Originally Posted by
TOTALITY
Ah true, I forgot the comments alluding to those two sticking around post Secret Wars. From the way Alonso talks about the new Hulk though, I don't think he's talking about Maestro. Shifting primary focus to a villain from PAD's decades old run seems counter to the accessibility they're going for, even if they're doing a Future Imperfect miniseries for Secret Wars. Maestro ain't exactly Doc Ock as Spidey, where the hook is readily apparent to those casually familiar with Hulk. It could be something along the lines of She-Hulk as Hulk, as SkyMason suggests..
but I'm gonna say Hulk is a totally new character. A gay character. Think of the potential if done well: someone who in real life would be discouraged from being who they are in many parts of the world, who may have been bullied, and may have internalized repression at a young age.. getting to Hulk out! Hulk has always been one of the most powerful means in popular fiction to tell stories of repression and self actualization. The character was championed by progressive college students in the 60's even as he could barely support an ongoing series. Now that Hulk is a box office draw with broad appeal, there's no reason he can't also hold up as a pop art illustration of social and civil rights issues. And there's no reason Marvel should have such a wealth of prominent characters that work so beautifully as metaphors for these issues without some of them actually being gay. Northstar and Daken just don't have the same ring as gay Hulk.
If this actually is anything like what they're planning, man oh man will there be complaining about pandering or social justice warriors ruining everything or whatever, but luckily if it works on all the levels it would need to then it I don't think it'd need the complainers to buy it.