There’s a newHulkstrutting their stuff in the Marvel Universe, but this time their immense strength doesn’t come from repressed rage. For decades, Bruce Banner’s gamma monster has been rampaging across the face of the Earth, causing chaos and tackling monsters no other hero is powerful enough to handle. But rage isn’t the only energy source that Hulks can draw on, with other options having their own benefits and drawbacks.
In recent issue ofMiles Morales: Spider-Man, Miles has been seeing psychiatrist Dr. Keisha Kwan, accidentally dragging her into a’War of the Gods' against Ares. However, when Dr. Kwan was struck down by a demigod,she rose up as Powerlift, Marvel’s newest Hulk. Despite her incredible strength, fans knew next to nothing about her powers, but that just changed.
In a preview ofMiles Morales: Spider-Man #34- from Cody Ziglar, Marco Renna, Bryan Valenza and Cory Petit - Powerlift finally reveals where her gamma powers come from, as well as the unique way they operate…
New Hulk Powerlift Draws Strength from Adrenaline
But When She Crashes, She Crashes HARD
In the preview, Powerlift squares off against Philomelus, revealing that her powers are a result of her parents studying gamma radiation, presumably being altered on the genetic level by the eldritch energy source. As a result, Powerlift has superpowers tied to her adrenaline - unlike other Hulks,she can only access her powers for short bursts, with her abilities deserting her when her adrenaline peaks, leaving her vulnerable.
While Bruce Banner’s Hulk has alwaysdrawn on a bottomless well of rage, Powerlift’s abilities don’t have the same infinite ceiling. This recontextualizes Kwan’s prior discussion of her love of exercise - the fitter she is, the more able she is to harness her powers for longer periods.It’s a smart new take on Hulk powers as an emergency burst of power rather than an ongoing state, clarifying what makes Powerlift unique.
Dr. Kwan is also able to maintain her human intelligence while in Hulk form, similar to She-Hulk and Red Hulk. This makes her a more tactical fighter, as she proves by schooling Philomelus on the battlefield. Thanks to panicking about who would be on his team, Miles accidentally brought a group of regular friends into a superhuman-level conflict. Thankfully, due to Powerlift’s hidden abilities and god-level strength, that could still work out - but only if Dr. Kwan can keep her adrenaline up enough to keep fighting.
Powerlift Isn’t the Only Hulk Who Uses an Emotion Other Than Rage
Some of Hulk’s Closest Allies Have Wildly Different Powers
While Powerlift’s specific abilities are unique, there’s a long history of Hulks using power sources other than rage.Hulk’s daughter Lyra draws her gamma powerfrom Zen-like calm - in her case, rage actually makes her weaker, while remaining calm allows her to harness unique gamma powers, such as being able to predict the behavior of others. Similarly, Red She-Hulk’s powers seemingly drew on her confidence, leading to reckless behavior, and causing her to lose her gamma abilities when experiencing fear.
InImmortal Hulk, it wasestablished that all gamma mutatesare ‘metaphor people.’ Whilegigantic muscles and atavism are a running theme of gamma powers, the true catalyst for change is the core (often repressed) emotions of the person in question.While Bruce Banner is a rage-filled person who considers himself inherently monstrous due to his abusive childhood, more balanced gamma heroes like Lyra and Jennifer Walters' She-Hulk have a different relationship with their powers.
It seems that Dr. Keisha Kwan’s Powerlift is one of the rare Hulks who truly loves her powers, enjoying testing her strength in adrenaline-fueled contests. That’s a good thing, as Marvel’s newestHulkjust found herself dragged into a battle between the gods, giving Miles Morales the exact ally he needs to maybe walk away from this conflict alive.
