To Rise A Hero!

When Marvel plucked Doc Samson out of obscurity and gave him back his fighting togs, the good doctor couldn't have been more pleased at another chance to go up against the incredible Hulk, in the still-mistaken belief that he was the monster's match. But after a roundhouse left to the jaw ended their rematch and sent Samson crashing into a crater, that delusion, like Samson, took one heck of a beating. You can guess what kind of mood he was in upon his return to what would soon be rechristened "Gamma Base":

If you're thinking that Samson has perhaps done an about-face since that fight, in terms of his motivation to seek out the Hulk, you could be right. Maybe all it took was a second thrashing from the Hulk to get this guy to take a different direction in his life as "Doc Samson." His goal this time around was originally to bring the Hulk back to base in order to have Bruce Banner there to assist in a procedure that would lead to the recovery of Glenn Talbot; yet, just as in their first battle, Samson's ego took over, choosing instead to regard his encounter with the Hulk as another opportunity to prove himself. And the proof, as they say, was in the pudding--or, in this case, the crater.

And so, now, with Talbot still needing his help, Samson seems ready to focus on the greater good, and apply his abilities as less of a one-man show. Though there's one other factor in play for him--his feelings for Talbot's wife, the erstwhile Betty Ross:

So even if Samson still has some things to learn about keeping his eye on the ball, we'll see in this next fight with the Hulk that, while Samson's ego still remains intact, he's at least able to keep it in check. Nor does he really need to be a one-man army, when he's brought one with him:

If you wince at Samson's super-hero name like I do, it's hard to regard Samson in the same awe that his covers usually do, when he's hampered by a handle like "Doc Samson." I honestly don't know what Roy Thomas was thinking when he gave this character such a name--its first half virtually cancels out the dramatic impact of its second. Perhaps he didn't simply want to go with "Samson," since there was already a Hercules--adding a "Samson" to the Marvel mix would have been a little too obvious. But what does "Doc Samson" inspire in you when it's announced? Wouldn't it be the same odd mix if we called him Plumber Samson? Dentist Samson? When you need a hero out of the phone book, would your finger pause on someone named, for instance, "Doc Savage" as a possible choice? Of course not--you'd go "What th...?" and move on.

But what's done is done, and our boy is Doc Samson for good. Fortunately, even if there's no one else around to herald him, he's more than happy to do it himself:

This time, Samson is all teamwork. Mainly, he's getting the Hulk in position for SHIELD's offensive:

Of course, as much as I like the cockiness of Clay Quartermain, he's no Nick Fury--and when it comes to the Hulk, SHIELD ordnance isn't going to win the day on its own. And so, when the Hulk is on the verge of escaping, Samson realizes that this is also Talbot's last chance leaping away, and once more enters the fray to contain the Hulk in order to give Quartermain the chance he needs.

Samson drops like a safe, which only again makes crystal clear the fact that he falls a little short when it comes to matching the Hulk. But it also makes something else clear. The old Samson might well have insisted on slugging it out with the Hulk and telling Quartermain's men to stay clear; instead, he thinks of the mission, and makes sure that Quartermain follows through, even though he's in the line of fire with the Hulk. It's a welcome turning point for the character.

As for the Hulk, he's not going to be on his feet long enough to loudly declare his victory over Samson like the last time. Though obviously he wants to:

Would it make him feel better to know that his defeat might mean saving a life? Probably not. But the other knows it--and he'll be the only one of these two awakening to discover he's finally become the hero he wanted to be.

Incredible Hulk #199 Script: Len Wein Pencils: Sal Buscema Inks: Joe Staton Letterer: Irv Watanabe