10 Best Hulk Team-Up Stories in Marvel Comics

Hulk’s usual goal is to fight everyone, and that is why he is one of Marvel Comics’ most dangerous antiheroes. However, despite the fact that he usually smashes everyone around him when he gets too angry, he has also fought shoulder-to-shoulder with other heroes, and he has done it as much or more than many other, more team-friendly superheroes. While he is famously a loner, his power levels often force other heroes to work with him, even if these team-ups begin with a fight between the good guys before turning their attention to the threat at hand. These team-ups also span his entire history, with his oldest being from 1963 and others in modern-day comics.

From one-shot team-ups to entire arcs, here is a look at Hulk’s best team-up stories in Marvel Comics.

10) Hulk and Red She-Hulk (Incredible Hulks #628)

Published in 2011, the Incredible Hulks ongoing series had more than one Hulk involved, and this opened the door for team-ups. Incredible Hulks #628 by Greg Pak and Tom Grummett sees Hulk and his wife, Red She-Hulk (Betty Ross), forced to team up. After the two catch a United Nations aircraft that was shot down from the sky, they then have to fight the Knights of Rome, who seek Pandora’s Box, and Tyrannus, who shows up as a secondary villain. This also had a tender moment, where Bruce and Betty share a kiss because this was the first time Hulk knew she was alive again. Having this as a case of married heroes teaming up makes it a unique Hulk story.

9) Joe Fixit and Patch (Wolverine #8)

In one of the most iconic Hulk team-ups in comics, Wolverine #8 by Chris Claremont and John Buscema sees Joe Fixit and Patch team up. This was big since Wolverine made his first appearance in The Incredible Hulk 180-181, sent by the Canadian government to stop Hulk when he crossed the border. Of course, Patch is Wolverine’s covert identity in Madripoor, and Joe Fixit was Hulk’s gray-skinned bruiser identity, so the two teaming up was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As usual, they fought first before finally going after the slave traders in the criminal town. This was the most morally gray time for both heroes, and it was great for both the action and comedy.

8) Hulk and the Secret Defenders (Doctor Strange #50)

Hulk was one of the founding members of the Defenders, and in Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #50 (1993) by Len Kaminski and Geof Isherwood, the team partially reunited. Taking on the new name of the Secret Defenders, Doctor Strange called in Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider, and Hulk during the Professor Hulk era, and they went to fight Dormammu in the Dark Dimension. This ended up creating a new roster-switching Defenders team similar to the original, but the opening mission with three of the four founding members back together was a great start to the team-of-the-month format.

7) Hulk in the New Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #347-349)

It seems almost hard to believe how many teams Hulk has been part of, considering he spent most of his life wanting to be left alone. He has even joined the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #347 by Walt Simonson and Art Adams as part of the new Fantastic Four, along with Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine. They initially teamed up when a Skrull renegade named De’Lila posed as Susan Richards and asked them for help. They went to Monster Island, faced Mole Man, and then fought a Skrull faction. While Hulk didn’t fight his teammates as he usually does, they bickered constantly and were highly entertaining. This ran from Fantastic Four #347-349.

6) Hulk and the Pantheon (Incredible Hulk #379-426)

Peter David had one of the best Hulk runs of any creator in Marvel Comics history, and one of the things he brought to the table was Hulk’s membership in the Pantheon. The Pantheon first appeared in Incredible Hulk #368, and then they became part of his supporting cast in Incredible Hulk #379, by David and Dale Keown. The team-up lasted through issue #426, spanning almost four years. Hulk was smart at this time, and the missions were all more planned out than usual Hulk rampages. David showed Hulk as a leader here, which was unexplored territory.

5) Hulk and Captain Universe (Incredible Hulk Annual #10)

In Incredible Hulk Annual #10, Hulk teamed up with Captain Universe. Created by Bill Mantlo and Rick Leonardi, Bruce Banner ends up split from Hulk temporarily and bonds with the Uni-Power, becoming Captain Universe to stop a nuclear missile attack. Hulk is raging without Banner in him, and he attacks Captain Universe, delaying his mission. It is a rare chance where Banner has to fight Hulk. However, the two end up forced to work to stop the nuclear fallout as it detonates in space. This was one of the most high-concept early Hulk stories, with Captain Universe using both Banner’s brains and Hulk’s strength.

4) Hulk and the Defenders (Marvel Feature #1)

Hulk was one of the founding members of the original Defenders team. Known as Marvel’s “non-team” at the time, the original lineup saw Doctor Strange getting Hulk, Namor, and the Silver Surfer to all work together despite their obvious differences to save the world on more than one occasion. The team debuted in Marvel Feature #1, with Hulk finding Namor captured and asking Strange for help, which means Hulk was actually the one who initiated the team’s origin. They fight Necrodamus, and then the Surfer joins them next. This is a rare case where Hulk is the inciting hero and not an antagonistic one.

3) Hulk and the Avengers (Avengers #1)

The Avengers formed for the first time to stop a rampaging Hulk, but that wasn’t what was really happening. Instead, when Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp arrived, Rick Jones helped everyone realize Loki was responsible and had tricked Hulk into his rampage. This led Hulk to team up with the other four heroes after they had an initial battle to go after Loki. This was an iconic moment as the first teaming of Marvel’s greatest group of heroes, and Hulk was part of it from the start. However, Hulk left the team by Avengers #2 when he realized none of them trusted him and wouldn’t give him a chance.

2) Hulk and Sentry (Sentry/Hulk #1)

One of the best Hulk storylines ever told came in the pages of Sentry/Hulk #1 in 2001 by Paul Jenkins and Bill Sienkiewicz. This was a one-shot issue as Marvel Comics told the stories about what really happened when Sentry was one of Marvel’s first heroes before he made the world forget he existed. He was one of Hulk’s closest and most trusted friends in the early days because Sentry’s power could calm Hulk’s brain and keep him in control of his emotions. This story showed how Hulk and Sentry were heroes, saving the world and beloved by the public. However, when Void arrived, it ruined everything and triggered Banner’s traumatic memories. This team-up showed Hulk at his calmest and most contained.

1) Hulk and the Warbound (World War Hulk)

One of Hulk’s most iconic team-ups came in the World War Hulk storyline when he arrived on Earth with the Warbound to seek vengeance against the Illuminati, whom Hulk believed killed his pregnant wife on Sakaar. This team included Hiroim the Shadow Priest, Korg the Kronan, Elloe Kaifi, Miek, No-Name of the Brood, Arch-E-5912, and later Mung. They brutalized Earth’s heroes, and Hulk made Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, Black Bolt, and Doctor Strange pay for their betrayal of him. No one could beat him, and it wasn’t until Hulk realized one of the Warbound was responsible for his wife’s death that Hulk surrendered, and the team ended.

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