The moment Zod unleashed the magnetic plasma, Red Hulk (Ross) stood there, dumbfounded. Did it fail? He didn't understand the scientific explanation Zod could have provided—something about electromagnetic radiation from the sun, the separation of matter under gravity, and high-energy charged particles. None of it would make sense to someone like Ross.
But before Ross could contemplate further, he threw a punch, his fist tearing through the air with a shockwave that reverberated throughout the lab.
Zod, calm and collected, controlled the electromagnetic fields around him with a flick of his fingers. He pressed down on the space around Ross as though he were a puppet.
Instantly, Red Hulk felt a crushing force unlike anything he'd ever experienced. His bones creaked, and the pressure crushed him down to the ground. Every part of his body screamed in agony. He could barely speak under the suffocating force.
"What... what is this?" Red Hulk strained to get the words out. His blood flow slowed, and the sound of his own heartbeat was faint. Even moving a muscle felt impossible.
"This is the power of the electromagnetic field," Zod said with a grin, raising two fingers. Red Hulk's massive body was lifted into the air, completely under Zod's control, only to be slammed back down to the floor. The impact was brutal, and Ross spat out blood.
Again and again, Zod lifted him into the air and slammed him back down, like a marionette under the control of a cruel puppeteer. The walls and floor, reinforced with a layer of vibranium, barely withstood the assault. If not for that, the entire lab would have been obliterated.
Ross, now furious, felt his strength increase. He broke free of Zod's magnetic grip for a brief moment, fueled by sheer rage. But Zod was unfazed, viewing Ross's struggles as nothing more than the tantrum of a brute who didn't understand the forces he was up against.
"You illiterate fool," Zod muttered, as he altered the magnetic field of the entire city. Invisible electromagnetic waves converged around Ross, pressurizing him with the force of millions of tons. The ground beneath him began to crack under the immense strain.
Red Hulk's body, for all its strength, was nearly crushed under this force. His skin burned, his organs screamed, and his strength began to fail him. But just as his body was about to break, Zod eased the pressure, allowing Ross to revert back to his human form, exhausted and shaken.
The sheer magnitude of Zod's powers had terrified Ross. The man had subdued Red Hulk—a being of immense strength—without breaking a sweat, using only his mastery of electromagnetic forces. Ross, realizing the extent of Zod's genius, began to see him as someone who had truly transcended the limits of human knowledge.
Zod dissolved the nanobots forming the electromagnetic generator, returning the lab to its normal state. Ross, breathing heavily, was relieved. Despite his newfound strength as the Red Hulk, he had been utterly powerless before Zod.
"However, General Ross," Zod said, snapping Ross back to reality. "You may have become stronger, but I would advise against getting too... intimate with anyone. The radiation you emit is enough to kill any normal person."
Ross's face twisted in disgust. He had never been one to pursue relationships after his younger years, and certainly not now, but Zod's words were a grim reminder of his condition.
Zod turned away, already deep in thought about his next move. "You can call Bronsky back," he said to the Black Queen.
Bruce Banner, the original Hulk, owed his current freedom to Zod's interference. If not for Zod's technological advancements and the creation of his War Machines, Ross's hunt for Banner would still be ongoing. Now, with the Red Hulk serum in hand, Zod no longer had any interest in chasing Banner down.
When Emil Blonsky (Abomination) returned, he was eager to continue his transformation. Unlike before, he didn't feel like a failure for not acquiring either the Hulk serum or the Super Soldier serum. Instead, he was filled with excitement.
"BOSS," Blonsky greeted Zod with anticipation.
"Good work," Zod said, though Blonsky wasn't sure how to respond. After all, he hadn't exactly succeeded in his mission, yet Zod still seemed pleased.
Blonsky laid down on the experimental table made of nanobots. Zod began his work, needing to modify Blonsky's body to handle the Red Hulk serum. The Abomination's prior transformations had made his genetic structure unstable, and a direct injection of the serum could be fatal.
Zod administered the Red Hulk serum to Blonsky while simultaneously injecting him with the Extremis Virus. As Blonsky's immune system began to collapse and his cells broke down, the Extremis Virus kicked in, rapidly rebuilding his system and repairing his cells at an accelerated rate.
While the Red Hulk serum provided immense strength and resilience, the Extremis Virus stabilized his body, preventing the volatile effects of the transformation. Gamma rays flooded the room, bathing Blonsky's body in intense radiation, further fueling the transformation.
When the process was complete, Blonsky had changed. His skin turned a dark, ashen black, and his body was grotesquely mutated. Bone spurs pierced through his flesh, glowing red with heat. Unlike the Hulk or Red Hulk, Blonsky's new form looked far more monstrous, as though a demon had taken over.
Zod studied him with interest. "A thermal organ has formed... perhaps due to the remnants of the super-soldier serum in your system," Zod noted. He observed that Blonsky's body now generated heat in dangerous amounts, and the heat organ in his chest and mouth allowed him to expel concentrated heat rays.
Blonsky, now stronger than ever, examined his hands in awe. "BOSS..." he said, barely able to contain his excitement. He felt unstoppable.
But despite his newfound power, Blonsky knew better than to challenge Zod. He had seen the full extent of Zod's abilities, and the wave of thoughts implanted in his mind reminded him who truly held the power.