PSEUDO-HULKS

Classification: Terrestrial bio-constructs

Creator: Arnim Zola

User/Possessors: Arnim Zola

Enemies: Avengers (Captain America/Steve Rogers, Captain Marvel/Monica Rambeau, Thor Odinson, Wasp/Janet Van Dyne), Beast (Hank McCoy), Douglas Cartland, Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards), Henry Pym, She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters)

First Appearance: Avengers Annual I#13 (1984)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: Numbering perhaps a dozen, the Pseudo-Hulks were created by Arnim Zola from cell samples taken from the Hulk (Bruce Banner), and were similar to clones. Identical in appearance to the actual Hulk, they were genetic duplicates that had much of his strength (although Captain America estimated that they only had about 80% of the real Hulk's strength), but none of his spirit, and were virtually mindless. These Pseudo-Hulks were vulnerable to energy attacks, and their bodies could be burned out by the Wasp's stings or concentrated gamma rays.

The Pseudo-Hulks were grown from capsule "seeds" that were distributed by Zola's "birds".

Although destructive, the main purpose of the Pseudo-Hulks seemed to be to act as a distraction and to be the transport system for each one's "living pants," which Zola controlled remotely for the purpose of infiltrating Banner's lab

History:
(Avengers Annual I#13 (fb) - BTS) - Prior to the Hulk's descent into a mindless state and his exile to the Crossroads dimension (@ Incredible Hulk II#300), Bruce Banner had come up with several breakthrough inventions--including some advances in the biological sciences--at his lab in the Northwind Observatory in the Catskill Mountains. Wanting to obtain the secrets of Banner's discoveries, bio-fanatic Arnim Zola stole some cell samples that had earlier been taken from the Hulk from a government storage depot, then combined them with his own special bio-agents to create his Pseudo-Hulks.

(Avengers Annual I#13) - Wanting to secure Banner's inventions, Raymond Sikorski of the National Security Council sent a regular military battalion and dispatched a team of Avengers, along with Hank Pym, Mister Fantastic, the She-Hulk, and CTE employee Douglas Cartland, to Northwind to inspect the inventions. As the group went inside the lab, a flock of birds descended to the observatory grounds, pecking and scratching at the grass, and one planted a single "seed" from which was spawned the first Pseudo-Hulk--the green behemoth emerged from the ground and attacked the lab. After a very brief battle with the heroes, the "Hulk" was blasted by the Wasp's sting, then it collapsed and died. As he observed these events from afar, Zola dispatched his birds with more "seeds".

   Hank Pym, Mister Fantastic, and the Beast conducted an autopsy on the remains of the "Hulk," finding the entire corpse had changed into a blackened carbonized state resembling charcoal, and they determined that it had not been the true Hulk. The Beast unintentionally passed a bio-probe over the "Hulk's" pants, and was shocked to get a positive reading -- "They're alive!"

   The "living pants" captured Mister Fantastic and Hank Pym, and Zola revealed himself to the heroes as more of his Pseudo-Hulks began their rampage. Directly controlling the amoeba-like "pants," Zola slithered into the lab with his two captives while the others battled the pseudo-lifeforms.

   Captain Marvel transformed into concentrated gamma rays and burned out some of the ersatz Hulks, then she flew to help Mister Fantastic and Pym break free. After locking the Zola-controlled blob behind a vault door while they were in the lab's master control chamber, Pym was able to jury-rig a device to track Zola's thought waves back to his own body aboard his bio-craft (see comments), which was disguised as a nearby mountain peak. Captain Marvel flew to the bio-craft and overloaded Zola's transmission equipment with electricity, then Thor joined in, striking the fake peak with his hammer. Zola's bio-craft took off, but the glass beaker containing the "seeds" had broken open, and three more Pseudo-Hulks were produced. The trio of Hulk duplicates began to attack Zola -- driven to a frenzy, they would obey no master.

   The bio-craft plummeted into Pepacton Reservoir, and the Avengers found nothing left but bits of tattered bio-matter.

Comments: Created by Roger Stern, Steve Ditko and John Byrne.

Zola's "bio-craft" somewhat resembled a flying saucer--I guess it's possible that it was actually Doughboy in a slightly altered form.
--Ron Fredricks

Couldn't their ability to rapidly alternate in size also have been derived from the Decker Formula (created by the Golden Age Terror foe Decker in Mystic Comics#6)?
--Carycomic

New and additional images by Ron Fredricks.

Profile by John Kaminski

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Pseudo-Hulks have no known connections to:

"living pants"

The "living pants" were the trousers worn by the first Pseudo-Hulk. Resembling the familiar purple cloth garment of the Hulk, it was actually a bio-material that acted as a control mechanism for the Pseudo-Hulk, and it allowed Arnim Zola to see wherever it went. The main purpose of the "pants" was to act as a means for Zola to infiltrate Bruce Banner's former lab at the Northwind Observatory.

When the first Pseudo-Hulk attacked the observatory, it was quickly destroyed by the Avengers; while the false Hulk was undergoing an autopsy, Zola projected his consciousness into the bio-construct's "pants," and even simulated his own face on the giant purple blob that was formed. After seizing Mr. Fantastic and Henry Pym, Zola slithered to the main lab of the complex.

As other Pseudo-Hulks attacked the observatory and were individually destroyed, the "pants" of each would flow off the corpses and join into a separate single mass, also controlled by Zola.

When Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) attacked Zola's bio-craft (see comments), she electrically overloaded Zola's transmission equipment, and his mind automatically returned to his body--the giant mass that had been inhabited by Zola and the other blob both broke down, leaving nothing but greasy purple smears behind.

Zola was able to control the slithering amoeba-like blob's shape to form appendages, and could also form hammer-like bludgeons from it.

--Avengers Annual I#13

Pseudo-Hulk "seeds" and Zola's "birds"

Stored in a glass beaker aboard Zola's bio-craft (see comments), the "seeds" were capsules which could grow into doppelgangers of the Hulk.

The "birds" were apparently more of Zola's bio-constructs, which he could command to distribute the "seeds".

--Avengers Annual I#13

images:
Avengers Annual I#13, p26, pan1 (main image - Pseudo-Hulks battle Avengers)
Avengers Annual I#13, p18, pan4 (Mr. Fantastic, Henry Pym, and Beast perform autopsy on remains of first Pseudo-Hulk; "living pants" at end of autopsy table)
Avengers Annual I#13, p15, pan4 (first Pseudo-Hulk)
Avengers Annual I#13, p29, pan6 (Arnim Zola's face on "living pants" blob, holding Mr. Fantastic and Henry Pym)
Avengers Annual I#13, p30, pan1 (Arnim Zola's face on "living pants" blob, holding Mr. Fantastic and Henry Pym)
Avengers Annual I#13, p17, pan6 (Zola's "birds" and beaker of Pseudo-Hulk "seeds" aboard Zola's bio-craft)
Avengers Annual I#13, p18, pan1 (Zola's hand giving "seeds" to "birds")

Appearances:
Avengers Annual I#13 (1984) - Roger Stern (writer), Steve Ditko (pencils), John Byrne (inks), Ken Feduniewicz (colors), Joe Rosen (letters), Mark Gruenwald (editor)

First Posted: 06/07/2004
Last updated: 12/19/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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