Hulking Out

"Hulking Out" is the third episode of One Universe Season 1. It depicts the origins of the incredible Hulk and Dr. Bruce Banner.

Logline
After being enlisted by General Ross, Dr. Bruce Banner's super-soldier experiment fails and turns him into a green skinned monster...

Synopsis
The episode opens with Dr. Bruce Banner walking and dropping by Starbucks to get his daily coffee before heading to his laboratory office. He is greeted by his assistant Lizzie, who tells him that his Gamma Radiation research has a positive review. She also tells him that a certain General Ross called and had scheduled a meeting with Dr. Banner.

At the meeting, Dr. Banner meets General Thaddeus Ross of the US Military and is recruited to replicate Dr. Erskine's super-soldier serum. General Ross orders him to experiment the blood sample of the super-solider along with Gamma Radiation, having read Banner's research. Dr. Banner agreed through a condition on where he can access all science-related equipment of the military.

General Ross brings Banner to his laboratory in Long Island, NY, where he meets his partner, Betty Ross (his former lover). The two reconcile and begin their research. At one point, Banner completes the formula and presents it to General Ross. Ross then orders for Banner to begin tests on humans but Banner declines and says that trials should begin with animals first. Ross threatens Banner that if they cannot present a subject to the council, their project will be shut down.

After making love with Betty, Dr. Banner tests the formula on himself. At first, the formula worked but then he begins to turn into a green rage monster and starts destroying the lab, leaving Betty injured.

The next day, Banner wakes up in a hospital where General Ross interrogates him of what happened in the lab. Banner cannot remember anything other than testing the formula on himself. Ross then shows him footage of a huge monster destroying the lab, where at the end, they see the huge monster transforming back into a normal human being. Ross deduce that Banner is the monster and has him detained.

Aware of what the monster inside him can do, Banner sneaks out the hospital but then gets pursued by General Ross' forces. While running, he is picked up by Betty, who apparently has recovered, and taken to a cabin in the forest. The two converse on what they should do, Banner suggests that he must run away to avoid hurting anybody but Betty suggests that they find  cure. Banner then tells Betty that General Ross wants to use the monster inside him as a weapon.

Meanwhile, Ross has David Banner, Bruce's father, released from a psychotic prison and forces him to create something that would capture his son. David then doses three dogs with gamma radiation, making them gamma creatures and has them follow Betty's scent. The creatures then arrive at the cabin where they attack Bruce and Betty. As Betty was about to be killed, Bruce transforms and kills the creature before doing battle with the other two.

From a far, General Ross, David Banner, and Ross' forces are watching the tremendous power of the Hulk (named by Ross). The battle ends when Hulk kills the remaining creatures with ease but transforms back and passes out. Waking up in the morning, Banner is put down by Ross' forces and taken to a remote facility.

Banner is then strapped into a chair and meets his father for the first time in 25 years. The two converse and David provokes Bruce into turning back to the Hulk but David then demonstrates his own power by absorbing a metal (Revealed to have experimented on himself).

A father and son battle occurs and General Ross orders his forces to take them both out but realizes that the two monsters are very powerful and orders for a retreat.

The two superhumans battle where the Hulk comes up as the victor when David tried to absorb Hulk's powers. Meanwhile, General Ross orders for a gamma bomb strike. The bomb hits the facility and apparently olbliterates both Hulk and the Absorbing Man.

In the aftermath, Betty gets angry at General Ross, revealed to be her father, for not giving Bruce a chance and the superiors behind the project shuts General Ross down.

In a post-credits scene, three months after the incident, Dr. Banner is seen residing at South America where he is a unregistered doctor for the locals. A group of mercenaries tries to steal all the medicine but Dr. Banner tells them to leave or else he will get angry. A mercenary then points a gun at Dr. Banner, who gives out a loud roar...