For decades, Bruce Banner has grappled with the monstrous power of the Hulk, a destructive alter ego representing the uncontrolled force that erupts when he loses control. This familiar struggle is now being completely rewritten as Marvel introduces a warped reflection of its universe's greatest heroes through Alex Ross' new graphic novel, Marvel Dimensions.

The graphic novel introduces the In-Verse, an inverted reality populated by villainous versions of Marvel's most recognizable characters. Among them is a Bruce Banner who operates under the name Reactor. Instead of transforming into a towering green powerhouse, Reactor detonates a nuclear blast around his body, with the resulting radioactive energy taking on the Hulk's familiar shape. This corrupted Banner, unlike his mainstream counterpart, lacks guilt, willingly using his abilities as a weapon for an imperial version of the United States and killing anyone who stands in his way.

Reactor represents a particularly horrifying inversion because Bruce's fear of the Hulk has traditionally been one of the character's most important restraints. The original Banner has repeatedly isolated himself, searched for cures, and surrendered his own freedom to prevent innocent people from getting hurt. Reactor, however, embraces mass destruction, replacing the Hulk's uncontrollable rage with a man who seemingly understands exactly what his power can do and chooses to unleash it anyway.

The In-Verse extends this moral reversal across the Marvel Universe, transforming Spider-Man into a thief, placing mutants beneath the control of the X-Men, and turning Nick Fury into a cybernetic dictator ruling New York. Meanwhile, versions of Marvel's traditional villains have become the resistance fighting against the superpowered figures controlling their world.

This concept gives Marvel its own unsettling mirror universe while leaving enough recognizable pieces in place to make every transformation feel deliberately wrong. Marvel Dimensions even establishes that Earth-616's Avengers have already encountered their In-Verse counterparts through a contest arranged by the Grandmaster, meaning Reactor could eventually come face-to-face with the original Hulk. Their previous battle ended without a winner, leaving the door open for Marvel to return to Ross’ inverted universe in another story.

Marvel Dimensions, created by Ross with Josh Johnson, Jason Millet, and Ariana Maher, is available now.