The big challenge was figuring out a spot in the storyline where an untold story could actually work. The original story is very tight, and we didn't want to add something that didn't provide additional resonance."
Pak continues, "Eventually we realized there was a sweet spot shortly after the end of issue #95, the fourth chapter in the saga, where the Hulk has freed the enslaved gladiators but hasn't quite settled into his role as an actual leader. This felt like a great place to explore the Hulk's conflicted ideas -- the possibility that he might refuse this call to adventure, this demand to be a hero -- in the deepest wasteland of the Twisted Wood. It's pretty darn great -- dontcha dare miss it!"
As eager as Pak was to revisit the Planet Hulk setting, he was also adamant that he wouldn't do so without his original collaborators on board. Luckily, Pagulayan and Paniccia were only too happy to return to Sakaar with him.
"This was key," Pak says. "Mark and I were thick as thieves throughout that entire run, and I couldn't conceive of doing something like this without him. And Carlo and Aaron Lopresti tag teamed on the art throughout the storyline. Carlo drew those first four issues and it feels so great to get him drawing this one shot that follows immediately after them. Watching those pages roll in was honestly surreal -- felt like we were all transported two decades back in time."
Naturally, the flashback premise allows Pak to reconnect with some of the key characters from the original Planet Hulk run. Don't expect major players like the Red King or Hulk's bride-to-be Caiera to show up, however. Given that this issue takes place fairly early in the Planet Hulk saga, it's not the right time for those characters to show up.
"The story we tackled didn't end up including Caiera or the Red King -- it's a bit early in the epic for them," Pak says. "But I can tease that we explore an entire community of creatures on Sakaar that we didn't have the chance to explore so deeply in the original storyline. That's a thrill and adds another nuance to how the Hulk is perceived on Sakaar and how he perceives himself."
Return to Planet Hulk #1 will be released on October 8, 2025. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.
In other Hulk news, Mark Ruffalo recently revealed he hasn't read a script for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, despite pervasive rumors that Hulk will appear in the sequel.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
