The Incredible Hulk is one of Marvel’s most tragic characters. Possessing a strength unrivaled across the universe, the Hulk stands as one of the most supremely powerful beings of all time. But such strength and power come at a terrible cost: eternal solitude. Overwhelmed with emotions he can scarcely control or understand, the Hulk is as dangerous and unpredictable as he is heroic. It is a dichotomy that has always left the Jade Giant fleeing from the world at large. Once upon a time, there was a moment in the Hulk’s life where there was love and peace, but it was taken from him. Once there had been a woman that had completed the Hulk and her name was Jarella.
Jarella debuted in 1971’s The Incredible Hulk #140 (by Harlan Ellison, Roy Thomas, and Herb Trimpe). The princess of the kingdom of K’ai, Jarella was a peaceful and benevolent ruler, a woman possessing great wisdom and empathy. The Hulk’s arrival on K’ai was an accident of microscopic proportions as the evil being known as Psyklop unintentionally shrank the Hulk down until he was small enough to enter the Microverse. Adrift in the subatomic realm, the Hulk found himself welcomed in K’ai and, more importantly, smitten by Jarella.
Hulk Met Jarella in a Sub-Atomic World
Through the magic native to her kingdom, Jarella was able to have the Hulk learn their language and allow Bruce Banner’s personality to emerge through the Hulk’s physique. What transpired next was a deep and loving relationship between the Hulk and Jarella. Hulk not only became Jarella’s lover but also the king of K’ai, helping defeat various threats to the kingdom. The Hulk’s idyllic life with Jarella came to an end, however, when he was forcefully returned to Earth.
Jarella would eventually come to live alongside Bruce Banner on Earth and the two enjoyed their relationship deeply. Tragedy struck when the Crypto-Man, a destructive robot, was unleashed on the city. Rushing to save a young boy, Jarella was killed by a falling wall in Incredible Hulk #205 (by Len Wein and Herb Trimpe). Hulk rushed Jarella to his friend Doc Samson in order to save her but to no avail. When Doctor Strange, too, was unable to revive Jarella, Hulk accepted the death of his one true love. Many years later, Jarella would be resurrected during the Chaos War event, but this was short-lived, and she hasn’t been seen ever since.
Jarella's Fate Had a Massive Impact on the Hulk
1980's What If? #23 (by Peter Gillis and Herb Trimpe) asked what would have happened if Jarella had never died, an alternate turn of events that had dramatic changes to the history of the Marvel universe. In that issue, Hulk and Jarella are returned to K’ai where they are wed. Hulk discovers a plague of dark magic threatening to overtake the kingdom and proves himself as K’ai’s savior. But there are many other possibilities for the Hulk and Jarella had fate not been so cruel. As a trained warrior and wise leader, Jarella would have been a wonderful addition to teams such as the Avengers, the Defenders, and even The Fantastic Four. Together as a loving couple, Hulk’s history with General Ross and Betty, his first love, would have also gone in a very different path.
As the vast and endless Multiverse has proven before, that timeline where Jarella lived does exist, and within it so, too, does a Hulk that knows true happiness. A warlord of an alien world long before the Planet Hulk event, the Hulk of K’ai lives to his truest potential: a being of boundless intellect coupled with infinite strength. There have been many different lives the Hulk has lived over the years, some more positive than others, but none are as perfect for him as the one he left behind on K’ai. Until the day comes that he and Jarella will be reunited once more, the Hulk will forever live in the shadow of the love that he lost.
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