In a jaw-dropping show of power, a little-known MCU hero just dog walked the Hulk. There are few heroes who could survive a true battle against the Hulk, let alone win it, and yet it turns out this surprising character has no trouble demolishing “The Strongest One There Is.”
Sorcerer Daniel Drumm Just Totaled the Hulk
Brother Voodoo’s Brother Takes No Mercy on the Green Goliath
In this week’s The Incredible Hulk #28 – by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Adam Gorham, Matt Wilson and Cory Petit – Hulk takes on Daniel Drumm, the ghostly brother of longtime Avenger Doctor Voodoo. The ghost has left his former heroism behind, siding with the eldritch god known as the Mother of Horrors.
When Hulk lashes out at Daniel, his fists only pass through the former hero’s body, while Drumm uses his mystical power to pummel Hulk and then consign him to a hellish dimension outside space and time. It’s a major loss for Hulk, whose powers are the polar opposite of what he needs to win this fight.
The fight is surprisingly one-sided. Daniel starts out by possessing a gigantic zombie body and trading punches with Hulk, before using his magic to thrash the Jade Giant with the earth itself. Daniel then summons demonic spiders, who pull Hulk into their web and dump him in a plane of existence outside normal reality, putting Hulk one step closer to awakening the Mother of Horrors from her interdimensional exile.
It’s a flawless ambush, and one which the Hulk has no defense against. Daniel may hate being a ghost, but his intangibility just made him capable of taking out Marvel’s strongest hero.
Who Is Daniel Drumm in the MCU and Comics?
Mark Anthony Brighton​​​​​​​’s Character Appeared in Doctor Strange
MCU fans could be forgiven for not being familiar with Daniel Drumm. The hero is an ally of Doctor Strange, and was the protector of the New York Sanctum before being killed by Kaecilius. Drumm appears in 2016’s Doctor Strange, and had his background filled out more in the comic tie-in Doctor Strange Prelude.
In the comics, Daniel Drumm was a powerful sorcerer based in Port-au-Prince​​​​​​​. Daniel was killed by the villainous Damballah, inspiring his brother Jericho Drumm to take his place and become the new Brother Voodoo, later renamed Doctor Voodoo. However, that wasn’t the end of Daniel’s story – he remained an ally to Jericho in ghostly form, able to possess others and enhance his brother’s strength.
In recent years, Daniel has become obsessed with regaining physical life, allying with the Hand and now the Mother of Horrors to get a second chance, and sliding into villainy as a result.
What’s Next for the Hulk After This Defeat?
The Mother of Horrors is a demonic god more powerful than pretty much any villain in Marvel lore. So far, Hulk has only faced her creation the Eldest, who vastly overpowered him. Fans know that Eldest plans to possess Hulk as a stepping stone to awakening her eldritch mother, and Daniel Drumm just served him up on a platter. It’s looking less and less like Hulk can find a way out of unleashing this ancient demon on the Earth.
Daniel has never been a star in his own right, but he may be massively more significant as a villain than he ever was as a hero, with beating the Hulk acting as a major feather in his cap.
The Incredible Hulk #28 is available now from Marvel Comics.
- First Appearance
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The Incredible Hulk (1962)
- Alias
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Robert Bruce Banner
- Alliance
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Avengers, Defenders, Horsemen of Apocalypse, Fantastic Four, Pantheon, Warbound, S.M.A.S.H., Secret Avengers
- Franchise
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Marvel
