Summary
The Titan was theHulk’sultimate form, but artist Ryan Ottley’s original design for the character was much cooler than what fans got. In 2021, Ottley and writer Donny Cates were tapped to take over the creative reins of the Hulk. The duo introduced some truly amazing ideas to the mythos, including the Titan. The Titan was an impressive sight, but underwent significant changes as he developed.
Ryan Ottleyunveiled his original character designs for the Titan in a thread on X, formerly Twitter. Ottley acknowledged that the Titan’s design was “a time-consuming process.” Detailing his process, Ottley stated he wanted the Titan to be like a “walking volcano,” spewing smoke. Asthe Titan continued to develop, Ottley actually added real volcanoes to its body. He also desired to “push the grotesque” elements of the character. Writer Donny Cates suggested Ottley add red, glowing radiation to the Titan.
Ottley concluded the thread by offering a look at the Titan’s final design.
Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley’sHulkRun Should Have Been Big
The Titan Was Their Coolest Idea–But It Went Underdeveloped
Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley had huge plans for the Hulk. Cates, fresh off a character-defining run onVenom, joined forces with Ottley to give fans a new vision of the Hulk. Bruce Banner converted the Hulk’s body into a giant starship, with himself as the pilot. This Hulk-shaped starship was powered by the real Hulk’s anger and rage. The run began with a great deal of promise, but was cut short due to personal issues, leaving its most intriguing ideas unfinished.
As this has come to define the Hulk, it should be no surprise that the Titan is the biggest form of the character ever, towering over the Green Goliath’s regular form.
And the Titan was perhaps the most interesting of them all. Over the years,Bruce Banner has manifested a numberof different forms of the Hulk, such as the Devil Hulk who was central toImmortal Hulk. The Titan embodied the shame and guilt that Banner felt as the result of childhood abuse. As this has come to define the Hulk, it should be no surprise that the Titan is the biggest form of the character ever, towering over the Green Goliath’s regular form. The Titan was nightmare fuel for the Hulk in more ways than one.
The Titan Should Return to Fight the Hulk In the Future
The Titan Is Ripe With Story Possibilities, and Would Make a Great Addition to the Hulk Mythos
And as seen in Ottley’s character design sketches, the Titan was originally intended to be even more nightmarish. The volcanoes on the Titan’s body recall the Fire Pits of Apokolips, adding to the character’s bleak nature. The volcanoes also offer a nice visual flourish as well. Cates and Ottley’s run ended prematurely, and the subsequent creative team went in a different direction, leaving Starship Hulk and the Titan behind. While it is unlikely the Titan will return anytime soon, his original design was the best–and should be used if theHulk’sultimate form returns.
