The stars are aligning for Incredible Hulk #228 to become a major key. While other collectors are digging for Mysterio appearances after watching Spider-Man: Far From Home, you can fly under the radar and get Hulk #228 at Great Value prices. Here's why it's a solid investment.
I'm calling it now: Moonstone is going to be in the MCU in the next two years. With all the speculation on Captain Marvel 2, Norman Osborn, and the persistent Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers rumors, she's poised to have her time in the cinematic spotlight. Since no one is talking about her, now is when you can stock up on her first appearances without risking your entire budget.
At the moment, there's not much of a market for either Hulk #228, her first appearance as Moonstone, or Captain America #192, her first appearance as Karla Sofen. Last year, only seven graded copies of Cap #192 sold on eBay, and just 14 graded Hulk #228s traded hands. For collectors, that's actually great news because it keeps the prices low, but that won't be the case once her name is dropped for a movie.
Since they're both affordable, you'll want to have the pair to complete the Moonstone first appearance set. Between the two, Hulk #228 has the stronger upside since this is the more popular issue. It gained value last year, and it's still on the rise in 2019, but the prices remain affordable. In the past 12 months, a 9.8 has averaged $311 while a 9.6 has brought $151 in that same span. If you don't mind lowering the grade, anything from a 9.4 down to an 8.5 is currently averaging between $34 and $65, which will be a steal in a year or two.
Overall, Cap #192 is the cheaper option. Although the 9.8 has a $450 12-month average, the 9.6 drops to just $79 since last year. You can even get a graded 8.5 for only $32.
Moonstone's MCU Future
Why do I feel so sure that Moonstone is coming to the MCU? As I wrote in yesterday's "Stay Ahead of the Curve," Karla Sofen was an integral member of the original Thunderbolts and the Dark Avengers, and both teams have been rumored for feature films.
The other part of my theory is that Captain Marvel needs a new antagonist, and Moonstone fits the bill. Her powers are similar to Carol Danvers'; Moonstone is strong enough to stand toe-to-toe with the Hulk, which would make her Captain Marvel's equal.
We have seen numerous times that Marvel Studios likes the formula of having heroes fight villains who are their antitheses. The filmmakers have used this formula numerous times, and it keeps working. We saw it in the first Iron Man movie with Iron Monger, Hulk was paired with Abomination in Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man fought Yellow Jacket, Captain America faced Red Skull and then Winter Soldier, and more recently Black Panther combated his doppelganger, Killmonger. For that matter, the onscreen Ultron was an evil version of Tony Stark. It would follow the trend, then, to have Captain Marvel square off against Moonstone.
What's more is that I fully believe that an adaptation of Dark Reign will play out in the MCU, and Norman Osborn is rumored to play a major role in Captain Marvel 2. A perfect setup for Moonstone to join the Dark Avengers will be for her to take up the mantle of Dark Captain Marvel as she did in the comics.
Simply put, Moonstone makes too much sense for the MCU to have Marvel Studios ignore her potential. How she'll be utilized remains to be seen, but I believe she's on her way to movie screens in due time.
