THE STRONGEST ONE THERE IS!
THE TOP 5
GREATEST FEATS OF STRENGTH OF
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
By
Jason Tait
(edited by John THE MEGO STRETCH HULK Cimino)
When I first discovered John Cimino, it
was an old video where he and his friends were sitting in a basement
discussing Superman versus the Hulk. Powerless to resist the bait, I
clicked. Unbeknownst to me, I unleashed a tornado of comic knowledge,
hurricane-force winds of passion, and undying loyalty to the modern
myths and legends that have forged generations of creativity. It was
like my childhood had spawned a loud—very loud—personification of my
imagination…in "supa-dupa" form! It was like looking in a mirror…only the
reflection was better looking…more muscular…more charismatic…and…okay,
it wasn’t like a mirror, at all. It was better. Bigger. More
colorful. And I’ve been hooked, ever since. From his manic childhood
quest to find the perfect Elastic Hulk to his friendship with living
legend Roy Thomas, I’m always astonished at the adventures of John—half
man, half amazement. I would like to thank John for giving me the
flattering opportunity to write and contribute to “Hero Envy” The Blog
Adventures. BOOM!!
You could say I spent Christmas morning in 1979 with John Cimino (aka the Mego Stretch Hulk) and I didn't even know it!?! |
What better time than the dawn of a new
year to delve into everyone’s favorite green goliath and his top five
greatest feats of strength! Strength: it’s the great equalizer in a
child’s mind, it’s the elusive trait in an adult’s. No one ever prays
for weakness; no one ever wishes they were less strong. It’s a trait
that has been both admired and feared. How apropos, then, that Marvel’s
strongest has also been admired and feared throughout his existence.
But, unlike most superhero stories, the story of the Hulk and Bruce
Banner has never been about how powerful he is or how he has risen above
when pushed to his limits, no, instead it is about the fact that there
is no limit to his power, leaving the reader to wonder if Banner can
restrain his own rage from destroying everything he loves. While most
superpowers are glorified wish fulfillment, Banner’s is a curse,
acquired through an act of selfless sacrifice and heroism. This really
sets the Hulk apart from most superheroes and makes him unique in a
genre filled with variety.
According to the official Marvel web
site, right now, as of this writing, they state this about the Hulk:
“His physical strength is potentially limitless, given it grows
exponentially as his emotional distress grows.” Notice it didn’t say
his strength grows in direct proportion to his emotional distress; no,
it grows exponentially. The first ever published, in-continuity, canon
description of the Hulk’s strength being “limitless” was in 1962. When
this hit the stands, no one was outraged. The letters column wasn’t
being bombarded by fans gnashing their teeth at the preposterousness of
someone so strong.
But it seems like when fans do have a
problem with it is when it’s actually shown and not just said. For
example, the Hulk beats someone’s favorite hero, now it’s terrible
writing. Hulk beats a villain faster or with more ease than someone’s
favorite hero did, suddenly it’s lazy storytelling. The Hulk does
something that a reader feels he shouldn’t be able to, and suddenly it’s
“plot-induced stupidity.”
The Hulk’s madder/stronger dynamic has
been referenced more than Batman’s cape…but no one would ever say that
Batman doesn’t have a cape. Marvel has repeated the Hulk’s limitless
strength dynamic ad nauseam for well over 50 years but do a Google
search and you’ll inevitably find some guy on a random message board
saying that it’s not true or that it doesn’t “make sense."
Believing
that a man could get bombarded with so much lethal radiation that it
causes him to gain 900 pounds, turn green, and then turn back to human
again is no problem at all…but saying that he gets stronger when he gets
madder—and there’s no limit to his anger—is suddenly far-fetched,
juvenile, and silly?
If you subtract every single time the Hulk
has ever called himself the strongest, there still is no character in
the history of comics that has been cited as the strongest (by
narration, other characters, and creators) more than the Hulk. And yet,
ironically enough, no other character has been cited as *not* being the strongest (by angry fans on the internet) more than the Hulk.
The
bottom line is, Marvel has made it abundantly clear that the Hulk has
no limit to his strength, so whether some like that or not, or agree
with it or not, they just have to just accept it (and in case you
couldn’t tell, not only do I accept it, I love it, revel in it, lather
up in it, and generally sprinkle my day with reminders about it).
Another
aspect of the argument is the obligatory, “If the Hulk has limitless
strength, why didn’t he beat (insert favorite hero name here)?” It’s
been established in the comic that Banner is so afraid of the Hulk
hurting innocents that he is constantly reining him in. When the Hulk
fights a hero, Banner knows that despite any disagreements, they’re on
the same side; his opponent is not innately evil or wanting to kill.
This explains why the Hulk and Thor locked up for an hour in Defenders
#10 (1973), yet when the Abomination had his strength doubled and was going
from planet to planet killing entire populations (including women and
children…you know, like that thing Thanos does), it made the Hulk so
angry that he beat down the Abomination in a mere few panels (The
Incredible Hulk #270 [1982]). This was a character that almost killed the Hulk
at one point…who now had his strength doubled…but the killing of
innocents caused the Hulk’s strength to escalate exponentially in an
instant and he beat the Abomination so badly that years later, he was
still terrified at the thought of ever fighting the Hulk again.
There’s
another aspect of the argument, something to the effect of, “What’s the
point of making a character so strong that he can’t be beaten?” To
agree with this would be to agree that the only thing one needs to
defeat another is superior strength. But as we’ve seen many times in
comics (and the real world) superior strength does not guarantee
victory. Some say a character that powerful loses any hope of drama in
storytelling, but to me, it would be much more fun (and a creative
challenge) as a writer to put a character that strong into situations
where his strength was meaningless. One example was when Jim Wilson
(the Hulk’s one-time sidekick) was dying of AIDS (The Incredible Hulk
#420 [1994]). Despite the Hulk’s immeasurable power, he was helpless to do
anything to save his friend. It was quite an emotional tale and one
where those big muscles gained him nothing. Here is a superhero with
the power to save people…who wants to do the right thing…but yet is
powerless to save who he wants to. It's the tragedy of the incredible
Hulk.
Getting back to his physical strength, the Hulk is used
more than any other character to show a benchmark of strength. He’s the
gold standard by which all other strongmen and women are judged. There
are numerous entries in handbooks and character biographies that
mention “Hulk-like strength” and use examples of said character fighting
the Hulk as evidence of their power. The very fact that there are
myriad message boards littered with posts trying to prove that he isn’t
the strongest may be the greatest indicator that he, indeed, is. There
is a big difference between, “haven't found a limit,” “no known limit,”
and "limitless". Many characters haven't found a limit to their
strength, power, etc., simply because they haven't engaged in formal,
limit-finding tests.
But those characters aren't described as
having "limitless strength". The Hulk's limitless strength has been
referenced in-continuity every year since his creation. As world
renowned comic historian Peter Sanderson said, "The Hulk is the standard
of physical strength for the greatest comic characters." And now,
without further ado, here are the top five feats of strength of the ever incredible Hulk:
5. The Hulk Saves His Allies from an Entire Mountain Range Being Dropped on Them
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #4 (1984)
Many
consider this the Hulk’s greatest feat of strength ever, but it just
barely makes it into the top five. During Marvel’s first major
limited-series superhero crossover, Secret Wars, the appropriately named
Molecule Man (who has the power to control, you guessed it, molecules)
levitates a mountain range “which would dwarf the Andes” and hurtles it
at the good guys. The shock of the mountain range landing could be felt
on the other side of the planet they were on. While most of the heroes
were hurt or knocked out from a recent battle, the responsibility (and
the mountain range) fell upon the Hulk to prevent the miles of rock from
killing his crony. The classic cover says it all: “Beneath one
hundred and fifty billion tons, stands the Hulk--and he’s not happy.”
Iron Man estimated that there were two miles of rock above them.
Hawkeye stated that they couldn’t dig out of it in a month.
This is
probably the most oft-cited strength feat of the Hulk and perhaps one of
the most controversial. While the Hulk does state that he is bracing
the weight, critics like to pull real-world physics into the argument
and state that the Hulk simply couldn’t support the entire mountain
range, as it would collapse under its own weight. This kind of argument
is actually self-defeating, because if we bring physics into the
equation, then the feat is actually far more impressive than even what
the cover stated. A mountain range which dwarfed the Andes was dropped
on them from miles above. The Hulk didn’t just brace the weight…he
caught it, multiplied by the mass plus speed equals force of its decent
from the sky.
Once you bring actual physics into the picture, the
amount of weight that the Hulk prevented from hitting the ground far
outweighs the 150 billion tons that was advertised on the cover. A
gargantuan object like that would create an astronomical amount of force
while traveling at that velocity. The Hulk didn’t just brace that
weight; using only his body, he stopped miles of rock from crushing
everyone else. If you bring real-world physics into the argument, then
you have no choice but to calculate the speed/force equation that
reveals that the Hulk didn’t just catch the weight of the mountain (150
billion tons), but the weight of the mountain multiplied thousands of
times.
I’ll gladly be the first to admit that the Hulk didn’t catch
the full force, weight, and momentum of the entire mountain range. But
there were two miles of mountain above their heads (which even
calculating a fraction of the range would still far outweigh the stated
150 billion tons). And this wasn’t a loose mound of rock and dirt; Thor
was standing on top of the mountain range, hitting it to try and
rescue the heroes. It was dense enough to cause Thor’s “mightiest
blows” to sound like a slight tapping to the heroes below.
The
people that want to discredit this feat by using real-world physics end
up making it even more impressive than originally thought. Add to this
that the Hulk incarnation that performed this feat is the fan-named
“Banner-Hulk” (while in Hulk form, Banner had control), which is
universally considered one of, if not the weakest incarnations of the
Hulk, and you’ve got yourself one giddy, cackling writer sitting at the
keyboard.
4. The Hulk knocks out Pre-Crisis Superman
Marvel
Treasury Edition #28: Superman and Spider-Man (1981)
To truly appreciate how
such an event could be ranked ahead of the senses-shattering Secret
Wars mountain feat above, one must understand the magnitude of
Pre-Crisis Superman’s abilities. Ask most diehard comic fans about
Pre-Crisis Superman and the responses usually include variations of
“ridiculously overpowered,” “no way to hurt him without Kryptonite,” and
“thank God they de-powered him over the years.” There are three
strength feats that Superman fans have cited most when trying to best
any of the Hulk’s strength feats. The first is Superman bench pressing
5.972 sextillion metric tons from Superman #13 (2012). In the second example,
he’s pushing against the equivalent of 200 quintillion tons in All-Star
Superman #1 (2006). The third example shows him towing 13 planets on a chain
from Superboy #140 (1967). All three are impressive, mind-boggling feats, to
be sure (these feats will be referenced later in the list, so bring a
pencil, just in case there’s a quiz). Anyway, after first meeting in
Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: The Battle of the Century (1976) the duo
met again, years later, and they brought the Hulk and Wonder Woman with
them (undoubtedly due to the popularity their respective TV shows
garnered). Inevitably, the Hulk and Superman get into a fight and the
Hulk K.O.’s the Man of Steel. Without using Kryptonite. Wow! Who else
can actually lay claim to knocking out Pre-Crisis Superman?
However,
for years, I really disliked this issue. The knockout was very
underplayed in the issue and the rest of the fight looked like a low-end
showing for the Hulk. I couldn’t understand why Marvel would allow
their top strong guy to have such a poor performance against their
distinguished competition! But after years of ignoring the book, I
finally went back and, under careful analysis, realized that this was
one of the Hulk’s better showings. Here’s why: If you look at panel 1,
Superman is looking at the Hulk, and talking to him. Also, you’ll
notice that the artist, legendary Big John Buscema, specifically drew
“motion lines” around the Hulk’s hand to show that the Hulk is, indeed,
moving (these details will be important later).
Panel 2 shows the Hulk
talking to Superman and punching him. Now, all of the Superman
apologists like to say that the Hulk sucker-punched Superman. This is
THE "go-to" argument for Superman fans (and, strangely enough, Thor fans
when talking about The Incredible Hulk Annual 2001 and other
fights). Superman was looking at the Hulk and talking to him before the
Hulk punched him. Superman was suckered? This is obviously not the
case, as we saw Superman looking at the very hand that punched
him...before the Hulk even clenched it into a fist. Shouldn't
Superman's Super-Hearing allowed him to hear the rubble give way as the
Hulk reared back for a punch? And what about his Super-Reflexes and
Super-Speed? This is a guy that has tied Flash in a footrace. The
Flash. The freaking Flash. Can’t Superman let him have anything?
Anyway, Pre-Crisis Superman got clocked by the Hulk. Faster than a
speeding bullet, indeed.
Moving right along to panels 3 & 4: why
would anyone that could fly, "slam brutally into the concrete of a
bustling pier" as his "limp body plunges to Earth" unless they were
knocked out? And it wasn't the force of the punch that knocked him into
the pier; the Hulk punched him straight up. Miles away, he came down
and slammed into the pier, full of innocent civilians. If Supes was
anything other than unconscious at the time, he would've moved, braced,
recovered, not risked property damage, human casualties, etc. The fact
that he didn't, clearly indicates that he was knocked out.
Superman
wasn't seen again until two pages later. Let that sink in…two pages
later. And it was two pages of the Hulk wreaking havoc, by the way, not
two pages of “while at the same time” exponential action shots like Lois
Lane shopping for Batman-themed pajamas or something.
So, to recap:
A. Superman was trying to protect innocent people from the Hulk's
rampage. In other words, he was trying to stop the Hulk.
B. Hulk
punched him. It took two PANELS for Superman's “limp body" to travel
from where the Hulk punched him, to where he landed.
C. It took two
PAGES for Superman to get back to the Hulk.
This can only mean:
A.
Superman can't fly back to the fight faster than the Hulk can punch him
away from the fight, or
B. Superman suddenly stopped caring about the
innocent people he was originally trying to save and took his sweet time
coming back to the fight, or
C. Superman took so long walking back
because he was scared of the Hulk, or
D. Superman was knocked out.
Superman finally recovers and comes back. Take note of the brilliant
wording chosen for the end of the fight. The key words here are “but”
and "and". The narration says of Superman, “He does not budge. But the
Hulk grows ever more furious, his strength growing geometrically with
each passing second--and the outcome of the strange duel is in
doubt.” So, the Hulk's blows have no effect, at first. To the reader,
the Hulk is getting owned; the end of the fight looks obvious. Then,
the narration says the outcome is in doubt (by the way, so much for
those fans that say the Hulk needs sufficient time to "ramp up", since
his strength was growing geometrically by the second). Superman fans
will also point to the text as proof that Superman is stronger than the
Hulk. The text in question says the Hulk can shatter mountains and
Superman can move (not shatter) planets. How are you supposed to move a
planet if you can't fly? Add to that, Superman’s cool telekinetic power
that assists him when moving large objects, and you've got one cool
little power that Ol' Purple Pants doesn't have. So, Superman fans that
use this argument aren’t proving that Superman is stronger than the
Hulk, they’re proving that he’s a better flyer than him. The Hulk can't
fly...and when he can, people get mad and call it "bad writing" (i.e. a
weaker base-strength grey Hulk smashing an asteroid twice the size of
planet Earth in Marvel Comics Presents #52 [1990]).
Furthermore, other than
the clear knockout, Superman fans point out that the Hulk’s blows later
were having no effect on the Man of Steel. This is neither proof of
superior strength nor assured victory. For example, in The Incredible
Hulk #283 (1983), the Hulk breaks free of a plastithene trap. The Leader’s
plastithene humanoids has taken direct hits from Thor wielding Mjolnir,
unharmed. Would anyone even consider for a second that those humanoids
are stronger than Thor? No way. And Thor later defeated said
humanoids, so one panel of a character hitting another unharmed does not
constitute greater strength or guaranteed victory. This argument can
also be countered by the expertise of master draughtsman John Buscema.
Remember those “motion lines” he drew around the Hulk’s hand while Supes
was pontificating about something goody-two-shoesy? Well, he also drew
them around Superman’s head and body after Superman said he couldn’t be
moved, and in the same panels that talked about the Hulk’s escalating
strength forcing the outcome of the duel to now be in doubt. *insert
school-girl giggling here*
*Check out the complete "Hulk vs Superman" rivalry here:
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2013/04/hulk-vs-superman.html
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2013/04/hulk-vs-superman.html
3. The Hulk overpowers Thor who was
enhanced to be ten times stronger than normal
The Incredible Hulk #440 (1996)
Who’s stronger than Thor? How about Thor when he’s boosted ten times
his normal strength! In this issue, the military come to Thor in an
attempt to get him to end “the menace of the Hulk” once and for all.
The issue explicitly states that Thor has entered into the "Warrior
Madness", which amplifies Thor's strength 10 times his usual strength
level. Before entering Warrior Madness, Thor says that he will not hold
back, that he will end the Hulk’s menace, and that it will be their
last fight ever. During the fight, Thor tells the Hulk that he is going
to kill him. The Hulk holds Thor down using only one arm. The Hulk
ends the fight at the exact time he wants to; he sees a nuclear bomb
coming toward them and punches Thor to safety. Also worth noting: the
Hulk in this issue was unable to get overly angry--if he got too mad, he
reverted back to Banner.
So, to recap, a Hulk that was
unable to reach levels of strength that he was accustomed to reaching,
defeated (via battlefield removal) and overpowered a Thor that was ten
times stronger than he had ever been in any previous fight with him…a
Thor that admitted he was not holding back and was trying to kill the
Hulk.
"Trying" being the operative word, here.
This, as they say, is
the proverbial mic drop.
* Check out the complete "Hulk vs Thor" rivalry here:
2. The Hulk overcomes the
weight of a star
Infinity #6 (2013)
In speaking of the Hulk, an
intergalactic Mary Sue named Thanos gave the order, "Kill this beast for
me...make it suffer." So, Proxima Midnight (a member of the glorified
Thanos Boy Band “The Black Order”) conjured the weight of a star onto
the Hulk. She did this from behind the Hulk, while he was running,
taking him completely by surprise. But this did not crush the Hulk or
even cause him to fall flat on the ground. Instead, he was supporting
all of that weight on his hands and knees (meaning he overcame the
weight by preventing it from laying him flat). And then he raised
himself up. Even if he wasn't standing completely up straight (which he
may have been, but it is hard to tell with absolute certainty from the
art), he was still overcoming the weight of a star, going from his hands
and knees (horizontal) to just his knees (vertical). And not just any
star, but a supernova. Our sun is not even close to having the mass of a
supernova. In order for a star to go supernova it has to have a mass
greater than at least 8 solar masses.
The mass of our sun is
approximately: 2,327,400,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons. Now
multiply that by *at the very least* 8 and you have the minimum amount
of weight that the Hulk overcame.
This is far greater than the aforementioned
Superman feat of 5.972 sextillion metric tons. It’s also more than
Superman’s 200 quintillion ton accomplishment. Actually, it's
undoubtedly even greater than the infamous Pre-Crisis Superboy towing
planets feat. There are 13 planets visible in the Superboy panel versus
a mass that is 8 times greater than our sun. Keep in mind, it would
take approximately 1.3 million Earths to fill up our sun (for those of
you not good at math, 1.3 million > 13). And the Hulk overcame the
weight of something at least 8 times greater than our sun. And what
does that say about his durability, too? Remember, the Superboy feat
was a flight feat aided by strength. The Hulk didn't have the luxury of
relying on a second power to help him out; he had to do it with raw
strength alone.
Now, put your pencil down and grab a pillow and place
it on the ground, because your jaw is about to hit it. If you combine
all three of those titanic Superman feats and add them together into one
colossal weight, the Hulk feat dwarfs it.
And (drum roll,
please), the Hulk did all of that...and he wasn't even *that* angry. No
one killed Betty or Rick Jones (insert other battle board minutiae
here). He didn't "go World Breaker". And he did it immediately upon
getting the weight dropped on him. In other words, there was no
"significant time to ramp up" required. He was taken by surprise—he
didn’t see the threat coming. He didn’t have time to make himself angry
by punching himself in the face or by thinking about drivers that don’t
wave after you let them into your lane. He simply did what he always
does—be the strongest.
And that's not even his greatest feat of
strength!
And now, a pause, as I take the rest of the day off and spend
it rolling around on the ground hugging myself.
1. The Hulk
finally stops holding back
The Incredible Hulks #634-635 (2011)
Bruce
Banner’s greatest fear is that he would lose control of the Hulk and
that his unleashed fury and power would destroy the world and everything
he holds dear. In writer Greg Pak’s storyline Planet Hulk (2006-2007), readers got
to see a Hulk angrier than ever. It was a justified, righteous anger,
but it was still, at times, frightening and never without consequence.
In its follow up, World War Hulk (2007), we see a Hulk returning to Earth to
face those responsible for events that came from his banishing to outer
space and led to the death of his loved ones. At the end of World War
Hulk, readers got a tiny glimpse of an incarnation of the Hulk simply
known as The Worldbreaker. Overcome with emotion, the Hulk begins to
walk forward, and one single footstep (not a stomp, mind you, just the
beginning movement of walking away) almost snaps the Eastern Seaboard of
North America into the ocean. The Hulk immediately stops himself,
knowing his greatest fear is not only a real, palpable possibility, but
also mere steps away from coming to fruition. In Pak’s magnum opus, The
Incredible Hulks #630-635 (2011), each issue features the Hulk stronger than
the issue before. Fans gave witness to the Hulk facing familiar foes
who were once peers, but were now elevated magnitudes more powerful than
they once were…and a Hulk dispatching them with relative ease. But the
pièce de résistance came in Pak’s final two issues where it is revealed
that during Planet Hulk, World War Hulk, indeed, even the prior issues
in the story arc, the Hulk was holding back.
So. Um, take all those
feats above…and put them into the context that they were performed with
restraint.
The Hulk, wishing no harm to others, is mystically
transported away from Earth and into the Dark Dimension, a place in
which no innocent beings reside. The Hulk, at last, could stop worrying
about collateral damage and harming others and forego restraint. But
he wasn’t there alone; notice there were no innocent beings there. Also
present were Hulk enemies Armageddon, the Bi-Beast and the Wendigo, who
were both augmented exponentially beyond their normal operating levels,
and a mystically-enhanced Fin Fang Foom, who was called the most
powerful creature on Earth at the time (which included the
aforementioned trio above). Add to that gruesome foursome an entire
army of Mindless Ones that was so powerful that the combined power of Dormmamu
and Umar could not defeat, so they simply constructed a mystical
barrier to contain them.
Also present is Red She-Hulk, whose power
has been mystically augmented to match the Hulk’s, meaning that the Hulk
may fight her with no fear of harming her at all. The Hulk starts
fighting the Red She-Hulk and the radiant force of Worldbreaker's blows
against someone else—a collision—literally vaporizes all of the
abovementioned baddies…and the entire planet they’re standing on.
You
still got that pillow?
So, the entire army of Mindless Ones,
Armageddon, Bi-Beast, Wendigo, and Fin Fang Foom, and the planet they
were on were destroyed instantly—flash-fried—because the Hulk punched
someone else. He didn’t punch them or the planet directly; he jumped up
above the landscape and the force of his colliding blow with someone
else broke the world.
It's the physically strongest we've ever seen a
character be. Sure, characters have broken worlds before, but no one
has ever done it by punching someone else. That distinction, and that
level of strength, belongs to the Hulk and the Hulk alone. What having
unlimited rage and strength means, though, is that he can become even
stronger than that. And, in fact, we see him do just that merely a few
pages later. Thinking this is surely the zenith of the power level
shown in this story, the reader is proved wrong as we see the Hulk
increase exponentially beyond what was just shown and grow hundreds of
feet tall, while seething with gamma energy. There was no telling how
powerful he was at this level, but it served to prove that no matter how
powerful the Hulk gets, he can potentially keep getting even more
powerful. This is because there is literally no limit to the scope of
his rage & power. It's a level that takes him past any & every
conventional superhero by exponential leaps and bounds into abstract
realms of strength that have never been seen on a comic page before or
since.
Alas, like all good things, we’ve come to the end of our
incredible list. But don’t make the mistake that others have. Some
fans can read the last item on the list and cite it as the cap or limit
to the Hulk’s strength. But even a feat as astounding as that one is
simply the farthest we’ve seen the Hulk’s strength go down an infinite
road.
Until next time...
Until next time...
Agree? Disagree? Let's hear it fanboys!
2 LINKS TO MORE HULK INCREDIBLE STRENGTH FEATS:
https://www.comicboards.com/php/show.php?msg=hulk-2019070715470072&layout=thread&fbclid=IwAR0P_sdnvTkanFtys9I8bX3GWXP8ZXgJI1O6-H9JVQ8DoI-Y1IB_txi3u1M
https://www.comicboards.com/php/show.php?msg=hulk-2019070405174373&layout=thread
https://www.comicboards.com/php/show.php?msg=hulk-2019070405174373&layout=thread
Check out other Hero Envy "Top" Lists:
Top 50 Greatest Marvel Slugfests of All Time (1961-1999)
Top 10 Greatest Captain America Moments
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-top-10-greatest-captain-america.html
Top 10 Most Evil Villains in Comics
Top 10 Superhero Capes of All Time
Top 5 Weirdest, Wackiest, Worst and Downright Despicable Cartoons Ever Made
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-top-5-weirdest-wackiest-and.html
Top 10 Most Badass Heroes Ever
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-top-10-most-badass-heroes-ever.html
My Top 20 Greatest Hulk Stories Ever
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-top-20-greatest-hulk-stories-ever_3.html
Doctor Who: The Top 5 Greatest Doctors Ever
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2014/12/doctor-who-top-5-greatest-doctors-ever.html
My Top 30 Greatest Super Heroes of All Time
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2015/01/my-top-30-greatest-super-heroes-of-all.html
My Top 30 Greatest Super Heroes of All Time
http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2015/01/my-top-30-greatest-super-heroes-of-all.html
The Top 20 Greatest Stretch Figures of All Time
The Top 20 Greatest Legion of Doom/Road Warriors Collectibles of All Time
Jason Tait has been a fan of comic books as long as he can remember.
His special talents include drawing, playing guitar, and the ability to
break his left hand with almost any object. Mr. Tait has a
preoccupation with the Incredible Hulk that some might call borderline
psychosis, but he likes to think of it as cute and endearing. While he
does possess one of the largest Hulk collections on Earth, he insists
that he has, indeed, kissed a girl before.
Reading this gives me an incredible gamma-irradiated erection!!!
ReplyDeleteGood job Mr. Tait!!!
LOL!!!!!!
DeleteIt was a well written article that I'm sure will get a lot of counter arguments from the Superman and Thor fanboy population. Comes with the territory when it comes with these kinds of things. Comics are comics and we all love comics so why not.
DeleteI didn't get an erection tho..........
Great post John! Just in time for the new year!
ReplyDeleteNumber one is just too much. I'm not sure any conventional character should be doing that. Can the Hulk even be considered a conventional character? Is the Hulk's strength abstract level? That is crazy. Maybe too crazy.
ReplyDeleteI think the Hulk knocking out Pre=Crisis Superman is a lot more impressive than angry Thor. Superman stomps Thor, angry or not. Hulk doesn't stand a chance either. In strength, maybe. But not overall power.
ReplyDeleteSuperman wins. Superman always wins. Especially if Pre-Crisis is in the hizzy.
The Hulk has been saying he's the strongest for years. Shame on anyone who didn't listen.
ReplyDeleteHulk smash.
This is some major pro Hulk fanboy propaganda all the way.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it's almost sickening to a lot of readers.
The writer parses things ludicrously to convince himself it wasn't a SUCKER PUNCH.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, Superman could have crushed the Hulk at any time if he wanted to. But he wasn't even trying! He gave the Hulk a good shot and was concerned the beast was hurt; he was digging the Hulk out of rubble concern and helping and the hulk launched the big green fist. SUCKER PUNCH.
I agree that Superman was taken off-guard, and thus knocked-out for a minute; but mostly out of surprise and stun. But he was back, unhurt, and just standing there taking the Hulk's shots; again not trying to be offensive. And while standing there just absorbing shots, he has the where-with-all to use his vision powers to find and fry the microscopic drone. This is NOT a man in physical distress!
But it IS an impressive showing for the Hulk because that's the first time I understood the gravity of Hulk's strength-increasing potential!
But the fact remains, Superman was SUCKER PUNCHED, holding back and helping Hulk the whole time, and could've crushed Hulk at any time if that was his way; it's all quite clear.
"Ask most diehard comic fans about Pre-Crisis Superman and the responses usually include variations of 'ridiculously overpowered,' “no way to hurt him without Kryptonite,” and 'thank God they de-powered him over the years.'”
I'm a die-hard, and this IS NOT my response. Superman of the Bronze Age ruled and makes post-Crisis Superman look mundane and dumb.
Incidentally, SUPERMAN AND SPIDER-MAN is one of my single favorite comic issues ever. Just so classic and so fun; vintage Shooter and Buscema. What comics books are all about.
Hulk’s rage is theoretically infinite, but his basic physiology is still human, therefore his adrenals will eventually succumb to overstimulation. But he’s never yet reached such a state. At his greatest strength he can crack planets in half.
ReplyDeleteGuy’s a boss.
Superman just avoids him, generally. Lets him calm down on his own time. Fighting him is useless.
It doesn't matter what year or decade. The Hulk's strength is as endless as time itself.
ReplyDeleteWas there any doubt that Hulk is the strongest one there is?
ReplyDeletethat was a good read. Didn't necessarily agree with everything said on it, but a good read nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteThe Hulk stronger than Thor who's not holding back and in the throes of Warrior Madness?
ReplyDeleteI SAY THEE NAY!!!
I disagree with the Star feat. It was a figure of speech.
ReplyDeleteOr you maybe think that Corvus glaive and Captain America hold the weight of a Star too...
If it was a "figure of speech" then why say it at all? "Feel that, that's the weight of a star holding you down". Multiple panels and black matter surrounding the glaive to illustrate the weight of a star. That's not shown and said over pages by accident lol. That's exactly what the writers intended. MCU is not canon btw.
Delete1.Moving in a dimension of infinite density
ReplyDelete2.Destroying a Universe
3.Causing destruction in infinite number of universes
4.Walking through reality repelling blasts
5.Punching through Time
Longtime reader and fan here.
ReplyDeleteI'm disappointed in you John. While you didn't write this article, I'm always interested when someone new comes into the fold. Your blog has been a staple of mine since the beginning in 2011 because the information you put out is very informative and most importantly unbiased. This is possibly the most biased article ever written on this blog and I'm ashamed of it. I thought you better than giving a rather pathetic Hulk fanboy such an outlet. How does someone this childish fanboy share writing space with you and the legend Roy Thomas????? He doesn't measure up and spits out monotonous drivel. What has he done to garner this privilege? Nothing. He's just a Hulk fanboy with a platform and this Jason Tait has missed the mark.
Here's hoping your next article erases this tragic piece.
I agree!!! This is total Hulk fanboy propaganda!
DeleteYup, pure Hulk fanboy bs...
DeleteAs has become so common and trite on the internet, someone posts a fact and an angry responder counters the argument, not with proof to refute it, but rather by attacking the person, and not the content. The author listed 5 feats, stated as facts. There was barely any opinion or speculation. The writer put actual numbers to the feats to quantify them and to compare them with other feats from other super strong characters. I thought it was very helpful to see the feats in the context of actual real world numbers.
DeleteSo, list facts, back them up with solid numbers, and then get labeled a Hulk fanboy propagandist.
Internet, you're nothing if not predictable & consistent.
Hulk the strongest in this. Hulk the strongest in that. Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. We've heard it all before from Hulk fanboys and we'll hear it again. And like always the fanboy proves nothing. This Jason Tait supports only fake truths and misconceptions. He's a complete bore.
DeleteJason Tait reminds me of a fascist plain and simple. Nothing to see here but propaganda and lies to push an agenda. His article ruins a blog that held a lot of respect in the comic community. He's not worthy of this platform. I'm betting he's not worthy of much of anything.
When someone tells it like it is there is always hate. Like most fanboys they don't want to hear the truth, only versions of the truth. It's human nature.
DeleteAbsolute drivel. Your comment. You have exposed yourself as one of those very people that screams PIS when Hulk wins a fight. And baseless comments like yours is always because of your own fanaticism. Your favourite hero is defeated, overpowered or somehow disrespected and you lash out at the writer's. In this case Thor or Superman. Guaranteed it's Thor. The writer of this article primarily used canon FACTS. He added his opinion for ie the Superman panels and superman being knocked out. You disagree? Then state your opinion. Marvel has said, not biased people, but Marvel THEMSELVES has said Hulk's strength is exponential, incalculable and potentially limitless. This is an excellent well researched article. It hit a serious nerve with Thor/Superman fanboys because it was true.
DeleteEverything written in this article is just a stupid Hulk fanboy's opinion. I'm betting there's not much to him in his personal life. He just got lucky to write an article on a big platform, porbably the only thing he's contributed to society. Good for you Jason Tait.
DeleteWhile we're on the subject I'll state a fact;
Jason Tait sucks.
Peace out.
Let the Superman and Thor fanboys cry, cry and keep crying. There is nothing here but facts. One of the most common quotes in the history of comics is "Hulk is the Strongest One There is!" And that is a fact within a fact.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had this years ago when I was a kid at school on the playground. I would've won so many arguments. Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot when the Hulk punches through a time storm, which is separate from the time where he punched through time with chronal metal (this is especially impressive because not even Kang's time machine could penetrate it). And the Hulk has cracked and dented Adamantium on a few occasions.
ReplyDeleteEven Stan Lee with John Romita Jr.says Hulk's strength is exponential. This was said when asked at a comic con as to who is stronger Juggernaut or Hulk Answer -> Hulk. Marvel has been telling people for decades that Hulk is the strongest one there is with no limit to his strength. Great article btw!
ReplyDeleteHey Jason Tait, how strong was the Hulk in Avengers Endgame? He can barely life being buried in rumble. You're so full of Hulk info and bogus Hulk answers that I bet you can't explain that. Hulk of the MCU is two-pump-chump!! Hahahhahaa!!!
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that jumper into my head when I saw the title of this article was the cover of Secret Wars #4, so I'm glad that made the list.
ReplyDeletewhile this is a well researched article, this is an unfair comparison because the author is not using superman or thor's best feats to compare against the hulk so I feel that the author should have done more research on superman and thor before using them to comapre to the hulk
ReplyDelete