5 Marvel Superheroes Who Have Defeated the Hulk

The Hulk is rightfully considered one of the most powerful superheroes in Marvel Comics thanks to his virtually infinite strength which is tied to his boundless anger. Of course, that anger oftentimes acts as a double-edged sword because the Hulk has frequently found himself entering into a blind rage and fighting his fellow heroes. Most heroes in the Marvel Universe don’t stand a chance to stop the Incredible Hulk and instead find themselves being brutally beaten during one of his mindless rampages. However, there are a select few superheroes who, through clever tactics and overwhelming force, have managed to defeat the Hulk.

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Whether from brainwashing or blind rage, the Hulk keeps finding himself fighting his fellow heroes. And frequently, he finds himself being outwitted or overpowered by these same heroes.

5) Namor

The Hulk may be immensely powerful, but against Namor he’s frequently found himself to be out of his depth. The moment the Hulk goes underwater, he’s at an immediate disadvantage against the King of Atlantis. Using his mastery over his undersea environment, Namor can outmaneuver and overpower the Jolly Green Giant. When the two anti-heroes first met in Avengers Vol. 1 #3, the Hulk attacked Namor on dry land. However, the moment Namor brought them both underwater, he created a massive whirlpool that drained the Jolly Green Giant of all his strength by taking the air from the Hulk’s lungs. This wouldn’t be Namor’s only victory over the Hulk. In The Incredible Hulk Vol.1 #118, the titular Jade Giant goes on a rampage through Atlantis. Learning from his last defeat, the Hulk resisted Namor’s second whirlpool attack and broke free. However, this epic battle ended when Namor used all his strength to punch the Hulk so hard that he was not only launched onto land but reverted to Bruce Banner. When Namor’s in his element, he’s practically unstoppable.

4) Thor

The Hulk and Thor are constantly arguing over which of them is the strongest Avenger. These two muscle-bound powerhouses have fought numerous times, with the result usually ending either in stalemate or with the Hulk victorious. However, there have been instances where the Hulk has been humbled by the wrath of the God of Thunder. The Fear Itself storyline saw several heroes and villains chosen by the malevolent Asgardian known as the Serpent to be his followers known as the Worthy. The Hulk, like the other members of the Worthy, received a mystical hammer that drastically increased his strength while also making him subservient to the Serpent. Transforming into Nul, the Breaker of Worlds, the Hulk went on a rampage to enforce the Serpent’s power over humanity. Naturally, Thor fought his brainwashed ally. Trading blows with their Asgardian hammers, Thor eventually proved why Mjolnir is the superior enchanted weapon by striking the Hulk with enough force to send him flying into orbit.

3) Thing

The Thing and the Hulk are the muscles of their respective teams, so naturally they constantly fight over which one of them is the superior brawler. Of course, it’s obvious based on their feats alone that the Hulk is objectively stronger than the Thing. Still, the Thing has managed to beat his green rival several times. Normally, the Thing can’t beat the Hulk unless either he has received a significant power boost like in Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #322, or the Hulk is significantly weaker like in Immortal Hulk #41. However, in Fantastic Four Vol. 6 #13, the Thing manages to beat an enraged Hulk using his own strength. When the Thing is enjoying his honeymoon, the Puppet Master brainwashes the Hulk to attack the rocky hero. Engaging in a brutal brawl, the Thing manages to pour all his strength into a punch that shatters his arm but manages to knock the Hulk out cold and free him from Puppet Master’s control. With these victories, the Thing has proven himself to be one of the Hulk’s greatest rivals.

2) Wolverine

Wolverine’s big debut saw him try and fail to kill the Jolly Green Giant. Since that first encounter, these two rage-fueled anti-heroes have clashed countless times. While the Hulk is certainly stronger, Wolverine relies on his agility, unbreakable adamantium claws, rapid healing-factor, and sheer stubbornness to give the Hulk some of his most epic fights. Wolverine’s most decisive victory against his longtime rival in the main Marvel Universe occurred in Savage Wolverine #5. When travelling to the Savage Land to investigate an evil alien, the temperamental X-Man runs into the Hulk. Without a single word spoken between them, the rivals prepare to duke it out. Yet, when a giant prehistoric gorilla attacks the Hulk, Wolverine seizes the opportunity to take down his distracted foe. With brutal efficiency, Wolverine jumps onto the Hulk’s back and drives his claws deep into the Jade Giant’s skull. While such an injury would kill anyone else, for the Hulk it only knocks him out cold. With this attack, Wolverine finally got payback for the Hulk beating him during their first encounter.

1) Spider-Man

Anyone who’s seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day can tell you that against all odds, Spider-Man has what it takes to take down a rampaging Hulk. Over the years, Spider-Man has fought the Hulk over a dozen of times. Of those clashes, the Web-Head has frequently managed to defeat the Hulk by relying on his agility and quick-thinking to lure the rampaging Jade Giant into traps. Of course, the most iconic battle between the two heroes occurred when Spider-Man, for once, had the physical power to fight the Hulk head-on. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #328 took place during the “Acts of Vengeance” arc, where the Wall-Crawler obtained the unlimited cosmic energy of Captain Universe. The Hellfire Club then hired the Hulk, who was in his malicious gray form, to take care of the cosmic-empowered Spider-Man. When Spider-Man was attacked by the gray Hulk, he used his newfound power to launch the goliath into outer space with a single punch. After Spider-Man flew up and brought the Hulk back down to Earth, the Hulk, for the first time in his life, surrendered.