The power levels of theHulkin theMCUcompared to the Hulk of Marvel Comics are not identical despite them being the same character.Hulk’s MCU legacyhas been notable insofar as his core involvement in the Avengers from its earliest iteration has been bolstered by just one solo movie: 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk. This is a stark contrast to theother most powerful Avengers, with fellow surviving Avengers veteran, Thor, receiving four solo movies, while Hawkeye remains the only original Avenger to miss out on a solo movie entirely.
This has meant that Hulk’s MCU career has been largely confined tothe four Avengers moviesand the solo ventures of his colleague, Thor, and his cousin, She-Hulk. This has meant that Hulk has been afforded comparatively little room to flaunt the full extent of his powers. Nevertheless, each ofHulk’s MCU appearancesoffer insight into what he is capable of, and with that it is possible to compare his power to the far more extensive career of his comic book counterpart.
Hulk’s Powers In Marvel Comics Explained
Hulk’s Main List Powers Are Pretty Extensive
Hulk is one of Marvel Comics' most iconic heroes and almost entirely unique in his power set save for the handful of imitative enemies in his rogues' gallery, such as Red Hulk and Abomination, and his family members. Since debuting in 1962, Hulk’s expansive history in Marvel Comics has steadily added to the litany of powers at his disposal, with some being particularly outlandish and rarely used. There are a handful, however, that typify Hulk and his unique role in the Marvel universe.
Hulk Boasts Limitless Strength That Increases With His Rage
The most recognizable of Hulk’s comic book power set is his immense strength, which is mostly unequaled in Marvel Comics thanks to the lack of a ceiling. This strength is tied to another of his most defining characteristics: his unbridled rage, which, when unremittingly provoked, will scale up the immense feats ofstrength that Hulk is capable of. Hulk has been repeatedly named as the most physically powerful mortal being in the Marvel universe thanks to the limitless potential strength at his disposal. Some of his greatest feats of strength include:
This strength facilitates some of Hulk’s other feats, including the ability to leap incredible distances, cause earthquakes with a slam, and deploy his signature thunderclap ability. This latter ability sees Hulk clapping his hands together to create shockwaves capable of causing natural disasters. His powerful limbs have also afforded him superhuman speed on both land and sea, though he still pales in comparison to the likes of Quicksilver.
Hulk Is Functionally Immortal
Hulk’s thick green skin is capable of withstanding most blows from such things as high-caliber bullets to enchanted blades and a solid strike from Mjolnir. Vibranium and adamantium, meanwhile, are among the few things that can give Hulk cause for concern - which is partly what makes his regular fights with the adamantium-wielding Wolverine so compelling. Thankfully for the Hulk,his vulnerability to these metals is still mitigated by his accelerated healing factor, which the evil Hulk variant Maestro has used to regenerate after being atomized.
Deadpool & Wolverineteased an iconic fight between Wolverine and the MCU’s Hulk in one of the multiverses visited by Deadpool.
This physical invulnerability extends to an immense level of resistance to a number of adverse conditions. This, of course, includes resistance to radiation, but he is also resistant to disease and mind control, with his rage-filled mind being too chaotic to seize. Still, none of these resistances hold a candle to the fact that Hulk can resurrect himself through the use of the mysterious Green Door in Marvel Comics, through which gamma mutates can return to the realm of the living from the Below-Place.
Hulk Has Near-Limitless Stamina
Hulk’s immense feats of strength are often facilitated by a secondaryability to almost indefinitely persist in his physical activity. This is thanks to his gamma-mutated body’s ability to counteract fatigue-inducing poisons. While it has been said that this facet of Hulk’s power set is limitless, there have been instances in which Hulk has seemingly run out of steam, such as in his dead-heat tussle with Sentry in theWorld War Hulkseries. Nevertheless, with his stamina also increasing with his rage, his physical staying power is still second to none in Marvel Comics.
How The MCU’s Hulk’s Powers Compare To The Comics
Hulk May Have Displayed Numerous Comic Book Powers In The MCU
The MCU’s Hulkhas displayed the ability to perform most of the powers available to his comic book counterpart. His vast strength and size are mostly what make him a formidable opponent, though whether this strength scales with rage is still unclear. It is heavily implied that this is the case in his fight with Abomination inThe Incredible Hulkand Tony Stark’s Hulkbuster armor inAvengers: Age of Ultron, though Bruce Banner stops short of stating this to be fact in the MCU.
Super strength
Seen in most appearances
Putting out an inferno inThe Incredible Hulk
Super agility
Super speed
Yes
Getting from Brazil to Guatemala in one night inThe Incredible Hulk
Super durability
Withstands a barrage from military weapons inThe Incredible Hulk
Healing factor
Spitting out a bullet fired by Bruce Banner
Limitless stamina
Unclear
Hulk appears to be happy to continue fighting during most fight sequences
Radiation resistance
Telepathic resistance
Hulk’s mind was influenced by Scarlet Witch inAvengers: Endgame
Disease resistance
N/A
After being influenced by Wanda Maximoff inAvengers: Age of Ultron, it seems clear thatthe MCU’s Hulk is lacking in the telepathic resistance department. A handful of other abilities have also yet to be tested - including whether Hulk can die and/or has access to the Green Door in the MCU. What remains relatively clear, however, is which version of the Hulk would come out on top in a one-on-one fight.
MCU Hulk vs Comics Hulk: Who Is More Powerful?
The Evidence Points To One Clear Winner (So Far)
Based on the evidence withinMarvel Comics and the MCU, it seems abundantly clear that thecomic book Hulk is the most powerful version of the character. While it is true that Marvel Comics Hulk has decades of experience at his back, it is hard to imagine the Hulk that was almost effortlessly pummeled by Thanos punching a hole through space and time, for example. It is no secret, after all, that the MCU has made a habit of nerfing Hulk as a way of making other characters look more powerful - and it’s not hard to see why.
Having a character who is capable of destroying a planet on their team can only diminish the stakes faced by the Avengers in the MCU.
Having a character who is capable of destroying a planet on their team can only diminish the stakes faced by the Avengers in the MCU. While some of the MCU’s Hulk’s losses may feel particularly egregious, the trade-off is ultimately worth it when moments like the end ofAvengers: Infinity Warmay have been trivialized by a Hulk who boasts the exact same power set of the comics. There is also the chance thatHulk- whether Mark Ruffalo’s or a different future version - will still creep up in power down the line in the MCU.
Hulk
The Hulk, a Marvel Comics superhero created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, is physicist Bruce Banner transformed by gamma radiation. He morphs into a giant, green-skinned creature of immense strength and invulnerability when angered. Struggling with his transformations, Hulk allies with other heroes, battling villains while balancing his intellect with uncontrollable rage, making him a central figure in Marvel’s universe.
