The Hulk has a brand-new team, but, unlike the Avengers, this infamous group has ties to a real-world organization that some would say are extremely controversial, making this possibly a major mistake on Marvel’s part. Marvel’s Green Goliath has always delved into the realm of morally gray. However, the hero’s most recent team is too real and notorious to ignore.
In The Incredible Hulk #29, story by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art by Adam Gorhan, the ghost of an inspector named Francis Bergeron hands Hulk a badge and tells him he is officially a member of the Pinkertons.
Though the Pinkertons are depicted as heroic detectives, the group was infamous for union-busting and extreme violence against the working class.
The Hulk Officially Becomes a Member of the Historic Pinkertons, but the Group Is Tainted With Controversy
The Incredible Hulk #29; Written By Phillip Kennedy Johnson; Art By Adam Gorhan; Colors By Matthew Wilson; Letters By Cory Petit
Though the ghost of Detective Francis Bergeron is depicted as an ally, appearing earlier in Incredible Hulk #10 to help the Jade Giant, the real-world Pinkertons are far less heroic than Marvel would have fans believe. The detective agency is so historically divisive that it raises the question of whether a hero such as the Hulk should be associated with such a group.
Originally rising to fame after preventing a presidential assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln, the private detective agency quickly became notorious for union-busting and instigating incredibly brutal conflicts with workers on strike. The Pinkertons’ methods were eventually deemed so heinous that the U.S. Congress passed the Anti-Pinkerton Act, which limited the federal government’s ability to hire Pinkerton detectives.
When Detective Bergeron hands Hulk the Pinkerton badge, he claims that there is “not a villain alive bold enough to cross you now.” While Bergeron is plainly referring to the villains within the Marvel Universe, from a certain historical lens, it could be misconstrued as Marvel depicting the Pinkertons’ violent actions against unions and workers as a heroic endeavor.
Marvel Makes a Grave Error in Making Hulk a Pinkerton, Omitting the Agency’s Infamous Origins
Hulk Joins a Group More Notorious Than He Is
The Pinkertons are a polarizing historical group, but the Hulk himself is no stranger to brutality or controversy, as the hero often engages in catastrophic rampages and immense destruction that call his status as a hero into question. However, though the Hulk and the Pinkertons both have controversial reputations, it appears that Marvel’s intent was not to emphasize this similarity.
Out of all the agencies in the Marvel Universe, the Pinkertons are by far one of the most unexpected groups that the Hulk has joined. Though the Pinkertons and Detective Bergeron are portrayed as heroic allies to the Hulk, their surprisingly robust, controversial history makes the Hulk‘s alignment with such a group an unintended misstep for Marvel.
The Incredible Hulk #29 is available now from Marvel Comics!
- First Appearance
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The Incredible Hulk (1962)
- Alias
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Robert Bruce Banner
- Alliance
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Avengers, Defenders, Horsemen of Apocalypse, Fantastic Four, Pantheon, Warbound, S.M.A.S.H., Secret Avengers
- Franchise
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Marvel
