THE MAESTROEarth-9200
THE MAESTRO
Earth-9200
Real Name: Robert Bruce Banner
Identity/Class: Alternate Reality (Earth-9200; Dystopia), human mutate
Occupation: Ruler of Dystopia;
formerly physicist, adventurer
Group Membership: None;
former member of the Avengers, the Defenders, the Pantheon (see comments)
Affiliations: (All of Earth-9200 unless
otherwise specified) Betty-6, the Dogs of War,
the Gravity Police, the Minister (Thomas Raymond)
Enemies: (All of Earth-9200 unless otherwise specified) Advanced Idea Mechanics,
Abomination,
Boz, Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell) of Earth-616, Char, Dakord, Doctor
Doom (Victor Von
Doom), the Exiles (Blink of Earth-295, Heather Hudson-3470,
Longshot of Reality-616, Morph-1081, Power
Princess/Zarda-712, Sabretooth/Victor Creed-295, Spider-Man/Miguel O'Hara-6375 circa 2099 A.D.),
Hercules, the Hulk (Robert Bruce Banner) of Earth-616, the Human Torch
(Jim Hammond), Janis Jones, Rick
Jones, Machine Man (X-51/Aaron Stack), the Magus of Earth-616, Leonard
McKenzie, MODOK (George Tarleton), General Thaddeus
"Thunderbolt" Ross of Earth-616, the Pantheon (Ajax,
Atalanta, Delphi, Hector, Paris, Ulysses), Nuuma, Proteus of Earth-58163, Pizfiz,
Shulk, Skooter, Spider-Man
of Earth-928 circa 2099 A.D. (Miguel O'Hara), the Stalkers, the Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie), Vapor (Ann Darnell)
Known Relatives: Presumably, the Earth-9200 counterparts of: Elizabeth "Betty" Ross Talbot Banner (wife, deceased), Beatrice Banner (distant relative, deceased), Brian Banner (father, deceased), Rebecca Banner (mother, deceased), Caeira (wife, deceased),
Bruce Willis Sylvester Chan (possible son, see comments), Hiro-Kala (son, possibly deceased), Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross
(father-in-law, deceased), Robert Stearns (distant relative, deceased),
Skaar (son, possibly deceased), Samuel Stearns (distant relative, deceased), Morris Walters (uncle, deceased),
Elaine Banner Walters (aunt, deceased), Cassandra
Walters Pike (aunt, deceased), David Pike (cousin, deceased) (see comments)
Aliases: The Hulk;
previously, at various
times in his past, Annihilator, Captain Universe, Joe Fixit/Mr. Fixit,
Mechano, Professor, War, Bruce Bancroft, David
Banner, David Bixby, Bob Danner, Bruce Jones, Bruce Roberts, numerous
other aliases to disguise identity (see comments).
Base of Operations: Last seen
formerly Dystopia, Earth-9200
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect I#1 (December 1992)
Powers/Abilities:
The Maestro possesses superhuman strength on an incredible scale, enabling him to lift in
excess of 100 tons. The gamma radiation that mutated his body fortified
his cellular structure and added, from some as yet unrevealed source (possibly
extradimensional, such as the Dimension of Kosmos, accessed via Pym
Particles), several hundred pounds of bone, muscle, and other
tissue to his body. Using his strength, the Maestro is able to leap
many miles through the air, and is able to leap across an entire
continent in a matter of hours.
The Maestro's exposure to radiation over many years has increased his strength, durability, and healing capacity even further. The Maestro's strength increases with his anger, rage, or in other times of stress in which his adrenalin level escalates. To date, the upper limit of his strength remains a mystery.
The Maestro also possesses a high degree of
resistance to injury, pain, and disease. His skin is capable of
resisting great heat without blistering, great cold without freezing,
and great impacts. He has also shown the ability to breathe underwater.
In addition to his great durability, he also possesses a vastly
superhuman healing capacity, enabling him to regenerate body tissue,
including internal organs, within seconds to minutes. Even after being
disintegrated by a nuclear explosion, the Maestro was, under the proper
circumstances, able to reintegrate his form over a period of several
years. The Maestro's highly efficient physiology renders him immune to
all terrestrial diseases. The Maestro ages slowly and, although his
hair has turned gray over time, his aging does not appear to lessen his
abilities or to enfeeble him in any way.
The Maestro possesses a genius level intellect,
capable of designing and building complex machines, robots, cyborgs,
and weapons with ease. The Maestro has been unhinged by his prolonged
exposure to radiation and the traumas through which he has lived, and
believes himself to be the rightful ruler of all humanity. The Maestro
ruled his kingdom as an absolute dictator, and he exercised his authority
with an iron fist. The Maestro maintained a totalitarian police state,
and commanded considerable forces, including a well-armed military
police force called the Gravity Police, as well as the cybernetic Dogs
of War. The Maestro is sadistic and cruel, punishing any resistance
harshly.
The Maestro's transformation appears stable, and he
rarely transforms back into his Bruce Banner form. He has displayed the
ability to transform back into Bruce Banner upon command, and has also
reverted to Bruce Banner in a moment of extreme psychological distress.
However, the Maestro's transformations into his Bruce Banner form are
rare, and he appears able to maintain his Maestro form indefinitely.
The Maestro presumably also possesses all other
abilities of the Hulk of Earth-616, with most or all of them augmented
to some degree. This would include the Hulk's ability to perceive
astral (spirit) forms normally invisible to the naked eye.
Height: 7'6
Weight: 1,150 lbs
Eyes: Green
Hair: Grey (formerly green)
History: (Incredible Hulk II#460 (fb) -
BTS) - For years, the Maestro's remains lied at the site of the original gamma
bomb test. Throughout that time, the Maestro's spirit and psyche continued to
beckon the Hulk on a subconscious level. As a result, throughout his existence,
the Hulk maintained the innate ability to always locate the site of the
original gamma bomb blast. Each time the Hulk visited the site, the Maestro's
remains would soak up small bits of the Hulk's gamma radiation, with the
Maestro slowly reenergizing himself, hoping to return.
(Maestro I#1 (fb)) - A terrorist group set off nuclear weapons in both
the United States and Russia, misleading both countries into believing the
other was responsible. This act of terrorism brought about a nuclear
war, which took the lives of 60% of humanity. Over the following years,
many more continued to suffer from radiation poisoning.
(Maestro I#1 (fb) - BTS) - At the outset of the nuclear conflict, MODOK
and his organization Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) seized several
individuals whose bodies seemingly made them benefit from radiation.
These individuals included Vapor of the U-Foes and the Abomination (Emil
Blonksy), among others. Most notably, A.I.M. captured the Hulk. They
proceeded to place the Hulk's body in suspended animation in a hidden
A.I.M. facility underneath Los Angeles, while placing his mind in a
virtual reality program in which his most fond wishes were fulfilled.
In this virtual world, the Hulk was a public hero, a member of the
Avengers, and was happily married to Betty Ross Banner, with two
children named Thaddeus (after Betty's father, Thaddeus "Thunderbolt"
Ross), and Rick (after the Hulk's friend Rick Jones). The Hulk remained
trapped in this virtual program for several decades.
(Maestro I#1 (fb)) - Several years after the nuclear war between the
United States and Russia, while the Hulk was still in suspended
animation, another terrorist organization known as the Black Scythe
emerged. The Black Scythe held the philosophy that humanity's time on
Earth had ended, and sought to bring about the extinction of the human
race. To that end, the Black Scythe unleashed gas attacks in hundreds
of cities across the world.
(Maestro I#2 (fb) - BTS) - High level United States officials retreated
into a series of underground shelters beneath Washington, D.C. known as
"the Bunker." At some point, Machine Man (Aaron Stack) joined this
community as well. The Bunker community continued for decades,
eventually becoming populated by the descendants of its original
inhabitants. 
(Maestro I#1) - After several decades, the Hulk's mind rejected the
virtual reality program in which it had been placed. Within his mind,
the Hulk experienced a conflict with the Avengers, including virtual
reality avatars of Captain America, the Black Widow, Giant Man, the
Scarlet Witch, Wolverine, and the Vision. Triumphing over these mental
constructs, the Hulk awoke within the underground A.I.M. facility.
After
battling A.I.M. troops, the Hulk encountered MODOK, who explained to the
Hulk what had happened over the preceding decades and how the Hulk had come
to be in A.I.M.'s custody. The Hulk emerged from the facility to find Los
Angeles in ruins, and bitterly contemplated the self-destructiveness of
humanity. MODOK offered the Hulk to remain with A.I.M. and, after the
radiation levels some day decreased sufficiently, to work with them to rebuild
civilization. The Hulk rejected MODOK's offer and leaped away.
(Maestro I#2) - The Hulk explored the depopulated ruins of the United
States, including visits to Mount Rushmore, the remains of the Hoover
Dam, and the ruins of Las Vegas. When the Hulk reached Washington,
D.C., however, he observed a young boy running across the Capital Mall
and into an underground shelter. Surprised to find a living human, the
Hulk followed the boy and emerged into the underground community called the
Bunker. There, the Hulk was met by Machine Man, who explained the
Bunker's origins. During his short stay at the Bunker, the Hulk learned
that New York City also remained populated and had become known as
Dystopia, and was ruled by a figure known as the Maestro. Shocked and
intrigued, the Hulk immediately departed the Bunker and headed towards
Dystopia, intending to meet the Maestro.
As the Hulk approached Dystopia, he was attacked by a swarm of mutated,
flying cockroaches. A band of survivors calling themselves the
Wasteland Survivalists came to the Hulk's aid, chasing the swarm away
with sonic weapons. The Hulk collapsed from his injuries, and the group
of Wasteland Survivalists transported him to their small, unnamed
settlement on the outskirts of Dystopia.
After awakening, the Hulk entered Dystopia, and found a large but
technologically primitive city where New York City had previously been.
As the Hulk wandered the streets, he was approached by the Minister, a
servant and administrator for the Maestro. The Minister led the Hulk to
the Maestro's palace, where the Hulk was surprised to learn that the
Maestro was actually his old ally Hercules.
(Maestro I#3) - Hercules greeted the Hulk with joy, and then almost
immediately attacked the Hulk, hoping for a good natured sparring
match. In the midst of their conflict, two of Rick Jones' allies,
Dakord and Pizfiz, approached the Hulk and informed him that Rick
Jones, though elderly, was still alive. The Hulk accompanied Dakord and
Pizfiz back to Rick Jones's underground headquarters, which contained a
multitude of artifacts from the Age of Marvels. The Hulk
was happy to see his old friend still among the living, and also met
Rick's granddaughter, Janis.
Rick bemoaned that Hercules had
changed since becoming the Maestro, and that he no longer cared for the
wellbeing of ordinary people. The Hulk bitterly declared that it had been ordinary
people, not the super villains they had dedicated their lives to
fighting, who had ultimately caused the destruction of civilization, and
he denied that the citizens of Dystopia deserved any sympathy. Rather, the
Hulk opined, humanity needed an iron hand to rule them and enforce
unity and order. The Hulk then asked Rick Jones to direct him to a
laboratory he could use, and Rick Jones had the Hulk brought to the
ruins of the Alchemax corporation.
The Hulk spent several months using the scientific facilities at
Alchemax to engineer dog-like robots called the Dogs of War. Once his
cybernetic army was ready, the Hulk returned to Dystopia and addressed
its citizens. The Hulk declared himself prepared to take on the
rulership of Dystopia, and to lead humanity to something greater than
it had been before. The masses of Dystopia dismissed the Hulk's speech,
and the Hulk, angered, turned his Dogs of War on the crowd.
(Maestro I#4) - The Hulk's forces attacked the public of Dystopia until
Hercules intervened. To the Hulk's surprise, Hercules overpowered him
and beat him decisively. Recognizing he could not defeat Hercules in a
physical confrontation, the Hulk feigned surrender, and apologized to
Hercules for having attacked his subjects. The Hulk then left Dystopia,
telling Hercules he would return in the future when he could properly
make amends.
(Maestro I#4 (fb) - BTS) - The Hulk had further adventures for an
unrevealed length of time, apparently several years. At
some point, he returned to the underground A.I.M. facility, freed Vapor of
the U-Foes, and recruited her to his cause.
(Maestro I#4) - After devising a plan to defeat Hercules, the Hulk
returned to Dystopia, with Vapor at his side in civilian guise. The
Hulk greeted Hercules and introduced Vapor under her civilian name, Ann
Darnell. Hercules, instantly smitten with Vapor, led her into his
chambers. Vapor then revealed her true purpose, using her powers to
transform her body into poisonous gas and apparently killing Hercules.
The Hulk then betrayed Vapor, using a cryogenic cannon to freeze her
gaseous form and then shatter her.
(Maestro I#5) - The Hulk led Hercules' funeral procession through the
streets of Dystopia. At Hercules' funeral pyre, the Hulk declared
himself the new ruler of Dystopia. When the assembled crowd questioned
the Hulk's right to rulership, the Hulk once again turned his Dogs of
War against them. A band of Rick Jones's associates intervened,
wielding a powerful weapon designed by Forge decades earlier, but the
Hulk quickly incapacitated them. A moment later, to the Hulk's shock,
Hercules rose from his funeral pyre, still burning with fire. The Hulk
and Hercules resumed their battle, until the Minister betrayed Hercules
and killed him with Forge's gun. The Minister then pledged his fealty to
the Hulk instead.
The Hulk returned to Rick Jones' underground headquarters, seeking to
exact his revenge against Jones for opposing him. By the time the Hulk
arrived, however, Rick Jones and his associates had already evacuated
their base. In the empty base, Rick Jones spoke to the Hulk through a
video screen and the two briefly argued, with Rick telling the Hulk
that he had become like his abusive father. Rick Jones then detonated
an explosive which destroyed the underground facility with the Hulk
still inside. The Hulk emerged from the rubble moments later, unharmed.
The Hulk then ascended to the throne of Dystopia, declaring himself the
new Maestro.
(Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Over the ensuing
years, the Maestro soaked up the ambient radiation which blanketed the
earth in the aftermath of nuclear war. Absorbing the radiation made the
Maestro grow even stronger and more powerful than he had been before.
<Continuity and chronology uncertain - See comments> (Exiles I#79-80) - The reality-hopping, body-snatching mutant Proteus
sought a body which would not be burned out by his powers. After
occupying the body of Hulk of Earth-6375 circa 2099 A.D., Proteus entered the reality of
Earth-9200 and traveled to Dystopia with the
intention of possessing the Maestro's body, theorizing that the
Maestro's radiation-enhanced form could last him indefinitely. However,
the Exiles (who had been pursuing Proteus across realities) arrived at
the Maestro's palace first, and warned him of Proteus's plan.
Accordingly, the Maestro was prepared for Proteus's assault. To lure
Proteus in, Maestro instructed his guards to allow Proteus to enter his palace unopposed. As Proteus (still possessing the body
of Hulk 2099) approached
the Maestro's throne, the Maestro and Exiles together attacked him.
Just as the Exiles and Maestro had temporarily incapacitated Proteus,
however, in an instance of friendly fire, the Exiles inadvertently
wounded Maestro with one of
Longshot's daggers. Enraged, the Maestro informed the Exiles that their
alliance was over and turned his attack on them. The Maestro quickly
gained the upper hand, and knocked most of the Exiles unconscious.
During the chaos, however, Proteus revived and renewed his attack on
the Maestro, eventually using the Hulk 2099's strength to snap the
Maestro's neck. Proteus prepared to seize the body of the paralyzed
Maestro, but was prevented from doing so when the two members of the
Exiles still standing, Blink and Longshot, renewed their attack.
Ultimately, Proteus possessed Blink's body, and found that its
shapeshifting properties made it impervious to the
deleterious effects of his powers. Satisfied, Proteus teleported away
to yet another reality, telling the still-paralyzed Maestro that it was
his lucky day, as he would not be needing the Maestro's body after all.
(BTS) - With his extraordinary recuperative abilities, the Maestro soon recovered from his broken neck.
(Maestro: War & Pax I#5 (fb) - BTS) - A time traveling Doctor Doom
(see comments) approached the Maestro and proposed they enter a
partnership. As part of this partnership, the two devised a plan to
eliminate several potential threats to their supremacy, including the
Pantheon and A.I.M.
(Maestro: War & Pax I#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Maestro became aware of a
group known as the Stalkers, who laid claim to the ruins of
Connecticut. Maestro sent an emissary to the Stalkers to inform them of
the Maestro's rulership, and the Stalkers executed the emissary.
(Maestro: War & Pax I#1) - The Maestro and his Dogs of War attacked
the Stalkers, slaughtering them all. Maestro then approached the
Stalkers' surviving children to offer them a place in Dystopia. The
children spurned the Hulk, who then turned his Dogs of War on the
children as well.
Maestro returned to his palace in Dystopia, and contemplated how to
better assert complete control over the human populace. Maestro began
to devise a new political philosophy which he deemed "Post-Apocalyptic
Existence," or PAX, a totalitarian vision for all humanity to swear
fealty to the Maestro or perish. Maestro decided that the first
community to be brought to heel would be the Bunker, beneath the ruins
of Washington, D.C. To enact this program, the Maestro sent the
Minister to deliver his message to the Bunker: submit to the Maestro or
be conquered. The Bunker, led by Machine Man, chose to resist the
Maestro's rule. Minutes later, the Maestro and his forces descended on
the Bunker and attacked its defenders. Machine Man fought the Maestro
in a delaying action, allowing the Bunker's inhabitants to evacuate in
an airplane for another base.
(Maestro: War & Pax I#2) - The surviving members of the
Pantheon
(Ajax, Atalanta, Delphi, Hector, Paris, and Ulysses), living in their
hidden base beneath the Columbia Ice Fields, became aware of the
Maestro's activities, but they decided to remain neutral. A short time
later, however, they were visited by the time-traveling Doctor Doom, who convinced the
Pantheon that the Maestro's attention
would eventually fall on them, and that they would need to confront the
Maestro sooner or later. Unaware that Doom was secretly in league with
the Maestro, and persuaded by Doom's reasoning, the Pantheon
devised a plan to defeat the Maestro. Specifically, the Pantheon
intended to revert the Maestro to his Bruce Banner form, and
incapacitate him in his more vulnerable state.
Setting their plan in motion, the Pantheon visited the Maestro at his
palace in Dystopia. The Maestro was happy to see his old friends, and
explained his new program of Post-Apocalyptic Existence. The Pantheon
feigned cooperation to the Maestro's program, and then asked for his
assistance in a conflict against MODOK and A.I.M.. However, this was
merely a ruse to lure the Maestro into a trap. After the Maestro joined
the Pantheon in their airship, they bombarded him with knockout gas,
rendering him unconscious.
(Maestro: War & Pax I#3) - The Pantheon placed the captive
Maestro under sedation in a storage tank, and devised a plan to force
him to revert to his Bruce Banner form. The Pantheon member Paris used
his telepathic abilities to enter the Maestro's mind and create a
simulation in which the Maestro was confronted by a mental projection of his mother,
the long-deceased Rebecca Banner. The shock of seeing his mother's
disappointment and horror at what he had become caused the Maestro to
revert to Bruce Banner. As soon as he did so, the Pantheon shot
Maestro/Banner full of bullets, leaving him near death.
(Maestro: War & Pax I#4) - The Pantheon entombed Bruce Banner's
unconscious form inside an alloy made of the metal Duranium. While in
this unconscious state, Bruce Banner personality experienced a vision of
the long-dead Leonard Samson attempting to psychoanalyze him, but
before long the Maestro personality arrived in the mental landscape and snapped Samson's neck.
The Maestro confronted his Banner persona, telling him that all those
he had befriended and loved in his younger life, including Betty Ross
Banner, Rick Jones, and the Avengers, had only made him weak. Inside
the Duranium shell, Banner once more transformed into the Maestro and
erupted from his prison. The Maestro attacked the Pantheon, quickly
killing Atalanta. The Maestro also forced Ulysses to fire a set of missiles from the Pantheon's base to
destroy A.I.M.'s underground facility. While doing so, Ulysses also fired
second set of missiles at the Pantheon's own headquarters, hoping to
defeat the Maestro even at the cost of the Pantheon's own lives. The
missiles destroyed the Pantheon's base, apparently killing the remaining
Pantheon members. The Maestro, however, escaped from the blast
unscathed.
(Maestro: War & Pax I#5) - After disposing of the Pantheon, the
Maestro returned to Dystopia, where Doctor Doom was waiting for him. As
the two shared a meal to celebrate their victory over the Pantheon and
A.I.M., the Maestro betrayed Doctor Doom, attempting to kill him
through
poison. Doctor Doom, however, saw through the Maestro's tactics, and
before long the two were engaged in a heated battle across Dystopia.
The Maestro lured Doom to an enormous hidden electromagnet, destroying
Doom's armor. Just before the Maestro could deliver the killing blow,
Doctor Doom teleported away to safety.
(Maestro: World War M I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Namor, who had expanded his
undersea kingdom in the decades since humanity's fall, became alarmed
at the Maestro's rise. If Maestro were to lead humanity to a
resurgence, Namor feared, a renewed conflict between Namor's kingdom
and the surface world would become inevitable. To that end, Namor set
about recruiting allies, including the android Human Torch (Jim
Hammond), and initiated a plan to capture or destroy the Maestro.
(Maestro: World War M I#1) - The Maestro traveled to Los Angeles to
inspect the remains of the A.I.M. facility and confirm its destruction. As
the Maestro combed through the wreckage, the android Human Torch
attacked him on Namor's behalf. The Human Torch assaulted the Maestro
with his nova flame. Incorrectly believing he had killed the Maestro,
the Human Torch returned to Namor's court in the underwater city of
Pacifica.
(Maestro: World War M I#2) - The Maestro followed the Human Torch back
to Namor's kingdom, where he was surprised to see Namor
alive and well, alongside his wife, Nuuma, and his son, Leonard. The
Maestro attacked Namor, but was restrained in the tentacles one of
Namor's undersea monsters. Namor attempted to reason with the Maestro,
explaining that the reemergence of humanity under the Maestro's
leadership would inevitably threaten the Atlanteans sooner or later.
Namor invited the Maestro to leave Dystopia, become allies once more,
and join his kingdom in Pacifica. The Maestro broke free of Namor's sea
monster and renewed his attack, battling both Namor and Leonard, as well as
Namor's guards. During the battle, the Maestro toppled several
structures, which collapsed on Namor's wife and son, killing them both.
Namor renewed his attack on the Maestro, alongside the Human Torch and
the Abomination. Before the battle could continue, however, Doctor Doom
teleported Namor, the Human Torch, and the Abomination away to Latveria to propose an alliance against the Maestro.
(Maestro: World War M I#3) - The Maestro returned to Dystopia to
rest following his battle beneath the ocean. Seeking a way to locate
his enemies, the Maestro returned to the ruins of Alchemax, hoping to
find technology that could aid his search. As the Maestro searched
Alchemax's facilities, the Abomination (teleported back to Dystopia
using Doctor Doom's technology) attacked him. The Abomination had grown
jaded and depressed since awakening in the devastated future, mournful
of all the time he had wasted fighting losing battles over the course
of his life. Accordingly, the Abomination desired for the Maestro to
end his life and barely fought back, and the Maestro quickly
overpowered him. Before the Maestro could deliver the killing blow,
however, Namor returned riding the enormous sea monster Giganto, and renewed his
own attack on the Maestro.
(Maestro: World War M I#4) - The Maestro battled Giganto, causing great
destruction to Dystopia in the process. Eventually, the Maestro
incapacitated Giganto by hurling a spear through Giganto's eye. Before
the Maestro could confront Namor directly, however, Doctor Doom once
again teleported Namor away. As Giganto returned to the ocean, the
Maestro spotted the Abomination riding on Giganto's back, apparently
intending to commit suicide by drowning. The Maestro pulled the
Abomination back to dry land, and offered to give him a new purpose by
working together to bring down Doctor Doom and Namor. The Abomination
agreed, and revealed to the Maestro that he was carrying a
teleportation device that could bring them to Doctor Doom's castle.
(Maestro: World War M I#5) - Doctor Doom, anticipating the
Abomination's betrayal, teleported both Abomination and the Maestro
into an Adamantium cell within his castle in Latveria, and began to
pump poison gas into the cell. The Maestro transformed into his Bruce
Banner form, becoming small enough to squeeze through the bars and
escape the cell. He then reverted to his Maestro form and freed the
Abomination as well. The Maestro and Abomination fought their way
through Doom's castle, and before long encountered Namor once again.
During the ensuing battle, Namor became haunted by hallucinations of
figures from his past, and the Maestro took advantage of Namor's
distraction to knock him unconscious. Maestro then confronted Doctor
Doom and the Human Torch. Meanwhile, the Abomination entered the
castle's computer center and used its teleportation technology to
transport the Maestro back to Dystopia. The Abomination then used the
computers to hack into the Human Torch's android system and activate
the Human Torch's nova flame. The ensuing explosion destroyed the
castle, apparently killing Doctor Doom, Namor, the Human Torch, and the
Abomination himself. Meanwhile, the Maestro returned to Dystopia and
ascended his throne once more.
<Continuity and chronology uncertain - See comments> (Abominations
I#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Abomination apparently survived the explosion
which destroyed Castle Doom and, over time, became further mutated by
the radiation blanketing the earth.
<Continuity and chronology uncertain - See comments> (Abominations
I#1 (fb)) - At some point following the Maestro's rise, the Abomination
and She-Hulk joined forces and attacked the Maestro, seeking to end his
rule. The Maestro defeated them both, and then
massacred three villages simply to prove the futility of their
efforts. Afterward, the She-Hulk and Abomination went their separate
ways. The Abomination took up residence in the swamps outside
Dystopia and became the guardian of a group of mutates. The She-Hulk
(coming to be known simply as Shulk), continued her war against the
Maestro.
<Continuity and chronology uncertain - See comments> (Abominations I#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Maestro defeated Shulk, and placed her in suspended animation within a sarcophagus.
<Chronology uncertain> (Captain Marvel IV#29-30) -As part of his plot to gain ultimate power, the villain Thanatos
(Rick Jones of Earth-9309) manipulated Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell),
Rick Jones, Starfox (Eros), and Spider-Man (of Earth-928 circa 2099 A.D.) into collecting several
powerful artifacts. As part of his machinations, Thanatos transported
Captain Marvel and Spider-Man 2099 to the Maestro's earth, directly
into the heart of Dystopia. There, Captain Marvel and Spider-Man 2099
quickly found themselves face to face with the Maestro. The Maestro
soon gained the upper hand, but just as he seized Spider-Man 2099 and
prepared to deliver a killing blow, the other heroes overcame Thanatos
and sent all involved back to their home realities.
<Chronology uncertain>
(Avengers: Back to Basics I#4) - The Magus (Adam Warlock's evil
alternate future self) obtained a Cosmic Cube and used it to attack the
Avengers of Earth-616. During their battle, the Magus used the Cosmic
Cube to alter the reality around them, and ultimately transported the
Avengers to the Maestro's Dystopia. As the conflict raged, the Maestro
approached and confronted the Magus for bringing chaos into his
kingdom. The Maestro rebuffed the Magus' proposal for an alliance, and
crushed the Cosmic Cube under his heel. The resulting energy backlash
transported the Avengers back to their own time period, and expelled
the Magus from Dystopia as well (see comments).
(Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect I#1) - The
Maestro's Gravity Police (a cybernetically enhanced police force)
captured one of the revolutionaries in Rick Jones's circle named
Pizfiz. In the Maestro's presence, the Minister used a mental probe to
review Pizfiz's recent memories. The Maestro thusly learned that
Rick Jones' group had used Doctor Doom's time machine to bring the
Hulk of Earth-616 forward in time to support their cause. After the machine burned
out Pizfiz's mind, the Maestro exacted his revenge on Pizfiz, crushing
his skull.
The Maestro and his forces then located Rick Jones' underground base,
with the Maestro tunneling beneath the ground with his bare hands. The
Maestro plowed through the base's automated defenses, including acid,
poison gas, and laser attacks, even as his forces were mowed down
around him. After overcoming all the base's defenses, the Maestro came
face to face with his younger self, the Hulk.
(Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect I#2) - The Maestro and the Hulk
fought a pitched battle across Dystopia. The Maestro capitalized on his
greater strength and experience, and ultimately defeated the Hulk, snapping his
neck. The Hulk survived due to his advanced healing abilities, but was
left in a weakened, initially paralyzed state. The Maestro tormented the Hulk as
he lay helpless by having a number of his female slaves visit the Hulk
and attempt to pleasure him against his will. A short time later, with
the Hulk still confined to a chair, the Maestro visited the Hulk and
continued to taunt him. The Maestro then took the Hulk with him on a
tour of the wastelands surrounding Dystopia and visited the community
of Wasteland Survivalists. The Hulk watched as the Maestro encountered
Boz, the leader of the Wasteland Survivalists, and claimed Boz's
daughter, Char, as one of his slaves.
(Hulk: Broken Worlds I#1/4 (fb) - BTS) - Char allegedly became pregnant by the Maestro.
(Abominations I#1 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, one of the Maestro's
mistresses, Betty-6, may have also become pregnant by the Maestro (see comments).
(Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect I#2) - The Maestro continued to keep
the Hulk within his palace during the Hulk's convalescence, bringing
the Hulk with him as he went about governing Dystopia and occasionally
expounding on his philosophy. The Maestro sought to persuade the Hulk
that humanity was weak, violent, and corrupt, and that the Maestro was
entitled to rulership over them. The Maestro invited the Hulk to remain
in Dystopia and rule at his side. The Hulk, biding his time until he
was healed enough to oppose the Maestro once more, feigned ambivalence
and said he would think over the Maestro's proposal. A short time
later, after healing from his injuries, the Hulk spirited Rick Jones'
revolutionaries into the palace and renewed his assault on the Maestro.
The Maestro anticipated the Hulk's actions, and attacked the Hulk with
a gun designed decades earlier by Forge with capabilities to wound or
kill even the Hulk. The Maestro's forces engaged in a firefight with
the revolutionaries, and the Maestro set off after the wounded Hulk. As
the Maestro charged after the Hulk, he stopped for a moment to execute
the Minister (who he knew had secretly schemed against him), snapping his neck.
The Maestro pursued the Hulk through a series of underground tunnels
towards Rick Jones' underground base. Entering the base, the Maestro encountered the
elderly Rick Jones, sitting in his chamber full of artifacts from the
age of Marvels. After a short mocking exchange, the Maestro struck Rick
Jones, sending him flying across the room and impaling him on the
Adamantium claws of Wolverine's skeleton. Moments later, the Hulk
attacked the Maestro with Captain America's shield, but the Maestro
quickly overpowered the Hulk once more. The Maestro raged at the Hulk,
excoriating him for rejecting the Maestro's offer to rule Dystopia at
his side, and proclaiming himself the strongest of all. The wounded
Hulk continued to crawl away, luring the Maestro to Doctor Doom's time
machine. Once the Maestro stood directly on the platform, the Hulk
activated the time machine, transporting the Maestro back to the time
and place of the initial gamma bomb explosion which had created the
Hulk so long before. Just as the Maestro realized to where he had been
sent, the gamma bomb detonated, annihilating him at the moment of his own creation.
(Incredible Hulk II#460) - Following the trauma of being separated
from and then reunited with his Bruce Banner form, the Hulk lied
unconscious and wounded at the site of the original gamma bomb. As he
recovered from his wounds, the Hulk's body leaked enormous amounts of
gamma radiation, scorching the surrounding area. The Maestro's remains,
still laying nearby, soaked up the radiation and began to revive. After the Hulk recovered
and moved on, the Maestro's emaciated and reanimated body emerged from
a crater and walked off across the desert.
(Incredible Hulk II#461) - The Maestro's emaciated, weakened body
collapsed in the desert. A group of Asgardian trolls found the Maestro
and brought him to their subterranean home. There, the Maestro was
placed before the Asgardian Destroyer armor, and his spirit was drawn
within the Destroyer. The Destroyer, animated by the Maestro, then
tracked Bruce Banner and General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross to a
diner in Flagpole, Arizona,
and attacked them. Bruce Banner transformed into the Hulk, and fought
the Maestro across the Arizona wilderness towards the Grand Canyon. The
Maestro/Destroyer eventually began to overpower the Hulk, knocking him
to the ground. As the Destroyer armor stepped over the Hulk's spilled
blood, the armor identified the Hulk and Maestro as being the same
being, and began to draw the Hulk's spirit within it as well. The Hulk
and Maestro then fought a battle on the spiritual plane for possession
of the Destroyer armor, which ultimately resulted in the Destroyer
collapsing a section of the canyon, burying the Maestro's body under
tons of rubble. 
Comments: Created by Peter David and George Perez.
The Maestro is among the crowning achievements of Peter David's
fantastic career. George Perez's, too, for that matter. Peter
David died on May 24, 2025, and this profile was written over the
summer of 2025 and published in honor of what would have been Peter
David's 69th birthday. On a personal note, Peter David's work was
important to me throughout my life, and I have fond memories hunting
down each issue of his Incredible Hulk run in comic book stores and at
conventions. Today, with everything available digitally, anyone can
enjoy his work.
Do yourself a favor and check out his run on the
Incredible Hulk, which is the definition of "character-defining." He
also had notable runs on X-Factor, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man,
Spider-Man 2099, and several DC characters as well, nearly all of it
very worth your while. Thanks PAD for all you did for the comic book
industry and for fans. We'll miss you! And let's not forget about the
Maestro's co-creator George Perez, who passed away in 2022. The art of
Future Imperfect is flawless, and the Maestro and Dystopia would be
very different (and certainly less awesome) without George's
amazing work.
For the biographical data at the top of this profile, I have assumed
that the Maestro shares all relatives in common with Bruce Banner/the
Hulk of Earth-616, and I have presumed them all to be deceased in the future
Dystopia of Earth-9200. Likewise, for the
Maestro's former aliases, I have assumed that, at some point in his
past, he has used the same aliases as his Earth-616 counterpart. These
aliases were drawn from the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe
published in the 2000s and 2010s, but I have not researched all
additional aliases Bruce Banner has employed since then, so the list of aliases may contain omissions.
Contrarily,
for simplicity's sake, in the Maestro's past group affiliations I have
identified only the groups which the Maestro-9200 confirmed he had belonged
to in his past, including the Avengers, Defenders, and Pantheon.
How far in the future is Future Imperfect?
Not totally clear, but it appears to be roughly a century.
What is the point of divergence between Earth-616 and Earth-9200?
The exact point of divergence appears to be a moving target because, due to Marvel's sliding timescale, Future Imperfect will always be a century in the future. That said, there are a number of events in the life of Earth-616 Hulk which the Maestro confirmed happened to him as well. For instance:
Some Continuity Errors
Peter David's trio of Maestro miniseries published in the early 2020s
established a more detailed origin story for the Maestro. The events
portrayed in these series are compatible with all the other Maestro
stories Peter David personally scripted. However, the events of these
miniseries are difficult (maybe impossible) to reconcile with the
events depicted in certain Maestro stories written by other
authors in the 1990s and 2000s. Specifically:
Notwithstanding these discrepancies, I have included the Abominations and Exiles stories within the history section above. Encountering challenging continuity problems is not that uncommon when it comes to dealing with alternate future and/or time traveling characters, and I am erring on the side of inclusion, particularly given the fairly clear authorial/editorial intent setting those stories in Earth-9200.
Likewise, there is no clear confirmation that the Maestro featured in Avengers: Back to Basics #4 is intended to be the Maestro of Earth-9200. However, given their identical appearance, the authorship of Peter David, and the lack of any evidence suggesting that this was not the Maestro of Earth-9200, I have decided to include the issue as an official appearance.
Other Comments:
In the Abominations miniseries, the true father of Betty-6's
child is left ambiguous. During the miniseries, she claims to be
carrying the Maestro's child, but the Hulk of Earth-616 also may have
been the father.
The Maestro, or a character who looks very much like
him, also appears in one panel of the backup story of Damage Control
IV#1 (October 2022), seen in the background walking out of a New York
City subway station. This is a humorous backup story and I think it is
more of a joke than an actual appearance.
In Incredible Hulk II#460, it was established that the psychic emanations of the Maestro's remains laying at the site of the original gamma bomb blast were responsible for the Hulk's ability to always navigate his way towards that site. This information was conveyed by a hallucination of the Maestro, and was confirmed in the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: Hulk 2004.
The Doctor Doom who schemes against the Maestro in the War & Pax series claims to be a time traveler. It is not clear to me from what time period or timeline this version of Doctor Doom originates. That said, this version of Doctor Doom appears to be elderly and infirm. Given Peter David's habit of weaving connections between his different works, it seems likely this is the same alternate future Doctor Doom featured in his X-Factor run, specifically X-Factor III#45. In both stories, the elderly Doctor Doom has the same appearance, infirmities, and the same robotic servant named Winston.
Ever since their first encounter, the Hulk lived in fear of some day becoming the Maestro. At many critical moments during the latter part of Peter David's run, the Hulk would think of the Maestro and his predictions, particularly when given occasion to confront his own darker or more violent nature. Accordingly, the Maestro frequently appears in the form of a nightmare or hallucination. While I did not count these nightmares and hallucinations as appearances for purposes of this profile, the Hulk imagines the Maestro in this fashion in Incredible Hulk II#417, Incredible Hulk II#421, and Incredible Hulk II#460. Likewise, when the Hulk temporarily went a little insane after getting grenade shrapnel lodged in his brain, he declared himself the Maestro in Incredible Hulk II#439, although this lasted only an issue or two.
As of this writing (summer 2025), Incredible Hulk II#461, published in 1998, remains the last chronological appearance of the Maestro of Earth-9200, with the Maestro's weakened body last seen being buried in an avalanche. In the hands of the right creative team, I feel there are stories here begging to be told.
Main and Future Imperfect image cleaned up by Ron Fredricks.
This profile was finished on 08/24/2025, but saved for the late Peter David's birthday!
Profile by Stunner.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Maestro should be distinguished from:
images: (without ads)
Maestro I#2, George Perez variant cover (main)
Maestro I#1, page 11 (Waking from suspended animation)
Maestro: War & Pax I#3, page 19, panel 3 (Bruce Banner form)
Maestro I#5, page 17, full page (Maestro on throne)
Incredible Hulk I#1, page 18, full page (Maestro emerging behind a curtain)
Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect I#2, cover (Maestro leaping with fist raised)
Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect I#2, pag
Incredible Hulk II#460, page 22, panel 4 (emaciated husk)
Appearances:
Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect I#1-2 (December 1992-January 1993) - Peter David (writer), George Perez (penciller/inker), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Abominations I#1 (December, 1996) - Ivan Velez Jr. (writer), Angel Medina (penciller), Brad Vancata (inker), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#460 (January 1998) - Peter David (writer), Mark Kubert (penciller), Mark Farmer (inker), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#461 (February 1998) - Peter David (writer), David Brewer (penciller), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Captain Marvel IV#29-30 (April-May 2002) - Peter David (writer), Chris Cross (penciller), Anibal Rodriguez and Rich Perotta (inkers), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Exiles I#79-80 (June-July 2006 ) Tony Bedard (writer), Paul Pelletier (penciller), Rick Magyar (inker), Mike Marts (editor)
Hulk: Broken Worlds I#1/4 (May 2009) - Peter David (writer), Rodney Buchemi (penciller), Greg Adams (inker), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Avengers: Back to Basics I#4 (April 2018) - Peter David (writer), Juanan Ramirez (penciller/inker), Sarah Brunstad (editor)
Maestro I#1 (October 2020) - Peter David (writer), German Peralta and Dale Keown (artists), Wil Moss (editor)
Maestro I#2-5 (November 2020 - February 2021) - Peter David (writer), German Peralta (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Maestro: War & Pax I#1-5 (March - April 2021) - Peter David (writer), Javier Pina (artist), Wil Moss and Sarah Brundstad (editors)
Maestro: War & Pax I#3 (May 2021) - Peter David (writer), Javier Pina (penciller/inker), Wilton Santos (penciller), Oren Junior (inker), Wil Moss (editor)
Maestro: War & Pax I#4-5 (June - July 2021) - Peter David (writer), Javier Pina (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Maestro: World War M I#1 (April 2022) - Peter David (writer), German Peralta and Pasqual Ferry (artists), Wil Moss and Alanna Smith (editors)
Maestro: World War M I#2-4 (May - August 2022) - Peter David (writer), German Peralta (artist), Wil Moss and Alanna Smith (editors)
Maestro: World War M I#5 (September 2022) - Peter David (writer), Sebastian Cabrol (artist), Wil Moss and Alanna Smith (editors)
First posted: 09/23/2025
Last updated: 08/24/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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