Hulk Claiming Mjolnir Unlocks His Final, World-Killing Form in Gamma-Powered Cosplay
Summary Maestro, the Hulk's final form, is finally wielding Mjolnir in a seemingly gamma-powered cosplay.
In Marvel's Future Imperfect storyline, Maestro could not lift Mjolnir, leading to his ultimate defeat.
An alternate ending that has literally been brought to life with the cosplay shows Maestro lifting Mjolnir, defeating Hulk, and conquering the world - just as he would have done if he could lift Mjolnir in the comics.
The Hulk is already one of the strongest beings in the Marvel Universe without the addition of magical artifacts or other weapons of power, so if his strength was combined with the might of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, the Green Goliath would become unstoppable. And that’s the exact picture of the Hulk that’s brought to life in jaw-dropping cosplay, which features the Hulk in his final, world-killing form wielding Mjolnir as the villain Hulk's destined to become: Maestro.
In a video posted on Instagram by user Brent H (handle: bearded_tattooed_guy_in_ga), the cosplayer is featured wearing an expertly-crafted full-body suit that brings Maestro - an evil future version of Hulk - to life in truly spectacular fashion.
The cosplay depicts Maestro just as he looked in his debut storyline, with every detail accounted for. From the monstrous size to the signature white beard, this cosplayer absolutely nails the look of the iconic future Hulk - with a few key additions. This Maestro is not only holding the cracked shield of Captain America, he’s also wielding Mjolnir, which is the most notable change from his comic book counterpart.
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Maestro is Still The Most Terrifying Final Form of Hulk
The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect by Peter David and George Perez
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Maestro is a version of the Hulk who grew old in a future where all the superheroes are dead and what remained of the world was a desolate wasteland. When humanity needed a leader, the Hulk stepped in to play that role, even going so far as to kill rivals to his power (like Hercules) leading up to his final metamorphosis from Hulk into Maestro.
Readers first meet Maestro after he becomes ruler of the post-apocalyptic world in the Marvel Comics storyline, The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect. In it, Professor Hulk from the present time accidentally travels to the future, where he’s initially greeted by an intelligent, and seemingly benevolent, older version of himself. However, once Hulk realizes the sinister side of his dictator-counterpart, he launches an attack against him.
Their fight leads them to the hideout of an older Rick Jones, where the one-time Hulk ally stored all the seemingly lost artifacts that once belonged to superheroes. It’s there that Maestro and the Hulk have their final battle, and where a few familiar weapons come into play. In fact, it’s with Captain America’s shield - the very same one wielded by this cosplayer - that the Hulk is able to turn the tide against Maestro, piercing his chest with the nearly unbreakable symbol of hope.
Once the Hulk has Maestro on the ropes, the villain’s only hope is to grab Mjolnir that’s sitting on the ground right next to them, and use it to crush the Hulk in an instant. However, despite giving it his all, Maestro could not lift the hammer. The villain simply wasn’t worthy, and because of that, the Hulk defeated him by throwing Maestro into the time machine and sending him back to the day Bruce Banner was caught in the gamma explosion that changed him into the Hulk, seemingly killing the tyrant.
If Maestro could lift Mjolnir like he is in this cosplay, then the ending of the Future Imperfect storyline - and perhaps even the structure of the entire Marvel Universe - would have been drastically altered as a result.
Hulk Actually DID Wield an Asgardian Hammer (& Nearly Destroyed the World)
Fear Itself by Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen
Maestro thankfully couldn’t wield Mjolnir in Future Imperfect like he can in this cosplay, as Marvel Comics fans were given a preview of how detrimental an evil, Asgardian Hammer-wielding Hulk can be to the world.
Fear Itself featured a number of mystical hammers that were summoned by the Serpent to travel to Midgard and call upon certain chosen individuals who exhibited great strength, and who held the potential to survive a cosmic-level upgrade. One of those chosen few - known as the Worthy - was the Hulk, who was called to the landing site of the Hammer of Nul. Hulk was compelled to pick up the hammer, and once he did, he was transformed into a being of immense power and great evil.
The Hulk was overcome with the desire to lay waste to the Earth, and rule over what remained alongside the other Worthy, all in the glory of the Serpent, who granted him such power in the first place. The Hammer of Nul made the Hulk both all powerful at the level of an Asgardian god, and all evil with the urge to conquer the entire planet.
If one were to take away the ‘evil’ aspect of what the Hammer of Nul offered Hulk, then it’d be virtually the same as Mjolnir, which grants those who are worthy the power of Thor. And since Maestro is a world-conquering villain already, Maestro wielding Mjolnir would be no different from Hulk wielding the Hammer of Nul - and that’s a frightening thought, especially with no one left on Earth to stop him.
Maestro Cosplay Does What Marvel Comics Won’t: Give Fans The Truly Unstoppable Hulk
Maestro couldn’t pick up Mjolnir in Future Imperfect, and his inability to do so is the only reason he was defeated. If Maestro was found worthy and could wield the hammer, the Hulk would be dead, those who helped him would suffer endlessly, and the entire world would have the proverbial (and literal) hammer brought down upon it like never before. Maestro would become not just a dictator, but a god - the only god left on Earth.
Marvel Comics denied Maestro this destiny, but this Hulk cosplayer did not.
The cosplay shows Maestro with Captain America’s shield (like in the comics) while walking with Mjolnir attached to a chain. This seems to create an alternate ending to the Future Imperfect storyline, one where Maestro could lift Mjolnir, kills the Hulk, and then also takes up Captain America’s shield, as that was his adversary’s greatest weapon against him during the fight. Wielding both weapons simultaneously is like his own version of a cosmic insult to his past self following his ultimate victory, as Maestro marches onward to crush the rest of his defiant world under his unparalleled power.
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This seemingly gamma-powered cosplay actually brings to life Hulk’s final, world-killing form by letting Maestro do what he couldn’t do in the comics: wield Mjolnir - and the result is as terrifying to imagine as it is breathtaking to behold.
Source: bearded_tattooed_guy_in_ga/Instagram

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