From Panel To Play: Hulkbuster

CP52 Hulkbuster

When the Hulk goes on a rampage, it can take the concentrated effort of a half-dozen heroes to restrain him, if they’re lucky. But Tony Stark sees a gamma-powered monster as an interesting design challenge! On this installment of From Panel to Play, we’re looking at the piece of Tony’s wardrobe that takes up the most room in his closet, the Hulkbuster!

Iron Man’s Hulkbuster suit is one of Tony Stark’s proudest achievements, a machine designed to do the unthinkable: restrain a raging Hulk. It is one of Tony Stark’s most substantial armored suits. This heavy-duty suit features maximum force enhancement designed to allow the wearer to survive protracted melee battle with a force as strong as an out-of-control Hulk, but lacks the versatility and mobility of other armors.
 

The wearer can resist numerous punches from any super-powered being because of its hardened carbon-composite armor and integrated anchoring system, and the magno-hydraulic pseudo-musculature can lift 175 tons. It’s the ultimate weapon in Stark’s armory, and it’s what he uses on the battlefield to deal with the Avengers’ deadliest and most dangerous enemies.

Hulkbuster lands with a heavy impact for his 6 threat. Equipped with a wheelbarrow full of stamina and standing at a size to rival the likes of the Hulk, Black Dwarf, and M.O.D.O.K., the Hulkbuster comes standard with all the heavy weaponry that Tony Stark could cram into it.

While the armor is fantastic at taking a beating, it can also dish one out thanks to the Heavy Repulsor Blast and Meteor Punch. With the first, Tony can fire off a wide beam of energy that wallops a target backward and feeds Power back into the Hulkbuster. When he has enough Power in the tank, Tony can jump-jet up and come hammering down like a falling star with a Meteor Punch. This physical attack hits hard, tossing aside its target while the shockwave of the impact hurts anyone unlucky enough to be standing close to the point of impact.

With all the bodies flying around from repulsor blasts and meteor punches, Tony’s new Leadership ability granted by the Hulkbuster is sure to come in handy. Giving the whole squad a bit of extra protection, this Leadership reduces the damage Tony’s allies would suffer from collisions by 1.

The Hulkbuster’s suite of powers are built to let him take on the biggest challengers. Hit and Run gives him some added mobility, letting the Hulkbuster land a hit and move clear, while Now I’m Mad lets him pick up (and throw!) big trucks and small buildings as improvised weapons.

One of the most interesting powers at the Hulkbuster’s disposal, however, has to be Enhanced Support Systems. This innate power allows you to field a veritable matryoshka doll of Iron Man armor during a crisis! When the Hulkbuster armor would be flipped over to its injured side, Tony Stark rockets free from the damaged suit in a shiny new suit of standard armor!

This slim-fit model of armor changes up Iron Man’s abilities and powers a bit. He trades in his heavy repulsor for a rapid-fire model, for instance, and gains Flight. But let’s be real. If you’re bringing Hulkbuster armor to a fight, it means you want to fight in Hulkbuster armor. For a whopping 10 Power, Iron Man can have a brand-new suit of Hulkbuster armor redeployed in the field via the appropriately named Always Have a Backup power.

That’s it for our first look under the hood of this oversized mechanical marvel. Be sure to check back for yet another installment of From Panel to Play, the series where we give you your first look at how your favorite characters transition to the tabletop in Marvel: Crisis Protocol. Pre-order your own copy of the Hulkbuster Character Pack at your local game store or through our webstore today.

Until then, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!