Dishing Out Death
Mercy tried to kill Banner to accomplish his desire of eliminating the Hulk. Simultaneously wounding the Hulk and Banner (on the dreamscape) with her energy javelin, she claimed to be an alien mercenary, helping those unhappy with their lives but too weak to kill themselves. Banner nearly succumbed to her assaults, but rallied because he had too much to atone for. The Hulk skewered Mercy with the javelin, after which she transformed into her “true” amorphous alien form, which appeared to be destroyed in a massive Hulk-caused explosion.
Restored almost immediately thereafter, Mercy learned that people could be contemplating suicide without truly wanting it, and she arranged a meeting with the Hulk and the suicidal cannibal-monster Lifeform. She then adopted Banner’s form and persona, which was then slain by Lifeform, challenging the Hulk’s belief in himself and in perseverance despite hopelessness. Mercy later attempted to convince a wounded Betty Banner to end her Hulk-tormented existence, but Betty ultimately refused, feeling both Banner and the Hulk needed her.
When the Hulk was guilt-ridden after badly injuring Rick Jones while under En Sabah Nur, AKA Apocalypse’s influence, Mercy again targeted the Hulk, sending Calvin Zabo, AKA Mister Hyde, and Emil Blonsky, AKA Abomination, after him, though the Hulk defeated both. Mercy recently guided the Hulk to slay the Abomination. Disappointed when the Hulk let the Abomination live, Mercy knew there would be other chances.
After this defeat, she went into a dormant state. General Thaddeus Ross, AKA Red Hulk, of the U.S. military had Mercy stored away for years, and gave her standard medical treatments in hopes to revive her and use her as an asset. But during this time, she withered into a husk. Before putting his Thunderbolts team together, Ross went to retrieve Mercy alongside two other soldiers. Mercy awoke and took the life of one of them, Campbell, whose wife had left him and took their kids the day prior, making him ready enough to die. Teleporting, she blinked out of her holding cell.
On the lam, Mercy began impersonating Kali, the Hindu Goddess of Death in the Himalayas in India. Hundreds of people flocked to her, hoping for death, and she gave it to them. Until Ross as the Red Hulk found her. She gorged herself on everyone in line and sent him flying with a powerful blow out of the temple. Recovering, Red Hulk slapped his hands together and creating a thunderous shockwave, an avalanche destroyed the temple. Mercy survived, and Red Hulk offered her an opportunity to have all the death she could possibly need. She agreed to go with him until she lost interest in his offer.
He added her to the team of Thunderbolts but had no control over her whatsoever, despite giving her a steady stream of death. She became interested in some team members, like Flash Thompson, AKA Venom, and in Sam Sterns, AKA Red Leader, who had become weak and vulnerable.
During the Mad Titan Thanos’ invasion of New York City, she faced off with a Supergiant of the Black Order, and struck her down easily. She then empowered herself from all the death that was imminent across the city. To stop her, Ross convinced Mercy that he still had a way to get her endless death, but in exchange she would have to destroy the invading alien ships and leave humans be. Her desire for more death drove her to agree.
Red Hulk’s new recruit, Johnny Blaze, AKA Ghost Rider, soon cast the spell to send Mercy to Hell, but the spell backfired and sent the team there instead. In Mephisto’s realm, where Red Hulk had made a deal with the Hell Lord, Mephisto opened a portal allowing Mercy to come through, to which she immediately siphoned his desperate souls who desired relief. Mephisto was not happy, but Sterns reminded him that the agreement between him and Red Hulk was sound. So the Thunderbolts team departed, leaving Mercy behind in Hell, though she thought it was heaven.
