THOR VS ULIK

THOR VS ULIK

THE DEFINITIVE WRITE UP ON THE CHAMPION OF ASGARD VS THE CHAMPION OF THE ROCK TROLLS

BY

John “THE MEGO STRETCH HULK” Cimino

When it comes to comic books, ever since I was a kid I've always been more of a fanboy to the characters than a lover to the actual story and art. Sure, I loved those things, but I was always more interested in what my favorite character was doing, how he was doing it, and the most important thing; who he was fighting. A good comic book match up and slugfest always got my hard earned money.

During my early days of collecting, I would go into the comic store for hours and search through the back issue bins looking for the fights that caught my attention. The interesting match ups, who won, who lost, the action, the destruction, etc. As I became more experienced, it was the Hulk, the Thing, the Sub-Mariner, Hercules and Thor that always seemed to have the best and most awe-inspiring slugfests (especially during the 60s and 70s). They were the guys I gravitated too. They fought so majestically, so heroically, so viciously and they each had the hugest egos and reputations that totally drew me in. Sure, the Silver Surfer was in this class but his style of fighting and pacifism bored the hell out of me. These guys loved to fight, get down and dirty, hand-to-hand, toe-to-toe, plain and simple and they had the power to back up all their claims. Plus, they were the measuring stick all the other guys had to prove themselves against to see how high up the Marvel hierarchy they were. This is what made me a total Marvel Comics FREAK!!! DC Comics never had action, fights and rivalries like this!! 

It was pure entertainment to my young eyes and mind. I loved how the brutish Hulk always wanted to prove he was the strongest one there is to anyone and anything. The blue-eyed superstar member of the Fantastic Four, the Thing would never, EVER give up in a fight and keep coming at you. The Prince of the Seven Seas, the mighty Sub-Mariner was so regal, brash and short-tempered that he always needed to clash with someone. The Prince of Power, Hercules was always ready to give an opponent (or ally) “The Gift” of a fight with him at any time. And the God of Thunder, the Mighty Thor was the champion and protector of Earth because well, he said so... how’s that for being egocentric! These characters always brought out the best in their competition, especially when they clashed with each other. I was totally captivated by this and this is what my love of comics are always based on.

The Incredible Hulk is widely considered the Super-Heavyweight Champion of the Marvel Universe slugfest. He has the epic battles and city-leveling brawls that all the others are measured by.

The Thing has the heart, will and fortitude to fight anyone despite the odds and power levels. He never quits and never surrenders.

The regal, brash and temperamental Prince Namor, the Savage Sub-Mariner is never without his honor and pride above or below the sea. Anyone who says or sees things differently is placing their very lives in his hands.

Hercules, The Lion of Olympus and Prince of Power loves a good fight just as much as he loves himself... and that's a lot!

Thor, the God of Thunder is a Warrior-Born! He fights every battle with unyielding honor and brings glory to Asgard with every victory. It's no surprise that both the people of Earth and Asgard look to him as their one-true savior and champion!

Of all these Super-Heavyweights, it was Thor and the Hulk that were that the best of the best. They were the two characters everybody talked about and respected the most. So it’s no surprise that the "Hulk vs Thor" rivalry is the most legendary (and debated) fight in the Marvel Universe. But the Hulk was an anti-hero and he wandered around the earth wanting to be left alone while fighting anyone in his path so, he was pretty one-dimensional. Thor on the other hand had so much more going on. It was something about the heroic-drive and cosmic aspect of his stories that intrigued me. He had this obligation and duty inside him to protect the weak and defend the innocent at any cost, even if it meant his own life was at stake. Whether it was on Earth, Asgard or anywhere else, it never mattered. He was always there to protect it from the forces of evil. I also loved his speech patterns and how he would talk so much during combat, it was so much different from anything else I've ever read before (Stan Lee wrote some genius dialog). And Thor had a great list of powerful enemies that wanted to destroy or corrupt him;

Loki, The God of Mischief and Lies

The Absorbing Man
 

 Hela, Goddess of Death

The Destroyer

Kurse

Amora, the Enchantress

Mephisto

Mangog

Pluto, Lord of the Underworld

The Stranger

Ego, The Living Planet

Skurge, The Executioner

Mr. Hyde

The Cobra

Thanos, The Mad Titan

Malekith, The Dark Elf

And my favorite Thor villain of all... Ulik!

And why Ulik, the big bad Rock Troll? Because Thor brawling it out with Ulik was tremendous in my eyes. Their fights were incredibly entertaining (especially from the years of 1967 thru 1985). Each one was consistently action-packed, brutal and full of sheer mass destruction!!! Sure, it wasn't “Hulk vs Thor” but it was pretty close and some of my favorite comic book slugfests ever. I loved Ulik’s eagerness to fight the Thunder God and prove he was better than him in every way. With that ego-driven-motivation, all their fights were loooong battles of attrition that Thor usually won in the end. But Ulik was a stubborn, proud bully that always returned for more and with renewed vigor. I was entertained so much that even though I’m out of comics today, I still look forward to this fight and I’ll pick up any comic that has these two clashing in it. So, in honor of one of my favorite fights, I bring you The Definitive Write Up on the Thunder God slugging it out with the Ultimate Rock Troll!

But before we go into the slugfests, let’s get to the combatants…

TALE OF THE TAPE

Name: Thor

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 640lbs

Real Name: Thor Odinson

Origins: Born in a cave in Norway, Odin (father), Gaea (mother)

Home Base: Asgard

Nicknames: The God of Thunder, The Prince of Asgard, Goldilocks, The Thunderer, The Blondhair, The Son of Odin, Vingthor the Hurler, Longbeard’s Son, Hrodr’s Foeman, Veur, Hloriddi, Donar,  Jormungand’s Fear, The Warrior-Born, Long-hair, The Champion of Asgard, The Greatest Warrior in all of Mythology

Powers: Superhuman strength, durability, stamina and mental fortitude greater than those of all other Asgardian Gods. While being the physically strongest of the Asgardians, if the battle pressed, he can enter into a state known as the "Warrior's Madness" ("berserkergang" in Norwegian) which will temporarily raise his strength and stamina tenfold, although in this state he will attack friend and foe alike. As a true Asgardian God he possesses unearthly senses, regeneration (with the aid of Mjolnir), self-sustenance, immunity to disease, resistance to some forms of magic, longevity (he is not truly immortal but relies upon periodic consumption of the Golden Apples of Idunn to sustain his extended lifespan, which to date has lasted many millennia) and he can survive in the vacuum of space unaided for a brief period of time. As the son of the Earth Goddess Gaea he has also shown to have some control over the Earth. He has thousands of years of training in Asgardian arts of war, he is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, proficient with most Asgardian weaponry, highly skilled in the use of the war-hammer, sword and mace.

Weapons: Mjolnir; magical war-hammer made from virtually indestructible uru metal grants weather manipulation, energy projection and absorption, time manipulation, dimensional travel, electrical manipulation, matter manipulation and the most powerful of Thor's offensives, the God Blast (which taps into Thor's life force), the Thermo-blast and the Anti-Force (which counteracts another force). It can also be used to sense out the auras of evil presence. By throwing Mjolnir in the desired direction and then holding on to the handle's unbreakable loop, Thor can fly at supersonic speeds in Earth's atmosphere and travel faster than light in space. Mjolnir obeys Thor's commands as though it was alive and if Thor's will is strong enough, the hammer can pass through nearly any barrier to reach him should he so desire.

Favorite Expressions: Way too many pseudo-Shakespearian quotes to choose from. Thor always makes slightly long-winded speeches during combat.

  

Name: Ulik

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 780lbs

Origins: Unknown

Home Base: Domain of Trolls in Nornheim, dimension of Asgard

Nicknames: King of the Rock Trolls, Champion of the Rock Trolls, The Terrible, The Uncontrolled, The Invincible

Powers: Superhuman strength, speed, endurance, durability, healing, and longevity well above that of the average Rock Troll. He has the ability to see into the infrared range of the spectrum, which allows him to see in near-total darkness. He also posseses extensive experience in hand-to-hand combat.

Weapons: Pounders; brass knuckles, made from an unknown alloy, used to enhance his physical blows. He can also use pounders on the ground to cause earthquakes or by hitting them together to create high levels of seismic activity.

Favorite Expressions: For a crazed brute, Ulik talked a lot too; “GGRRRAAAWWWWLLL!!!” “I am Ulik, strongest of all rock trolls and I am your death!!” “I am Ulik, mightiest of all rock trolls and I am your death!!” “GRROWWWRRR! The madder a troll becomes the more powerful grows his limbs!” “My pounders will grind your bones to dust!” "Of all the mighty trolls -- Ulik is the strongest -- Ulik the most powerful!"

THE SLUGFESTS

The comics listed in this section are each time Thor and Ulik have squared off, had words and fought each other in actual official Marvel continuity. I will also explain each encounter in detail. Unfortunately, all fights and situations are not always so clear cut and I've tried my very best to be fair, objective and unbiased about the outcome of each battle. A "MATCH UP" is considered a round within a fight or face off confrontation. Since situations can be erratic in the story, there can be multiple outcomes between opponents in a fight. I will continually list each "MATCH UP" with a result and tally it. A "MATCH UP" will only result in a "WIN" if the losing character is rendered unconscious, teleported away against their will or immobilized in such a fashion that they are only freed by the other combatant or an ally. There may even be cases when a character gets a victory due to interference of their teammates, partners, etc. This may not be a definitive "WIN" but it will still be tallied against the losing opponent and explained so. When a character gets an "EDGE" result, they had the advantage at the end of the fight but the opponent may still be conscious or fighting on, so it will not be tallied against him. A "DRAW" result means no one was victorious during that encounter. A "NONE" result means there was no way a logical result could be given in that confrontation or situation from the two characters facing off and this can occur for a number of reasons and will be explained in the text. And finally, an "UNKNOWN" result means the ending of the fight was never shown so a definitive result cannot be given. At the end, I tallied up the totals so you can come to your own conclusions and be the judge to see who holds the overall edge in this legendary battle. 

THE MIGHTY THOR #137 (1967)

When the Rock Trolls ambush Thor and kidnap Lady Sif, he travels down to the caverns below to rescue her. Soon he is confronted by the mighty Ulik for the first time! They have a savage brawl that goes back and forth! This brawl truly tests the power of the Thunder God as Thor lays limp and hurt. Ulik now takes this advantage and sets him up for his “Final Fatal All-Powerful Body Crusher Blow!” to end the fight. But just then Ulik gets banished away by the Troll King Geirrodur to Earth to set a trap for him. Thor will later say that victory was within his grasp in this fight but he was just being brash. It clearly looked like Thor’s fight to lose. RESULT: EDGE ULIK (Ulik gets the “edge” in this fight but it cannot be considered a “win” because he never landed the final blow on Thor even though he clearly had Thor at a disadvantage.)

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 1  THOR: 0 – ULIK: 0

THE MIGHTY THOR #138 (1967)

On Earth Thor and Ulik face off again and brawl it out! In this fight amiss the wreckage Thor will admit that Ulik’s strength matches his own. When Ulik get’s in a powerful blow and knocks Thor down, other trolls will jump in and help Ulik and try to take his hammer, Mjolnir. But Thor fights back and rises and throws them all off of him stunning Ulik and the other Rock Trolls. Soon Thor will lose his hammer to the Orb of Orikal as Ulik and the other trolls recover and escape back to their dimension. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 2  THOR: 1 – ULIK: 0

THE MIGHTY THOR #139 (1967)

Now on Asgard among the Asgardian and Rock Troll war, Ulik tries to use Mjolnir and a replica war hammer against Thor but the Thunder God calls it back to him and attacks. They engage in another massive destructive brawl between war hammers. Eventually Ulik will run off trying to destroy the Orikal but Thor will take this opportunity to throw Mjolnir at him and hit Ulik while he wasn’t looking and knocking him unconscious. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 3  THOR: 2 – ULIK: 0

THE MIGHTY THOR #152 (1968)

As Balder engages in a losing fight against Ulik, Karnilla, Queen of the Norns summons Thor to help him out. Thor will step in and engage the Champion Rock Troll one on one in a bloody and destructive brawl! It ends when Thor hits Ulik so hard that he crashes through the cavern walls and down into the bottomless Abyss of Shadows. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 4  THOR: 3 – ULIK: 0

THE MIGHTY THOR #173 (1970)

Loki sends Ulik to Earth where he falls under the influence of the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime. Thor will eventually free Ulik from his trance and battle the Rock Troll in another brutal slugfest as the crowds flee in panic. Soon Thor will banish Ulik with Mjolnir and send him back to the Stygian Realm. Once Ulik is gone, Thor and the police make short work of the Circus of Crime. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 5  THOR: 4 – ULIK: 0

THE MIGHTY THOR #210 (1973)

Ulik is tired of losing to Thor in combat and wants to fight him hand to hand without Mjolnir giving him the edge. Troll King Gierrodur will teleport Ulik and a squad of Rock Trolls to Earth to attack Thor. As Thor makes short work of the Rock Trolls, Ulik then attacks! They have a back and forth brawl until Ulik convinces Thor to fight him without his hammer and Thor obliges. They brawl again but this time a few of Rock Trolls use a plate of uru metal to steal Mjolnir with its magnetic pull. Thor eventually breaks away from Ulik and chases the Troll’s down and must leap into the fiery Furnace of the Trolls to get his hammer back before sixty seconds has elapsed. RESULT: DRAW

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 6  THOR: 4 – ULIK: 0

THE MIGHTY THOR #211 (1973)

Thor gets Mjolnir back in time before he turns back to Donald Blake. But when he crawls out of the furnace Ulik and the Rock Trolls are gone and have attacked the city. Thor will now team up with the Warriors Three and a Rigellian Colonizer to battle them. Eventually Thor and Ulik square off in a final showdown, but this time to prove a point to Ulik, Thor fights him without Mjolnir and totally humbles him. The rest of the Rock Trolls will now carry Ulik’s limp body back to their dimension utterly defeated. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 7  THOR: 5 – ULIK: 0

THE MIGHTY THOR #237 (1975)

A squad of Rock Trolls attack New York at night so an obsessed Ulik can slug it out with Thor. They have a city leveling fight as Thor questions why Ulik must constantly try to best him in battle after all the defeats he has already suffered. But Ulik will not stop and continues his assault. Soon Thor has to surrender when a band of Rock Trolls capture Jane Foster and he must team up with Ulik in his mad attempt to take over the world. RESULT: DRAW (Even though Ulik got Thor to surrender with Jane Fosters capture, the fight itself still had no actual winner)

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 8  THOR: 5 – ULIK: 0

THE MIGHTY THOR #238 (1975)

As Thor and Ulik have a tenuous team up, Ulik boasts of his previous victory over the Thunder God, but Thor reminds him it was only trickery that gave Ulik his surrender, not the strength of his limbs. This will anger Ulik to throw a punch at him and smash the cavern walls. When Thor eventually defeats Zotarr the Troll Supreme, he gains Ulik’s admiration. RESULT: NONE

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 9  THOR: 5 – ULIK: 0

THE MIGHTY THOR #239 (1975)

With Ulik now triumphant over King Geirrodur and has become the new king of the Rock Trolls, he wants to invade the Earth. But with Jane Foster safe at his side, Thor stands ready to stop him. Of course, Ulik attacks Thor but is once again completely humbled by The Thunderer and is punched away into an underground river. Thor would also then take this opportunity to defeat the rest of the band of Rock Trolls, take Jane and escape the underground caverns. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 10  THOR: 6 – ULIK: 0

THE MIGHTY THOR #252 (1976)

With Thor on a quest to get a magical Dragon’s ruby eye to find Odin, he is met up with none other than Ulik who is there to do the same. Just seeing Thor sends Ulik into a frenzy and attack, they have another massive brawl that goes back and forth. But after Ulik smashes Thor with a surprise kick to the face, Thor falls off the rock bridge and into the fires below. This time Ulik stands victorious!! RESULT: WIN ULIK

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 11  THOR: 6 – ULIK: 1

THE MIGHTY THOR #253 (1976)

Now with Thor gone, Ulik attacks the Ruby Eye Dragon and slays it while taking the ruby. Thor returns and they start up round two! They fight back and forth until their struggle destroys the rock bridge they are on causing them both to fall. With this happening, Ulik drops the ruby and Mjolnir will sweap in and get it. Soon they form yet again, another volatile team up as Thor sacrifices the ruby to destroy an enemy called Trogg to save the Rock Trolls. In this unselfish act, Ulik and the rest of the Rock Trolls laugh at him because he destroyed the ruby in helping them. Thor leaves saddened because only that ruby could have located Odin. RESULT: DRAW

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 12  THOR: 6 – ULIK: 1

THE MIGHTY THOR #279 (1978)

Thor must go to Hades and face Pluto who has kidnapped Jane Foster. Here he also must face Loki who has summoned Ulik to slay him. As Pluto and Loki look on, Ulik and Thor fight back and forth until Ulik overhears Pluto saying that they should have gotten a more formidable champion. This makes the Rock Troll go berserk and attack Pluto, trying to kill him. As Ulik throws Pluto into a pool of lava, Thor will save him. But Ulik in return will now try to slay Jane Foster. This will cause Thor to use Mjolnir to send Ulik back to Asgard where Loki is and the Rock Troll, still raging, attacks him. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 13  THOR: 7 – ULIK: 1

THE MIGHTY THOR ANNUAL #13 (1985)

With Thor sadden by the loss of Odin, Mephisto finds this the perfect opportunity to torture his noble spirit. Mephisto sends the Servant of the Flame to find Thor’s “mightiest foe,” and the Flame finds Mighty Ulik! But Ulik will not be anyone’s slave so Mephisto must step in and kidnap his brother Horth. Mephisto will only return him after Ulik slays Thor. So the Rock Troll travels to Asgard’s wilderness and attacks Thor and starts a massive brawl! In the fight Thor is almost killed by Uliks savage attack with his pounders but the Thunderer fights back with renewed strength and defeats the Champion Rock Troll. Eventually Thor will help save Ulik’s brother from Mephisto but it was all in The Devil’s master plan as the fight Thor had with Ulik killed a few innocent bystanders that were nearby. Thor is humbled by this and Mephisto is triumphant in his torture of the noble Thunder God. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 14  THOR: 8 – ULIK: 1

THE MIGHTY THOR #414 (1990)

Ulik attacks New York and humbles Hercules (who is suffering a magical case of fright). The Rock Troll uses a magical Talisman to enhance his size and strength when Thor comes to stop him. Although now Ulik can overpower Thor and an irrelevant Hercules, the Thunder God fights back to protect the innocents of New York and defeats Ulik in a massive showdown. It should be noted that Ulik was not knocked out in this fight with Thor, but he was humbled and admitted that  he couldn’t believe Thor still had the power to stop him. It was the New York “Code Blue” Police Force that manages to stop Ulik as his power began to fade. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 15  THOR: 9 – ULIK: 1

THE MIGHTY THOR #431 (1991)

Loki sends Ulik to go delay Thor and gives him some enchanted steel pounders. While Thor flies around New York looking for a lost boy his hammer senses the presence of evil on a building and he goes to check it out. When Thor gets on top of the building Ulik attacks him and starts a brawl! Thor will pound on Ulik and eventually punch him off the building to the ground below. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 16  THOR: 10 – ULIK: 1

THE MIGHTY THOR #80 (2004)

In the midst of Raganrok, Thor is attacked by Loki and his henchmen! Ulik and Fenris leap at Thor and they all crash into each other causing a tremendous explosion. After the smoke clears everyone is stunned in a huge creator. Thor is the first to rise and to his horror, he notices that Mjolnir has been shattered. RESULT: DRAW

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 17  THOR: 10 – ULIK: 1

THE MIGHTY THOR #81 (2004)

As Loki and his henchmen (including Ulik) attack Thor with Captain America and Iron man, they have a massive brawl. As Ulik fights with Thor and Captain America, Iron man is smacked away by Loki and is sent rocketing to the ground below. Iron man crashes into Ulik causing a major explosion and knocking them both out. RESULT: WIN THOR (with help from Captain America, Iron man and unintentional help from Loki)

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 18  THOR: 11 – ULIK: 1

 
THOR: BLOOD OATH #6 (2005)

Sent in to prevent Thor and The Warriors Three from completing their quest, Ulik makes short work of Hogun the Grim. Then Thor attacks the Rock Troll and they go back and forth in yet another slugfest! The fight stops when the Egyptian god Thoth awakens from his slumber. RESULT: DRAW

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 19  THOR: 11 - ULIK: 1

WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS #15 (2009)

Ulik attacks Thor who is doing a public speaking in New York. This time Ulik uses a shield with magnetic properties that make Mjolnir stick to it. As Ulik tosses the shield aside he engages in a hand to hand slugfest with Thor who now has only sixty seconds before he changes back to Donald Blake! Wolverine will come in to give Thor a hand but ends up getting pounded. Kitty Pryde manages to get Mjolnir back (from a Rock Troll who is helping Ulik) to Don Blake. He changes back into Thor and crashes into Ulik before the Champion Rock Troll can land the killing blow on Wolverine and flies him back to Asgard.  WIN: THOR (with help from Wolverine and Kitty Pryde)

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 20  THOR: 12 – ULIK: 1

IRON MAN/THOR #1 and 2 (2010)

While the people of Earth and the Asgardians rebuild Asgard, Ulik shows up and attacks Thor! Wearing a special suit that enhances his strength, Ulik manages to easily catch a two-handed attack with Mjolnir from Thor with just one hand! Thor is stunned by Ulik’s increased strength and then is pounded by the Rock Troll ending the first issue. The fight concludes in issue # 2 as Thor, despite being overpowered by Ulik, he still fights on. Soon El Diablo enters the fight and as Thor calls down some lightning to strike, Diablo casts a spell that makes Thor get hit by his own attack and as this stuns The Thunder God, Ulik and El Diablo escape stealing the Destroyer Armor. RESULT: WIN ULIK (It should be noted that this is not a definitive "win" by Ulik as he was wearing a suit that enhanced his strength as well as having help from El Diablo)

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 21  THOR: 12 – ULIK: 2

IRON MAN/THOR #3 (2011)

While Ulik (with his enhanced strength armor) and El Diablo fight Iron man, Thor defeats the Crimson Dynamo (who is also enhanced). Then Thor attacks Ulik and knocks him out but El Diablo will blow a mist spell on him causing Thor to attack Iron man. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 22  THOR: 13 – ULIK: 2

Thor and Iron man fight each other (both under El Diablo’s spell). Ulik and the Crimson Dynamo will now ambush them and knock both heroes out cold. RESULT: NONE (I had to list this fight as thus because Thor and Ulik were never actually fighting in this match up. It was an ambush attack that defeated the heroes.)

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 23  THOR: 13 – ULIK: 2

IRON MAN/THOR #4 (2011)

Thor and Iron man make an all out attack on an enhanced El Diablo. As the attack Ulik and the Crimson Dynamo try to stop them but even though they are enhanced, Thor and Iron man make short work of them before they defeat El Diablo. RESULT: WIN THOR (with help from Iron man)

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 24  THOR: 14 – ULIK: 2 

THE MIGHTY THOR #12 (2012)

With Ulik posing as Tanarus to gain favor of the Asgardians, he is eventually exposed by the all-seeing Heimdall. Ulik now overwhelms Heimdall and is about to kill him when a crack of lightning comes down from the heavens and stops everyone in their tracks. As they look up, The Mighty Thor has returned! Thor challenges Ulik and the Troll obliges and attacks as they have a back and forth fight. Soon Ulik sees Lady Sif attacking Freya and will attack her (turning his back on the Thunder God). Thor will then grab Ulik by the hair and smash him with Mjolnir to the back of his head. Then Thor calls down a mighty lightning storm disintegrating Ulik down to nothing but bones. RESULT: WIN THOR

 TALLY: MATCH UPS: 25  THOR: 15 – ULIK: 2 

THOR GOD OF THUNDER #22 and 23 (2014)

Ulik, Dario Agger (the Minotaur) with a gang of Rock Trolls attack Thor who is with S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Roz Solomon and begin to pound on him unmercifully (continues into issue #23). They continue to pound on Thor causing him some major damage. But soon the Thunder God fights back without holding back. Eventually Thor will take both Ulik and Dario and slam them into the ground so hard that it causes a tremendous explosion. When the dust clears, Thor and Solomon defeat the rest of the Rock Trolls and take them into custody. Later they find out that Ulik and Dario had escaped. RESULT: WIN THOR

TALLY: MATCH UPS: 26  THOR: 16 – ULIK: 2 

 

(This issue has seven variant covers)

THE UNWORTHY THOR #1 (2016)

Although Thor (now named Odinson) doesn't possess the power he once had, he attacks a pack of Trolls but is soon attacked from behind by their king Ulik. Ulik says that Thor is no longer a threat without his hammer and gears up for another blow when he is suddenly blindsided by Thor's goat Toothgnasher and sent flying. While Thor continues to fight the pack of Trolls, Ulik throws Toothgnasher at him and then knocks a bunch of rubble on them. Ulik will then take off on his ship with his underlings and sail off. Once Thor digs himself out of the rubble, he will throw his axe Jarnbjorn at Ulik's sailing ship and uncharacteristically miss. RESULT: EDGE ULIK

FINAL TALLY: MATCH UPS: 27  THOR: 16 – ULIK: 2

HONORABLE MENTION

THE MIGHTY THOR #433 (1991)

Eric Masterson took the mantel of Thor for a little while before becoming Thunderstrike. As Thor in this issue he is met up by Ulik who has been in the city sewers looking for the Son of Odin. When he confronts this Thor he pounds on him and is unhappy with his victory due to the fact it is not the real Thor. When they meet up again they brawl it out but this time Eric will use his cape to blind Ulik and then pound on the Rock Troll for the victory.

 "THOR VS ULIK" IN THE MEDIA

Marvel Treasury Edition #10 (1976)

Thor Poster (1977)

"Thor vs Ulik" Beach Towel (1977)

Thor "City of Asgard" Presto Magix (1979)
While this is not just a "Thor vs Ulik" game, it does have Thor and Ulik transfer pieces (as well as other Thor characters from the comics) and you can make a scene with Thor battling Ulik if so desired.

Marvel Super Heroes Adventure "Thunder Over Jotunheim (1985)

"Thor vs Ulik" card -FRONT- (1991)

"Thor vs Ulik" card -BACK- (1991)

Marvel Ultimate Alliance video game (2007)
While Thor is a playable character in this game, on the Asgard level you fight the bosses Kurse and Ulik.

THOR: God of Thunder Video Game (2011)
 

Thor: An Origin Story (2013) A page shows Thor locked in combat with Ulik and other trolls.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE (SEASON: 1  EPISODE: 4 "THE SERPENT OF DOOM" 2013)

For the first time ever in animation, Thor slugs it out with his longtime arch-foe Ulik! While Ulik has appeared opposite to Thor in a few other cartoons, they have never actually physically fought. As a fan of this rivalry, it was a fun experience to witness.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (SEASON: 3  EPISODE: 1 and 2 "AVENGING SPIDER-MAN" 2014)

In this two-part episode Loki attacks Thor, the Avengers, Spider-man and his team with Frost Giants, Ulik and other Rock Trolls enhanced with symbiote armor. Thor and the other heroes eventually defeat the villains and Loki will have to pay the price at the hands of Ulik and the others due to their defeat.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE (SEASON: 3  EPISODE: 14 "SEEING DOUBLE" 2016)

Thor takes the Vision to Asgard to teach him about friendship and shows him how friends helped him defeat Ulik and other villains that are jailed. Ulik will eventually break free and battles it out with Thor until Vision joins in and they defeat the Rock Troll.

The Incredible Hulk vs. The Mighty Thor: New York Jets promotional one-shot (2018). Thor and the Hulk are manipulated by the Leader to fight each other. Due to a hologram, Thor thinks the Hulk is Ulik and the Hulk thinks Thor is the Abomination. Eventually they figure it out and stop the Leader.

Hasbro Marvel Select Recreation Poster (2019).

THE END??

If you see their final tally in 27 match ups, Thor pretty much has always had his way with Ulik (especially from the 1990s on when Ulik became more of a "throw away" character) leading their confrontations 16 to 2. But for me, it has never been about who was winning or losing, it was more about the action and excitement of the struggle between them. Ulik always has a crazed desire to best the Son of Odin, Thor always telling the Rock Troll to stand down or suffer another defeat. Ulik, of course, never does and blindly attacks, and another city-leveling brawl ensues. As always, they usually delivered a great action-packed fight with a TON of destruction in their wake and having some fantastic dialogue between them. This, to me, is what great comic reading is all about! So when these two adversaries fight again, I’ll be there with a big smile on my face reading it just to be entertained. And that’s the true magic of a comic book.

FOR ASGARD!!!!

Check out other "DEFINITIVE WRITE UPS" here:

Jack Kirby vs Alex Toth
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2013/06/jack-kirby-vs-alex-toth.html

Superman vs Captain Marvel

 http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2011/05/superman-vs-captain-marvel.html

Superman vs He-Man
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2016/01/superman-vs-he-man.html

Captain America vs Wolverine
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2013/02/captain-america-vs-wolverine.html

Thor vs Silver Surfer
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2012/05/thor-vs-silver-surfer.html

Hulk vs Thor

 http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2011/09/hulk-vs-thor.html

Hulk vs Silver Surfer
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2012/07/hulk-vs-silver-surfer.html

Hulk vs Superman
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2013/04/hulk-vs-superman.html

Hulk vs Juggernaut

http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2011/12/hulk-vs-juggernaut.html

Hulk vs Hercules

http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2012/01/hulk-vs-hercules.html

Hulk vs Sub-Mariner

http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2012/02/hulk-vs-sub-mariner.html

Hulk vs Thing
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2012/04/hulk-vs-thing.html

John Cimino

John Cimino is a Silver and Bronze Age comic, cartoon and memorabilia expert that runs a business called "Saturday Morning Collectibles." He buys, sells, appraises and gives seminars on everything pop culture, so if you got something special, let him know about it. He contributes articles to ALTER EGO, RETROFAN, BACK ISSUE and THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR from TwoMorrows Publishing, runs the Roy Thomas Appreciation Board on Facebook and has appeared on the AMC reality show Comic Book Men. He also represents some of comicdoms biggest stars and brings them to a Comic Con near you. John likes to think he's the real Captain Marvel, people just don't have the heart to tell him he's just an obsessed fanboy that loves to play superheroes with his daughter Bryn. Contact him at johnstretch@live.com or follow him on Instagram at megostretchhulk.