Happy Hogan first transforms into the Freak in “Tales of Suspense” Vol. 1 #74, published in November 1965. In the previous “Tales of Suspense” issue, Iron Man rescues Hogan from a villain called the Black Knight. Hogan, however, is gravely injured, and at a hospital he receives treatment from a contraption called the Enervation Intensifier. While it successfully saves his life, it also activates a sort of power overload in him, granting him greatly enhanced physical capabilities at the expense of his appearance and intelligence.
In this form Hogan is known as the Freak. Two issues later, Iron Man successfully lures the Freak into the Enervation Intensifier and uses it to transform him back into a human. Hogan returns to his Freak form periodically in subsequent Iron Man storylines, though each time Iron Man is able to successfully revert him back to his human shape.
As the Freak in “What If…?” Hogan retains his mental faculties and acts heroically, unlike in those comic book issues. He also remains the Freak by the episode’s end, likewise diverging from the character’s history — albeit in a manner that doesn’t contradict any existing canon given the episode’s place in the multiverse. Nevertheless, Hogan’s purple Hulk in “What If…?” Season 2, Episode 3 is an overt callback to a classic Marvel storyline.
Happy Hogan first transforms into the Freak in “Tales of Suspense” Vol. 1 #74, published in November 1965. In the previous “Tales of Suspense” issue, Iron Man rescues Hogan from a villain called the Black Knight. Hogan, however, is gravely injured, and at a hospital he receives treatment from a contraption called the Enervation Intensifier. While it successfully saves his life, it also activates a sort of power overload in him, granting him greatly enhanced physical capabilities at the expense of his appearance and intelligence.
In this form Hogan is known as the Freak. Two issues later, Iron Man successfully lures the Freak into the Enervation Intensifier and uses it to transform him back into a human. Hogan returns to his Freak form periodically in subsequent Iron Man storylines, though each time Iron Man is able to successfully revert him back to his human shape.
As the Freak in “What If…?” Hogan retains his mental faculties and acts heroically, unlike in those comic book issues. He also remains the Freak by the episode’s end, likewise diverging from the character’s history — albeit in a manner that doesn’t contradict any existing canon given the episode’s place in the multiverse. Nevertheless, Hogan’s purple Hulk in “What If…?” Season 2, Episode 3 is an overt callback to a classic Marvel storyline.