Dr. Kate Waynesboro

First Appearance/Mention:The Incredible Hulk #287

Powers/Abilities/Skills: Kate is a trained SHIELD agent and therefore is skilled in the art of combat and use of weapons. She also has knowledge of gamma radiation which may have been through research at graduate school.

Artist Representation Gallery

Connection to Bruce Banner/Hulk: Kate was given the assignment by SHIELD to pose as Bruce Banner's assistant. Bruce had just recently been able to retain his intellect when he transformed into the Hulk and SHIELD wanted to keep tabs on him. She became romantically involved with Bruce during her time with him.

GREAT MOMENTS IN HISTORY

The Incredible Hulk #287: Bruce comes back from an adventure in time and is greeted at his Northwind laboratory by his new research assistant, Katherine Waynesboro. Kate says that she read about Bruce's work when he was in graduate work. Bruce purposely changes into the Hulk in front of her so that she can get used to the change since he can do it at will. She is obviously startled by it. Bruce also introduces Kate to his Recordasphere. Bruce shows Kate the gammascope, his research, which studies the effect of residual gamma radiation making it to the earth's surface. Kate tells Bruce that she is there to help him. The Recordasphere overhears her comment and gets jealous. The Recordasphere sneaks into Kate's room and activates a 3-D videotape recorder in which she gives her first report back to SHIELD about infiltrating the laboratory as a spy. Later, Kate is pearing through the gammascope as Bruce explains how increasing amounts of gamma radiation are getting through the atmosphere filter. Kate comments about the gamma rays turning people into monsters. Bruce is insulted by this because he has been a monster for years. Kate says that she wasn't referring to him.

The Incredible Hulk #288: Kate is in the waiting room as Bruce, in Hulk form, comes out from a visit to the dentist. Bruce changes back to human shape and realizes that what the Hulk feels is not felt by Bruce. As Bruce walks to the car, Kate stays back to "make an appointment" with the dentist. The dentist is actually a SHIELD agent also and Kate tells him to send copies the the Hulk's teeth x-rays. The Recordasphere overhears the conversation. In the car on the drive home, Kate and Bruce talk about Betty and how she couldn't accept it when Bruce could control the change, she wanted him to get rid of the Hulk completely. Kate talks about how people will see Bruce for the man he is, including her. The Recordasphere can't take it any longer and shoots an electronical beam at the steering wheel. Kate can't control the car and it goes over the side of the road, down the hill. The flips over and Kate is knocked unconscious. Bruce changes into the Hulk and saves Kate. Bruce jumps back to the lab to get her medical care. The Recordasphere is still determined to get rid of Kate. Right when they get to the lab, Kate wakes up and kissed Bruce, in Hulk form, for saving her.

The Incredible Hulk #289: Kate comes to relieve Bruce but the Recordasphere stops her and tells Kate that Bruce is sleeping. The Recordasphere tells Kate that she is abused Bruce's trust and affections. It tells Kate that it knows she is a spy and that it will protect Bruce. Taht's when Kate notices a laser beam opening on the Recordasphere. Kate tells the Recordasphere that she is not there to hurt Bruce but to make sure that Bruce can maintain his control over the change. Right before the Recordasphere fires the laser at Kate, the Abomination breaks through a wall. The Recordasphere attacks the Abomination but is destroyed in the process. Before the Abomination can get the newly awoken Bruce, Kate pulls out an ion-disruptor and fires it at the Abomination. Bruce is startled to see Kate holding the weapon and Kate admits that it is SHIELD issue. Bruce is crushed to realize she is not there just for research but to keep an eye on Bruce because they just don't trust him. Bruce changes into the Hulk and fights the Abomination. The Abomination at first is beating the Hulk but when Bruce hears Kate calling SHIELD. Bruce thinks about Kate, how he came to love her and then she betrayed him. He gets angry and easily defeats the Abomination. In fact, he beats the Abomination so badly, he starts to wonder if he is capable of losing control and if SHIELD was right to have someone look over him. He realizes that his own emotions, namely feeling sorry for himself, allowed him to lose control. Kate tries to talk Bruce through it. The Abomination, now wanting to let down MODOK, grabs Kate and jumps off before Bruce can react.

The Incredible Hulk #290: The Abomination takes Kate back to AIM headquarters, not knowing that that AIM had driven MODOK out. The Abomination is relieved to hear that news and will help the AIM people with whatever they want. The AIM scientists realize that Kate is a SHIELD agent. The AIM scientists know that MODOK will eventually be back so they need something to protect themselves. They intent to create a new MODOK using Kate. Before Bruce gets to the AIM base, MODOK stops him and shows him what they have planned for Kate. Inside the base, Kate is subjected to the experiment. The Hulk and MODOK break in but it is too late, Kate has turned into Ms. MODOK. The AIM scientists tell Ms. MODOK that she was created to defeat MODOK but instead they join forces to defeat the AIM agents. Bruce tries to reason with the transformed Kate but she choses to wed MODOK. When she observes MODOK totally annihilate the Abomination, Kate is repulsed by MODOK's disregard to life and rejects him. MODOK forces Kate back into the transformation equipment and changes her back to normal and then flies off. Bruce holds Kate and says that he will never let her go.

The Incredible Hulk #292: Kate talks with Bruce after he wakes up during a flight to Mexico after having a dream about losing control of the Hulk and destroying the plane. Bruce and Kate meet a scientist at a Mexican university who has been using the gammascope to increase food production. Bruce is worried that there has not been enough testing but the Mexican scientist is more worried about the hungry people in his country. Back at the hotel, Bruce confides to Kate that things are maybe going too fast. During the discussion, Kate tells Bruce that she quit SHIELD. They kiss. The next morning, Bruce and Kate go to see the Mexican scientist who has just discovered that someone has torched the gamma-irradiated crops (the Dragon Man). Bruce and Kate stop by a nearby traveling circus but is recognized by the Circus of Crime who is operating the circus. During the big-top show, the Ringmaster hypnotizes Bruce and makes him turn into the Hulk, controlling him. The Ringmaster loses control of the Dragon Man and he fights the still-controlled Hulk. Kate changes the direction of the man in the cannon so that the man hits the Hulk and wakes him out of his trance. Bruce is crushed that he turned into a monster again against his will.

The Incredible Hulk #293: Bruce and Kate get back from Mexico and in the airport, a man tries to shoot the Hulk, calling him a monster. Kate and Bruce go to the Baxter Building and uses some of Reed Richard's equipment to study the energy surge that both had noted. Some of the equipment overloads and Bruce turns into the Hulk before it explodes to save Kate. Kate cooks Bruce dinner and they talk about using the gamma technology to energize and invigorate animal and human cells, to make the weak strong again. Bruce decides to dedicate the rest of his life to make amends for all the destruction and pain the Hulk has caused over the years. While in bed that night, Bruce has a dream about losing control of the Hulk. He wakes up screaming and Kate asks him what scared him and he answers the Hulk. Later, Kate drives the man who tried to shoot the Hulk, to the location where Bruce has totally rebuilt the town he destroyed previously as the Savage Hulk.

The Incredible Hulk #294: Kate helps Bruce use the Gammascope to cure an ailing dog, turing the dog a nice shade of green in the process. The both of them are happy that Bruce's experiment is a success. Boomerang breaks into the lab and holds Kate hostange. Boomerang manages to get the slip on the Hulk and leaves with her as his boss Max Hammer, an ailing old gangster, tells Bruce that he must cure him of his disease if he wants to see Kate alive again. Bruce subjects him to the process and it works. He tells Bruce where Kate is located and he jumps off to rescue her. During his way there, he gets pulled into the Secret Wars.

The Incredible Hulk #295: The Hulk comes back from the Secret Wars, with a broken leg and very angry. He tracks down Boomerang and knocks him out the window. When Kate goes up to greet him, he just snares and jumps out after Boomerang. He easily defeats him. Kate leads the still growling Hulk away. Bruce manages to regain control and they head back to the laboratory. They get there to find out that Max Hammer has been using the equipment to cure other people. Bruce turns into the Hulk and angrily pushes people out of the way. Kate wonders what happened to the man she feel in love with. She's afraid that if reverts to the Savage Hulk, she will lose him. Bruce talks to Max Hammer when the man who owns the dog Bruce originally cured comes in and tells how the dog went wild and they had to shoot it. Just then, Max Hammer changes into a Hulk-like creature.

The Incredible Hulk #296: Seeing Hammer change into a creature, Kate asks Bruce what will happen to the other people Hammer exposed to the Gammascope. Bruce says he doesn't know, maybe they will die or turn into monsters like him. Hammer fights Bruce while Kate runs to help people collapsing from the treatment. During the fight, Bruce loses control and the Savage Hulk takes over. Kate sees it happen and is crushed. ROM goes to the lab and Kate tells him what has happened and ROM cures the people. ROM flies off to find Hammer and the Hulk and manages to cure Hammer but Bruce has been imbeded with gamma radiation for so long that ROM can't cure him. ROM's beam does manage to bring Bruce back into control of the Hulk momentarily but then the Savage Hulk is back and starts to fight ROM. During the fight, Kate runs over to try and help and the Hulk just hits her aside. Bruce regains control again and is destroyed at what he has done and jumps off as Kate just cries.

The Incredible Hulk #297: Kate agrees to help SHIELD find Bruce but is taken back when she hears that they might kill him. They come across the destruction the Savage Hulk has made and a SHIELD agent tells Kate that they will do whatever it takes stop the Hulk.

The Incredible Hulk #298: Kate is reinstated as a SHIELD agent and goes with other agents as they track down the Hulk. The Hulk easily defeats them. Kate just stands there and says she won't hurt him. The Hulk grabs her but then Bruce manages to gain control for a second and changes back. He tells Kate to run and that the Hulk has awoken. It's too late though as the Hulk changes back and hits Kate and jumps away. Kate just looks and says that they have both lost everything.

The Incredible Hulk #299: Kate joins with SHIELD agents as they track the Hulk again. They are pulling out all stops to put an end to the menace of the Hulk. Kate realizes that Bruce would actually rather be dead than to live cursed with the Hulk again. The Hulk defeats the SHIELD agents again and Kate tries one last ditch effort for Bruce to regain control. It is too late though as the Hulk pushes Bruce aside and she knows that their love is gone forever.

The Incredible Hulk #300: SHIELD makes one more attempt at stopping the Hulk. Kate looks on decides she can not be part of the tragedy that is about to follow. She turns and leaves forever.