The Son of The Hulk Has An Even Better Superpower

Hulk’s strength alone makes him one of the most formidable characters in Marvel Comics, but the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In fact, Hulk’s son has all his father’s strength plus another, even better superpower, making him one of Marvel’s strongest warriors.

Skaar, the son of the Hulk, was created by Greg Pak and John Romita, Jr., and made his first appearance in the non-canon What If? Planet Hulk #1 in 2007. A year later, Skaar was introduced to the canon, mainstream Marvel universe in World War Hulk #5, after which he starred in his own 12-issue series called Skaar: Son of Hulk. As Hulk’s son, Skaar has superhuman strength, durability, endurance, and a healing factor. Just like his old man, Skaar’s power increases with rage, and he can take on a human form when calm or unconscious. However, Skaar’s human form is technically only half-human, as his mother, Caiera, was one of the Shadow People, a race of Sakaaran natives. So even in his non-Hulk state, Skaar has enhanced athletic abilities that put him leagues ahead of regular people. While the genes Skaar inherited from his father are nothing to scoff at, it was his mother who gave him his greatest superpower.

As Shadow People, Skaar and Caiera are able to tap into the Old Power, a source of energy that runs throughout the entire planet of Sakaar. Skaar: Son of Hulk #15 explains that the Old Power is “an artificial version of a far more stable force known as the Power Cosmic. That energy permeates throughout our universe, creating as easily as it destroys. The old power was literally created tens of thousands of years ago to rival it.” The Power Cosmic is a source of infinite, godlike energy most notably used by Galactus and his heralds. Those bestowed with it gain a wide array of abilities, but while the Power Cosmic runs throughout the entire universe, the Old Power is found only on certain worlds that were visited by the Shadow Priests. Such worlds, like Sakaar, are of particular interest to Galactus, who feeds on the energy of planets. If a regular planet is just a snack, Old Power planets are a Thanksgiving feast for the Devourer of Worlds. This is why Caiera willingly lets Sakaar be consumed – to end Galactus’ hunger for the next thousand years, thereby saving other planets from his wrath.

Those who wield the Old Power possess powers connected to the planet itself. For example, Caiera can turn her entire body to stone, and Skaar is able to manipulate the rock, earth, and lava of the planet, as well as view the entire history of Sakaar. But while the Old Power provides extraordinary capabilities, it is also highly unstable. In Skaar: Son of Hulk #15, it is explained that the Old Power destroyed almost a quarter of the known universe. In creating the Old Power, “The Shadow People once thought that they would become gods; that they would create a force to rival the Power Cosmic: that they would harness it and rule the universe. And so they did. Until their power began to destabilize and all of their carefully seeded worlds began to crumble.”

Given how dangerous the Old Power can be, it’s probably for the best that Caiera took it from Skaar before sending him to Earth. Mother giveth and mother taketh away. Still, being descended from the Shadow People means Skaar could potentially access the Old Power again in the future, so the son of Hulk could surpass even his father.

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