The Hulk’s 5 Most Powerful Punches in the MCU Ranked

There’s no disputing who the strongest Avenger is, and even though his 2008 solo movie is a seldom listed as a favorite, The Hulk remains one of Marvel’s best assets. Though recent appearances by Hulk have appeared to sideline him a little bit, pulling back on his immense gamma-powered abilities in favor of making sure he doesn’t immediately solve a problem with his fists, fans still demand more Hulk-fueled mayhem. Across his six feature film and one TV series appearance, Hulk has been the instigator and primary combatant in many fights, some longer than others.

When considering the Hulks abilities in the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe one may imediately think about lifting increasingly heavy objects or the larger effects of complete fights that he finds himself in. But what is the single tool that has always defined the Hulk? Smashing. Though he gets a couple of good kicks in sometimes during his MCU tenure, the Hulk’s fist do a lot of the talking for him, and these five punches are his most severe.

5) Punching Thor in The Avengers

This one is clearly a joke, but delivering a punch that sends one of the most powerful Avengers and his uru-forged hammer flying off screen isn’t nothing. Not only is the force of hte blow something to behold, but the Hulk literally doesn’t even wind up for it or change the stance of his posture. It’s a sign that Hulk’s strength can be deployed at a moment’s notice and not lose an ounce of power, and, also, yes, it’s very funny.

4) Punching the Hulkbuster Armor in Avengers: Age of Ultron

Though the Hulkbuster armor clearly takes the cake for the most powerful weapon to fight the Hulk with in the MCU, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t really mess it up along the way. The extended sequence between Hulk and Tony in the “Veronica” armor is one of the best moments in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and one that has plenty of noteworthy punches. The one that clearly stands out though is when both of their fists collide, creating a shockwave that sends bystanders flying through the air and nearby glass shattering. One could argue that the punch that Tony lands on Hulk at the end of the scene, which knocks him out, is better, but that has to go on the Best Iron Man Punches list, now doesn’t it?

3) Punching the Wolf in Thor: Ragnarok

The Hulk throws hands with a lot of opponents in Thor: Ragnarok, including the god of thunder himself, but one of his best complete fight scenes in the entire MCU is when he takes on the Fenris Wolf on the rainbow bridge. The escalation of this, holding the beast’s maw open with his bare hands and flinging it around by its tail are all-timer moments for the gamma monster.

That said, when Hulk delivers the final blow, an uppercut that he delivers from underwated and while still halfway in the wolf’s mouth, Hulk not only ends the fight but sends the wolf flying through the endless reach of space. If that punch isn’t worth a million bucks, we don’t know what is.

2) Punching Surtur in Thor: Ragnarok

Though treated as one of Thor: Ragnarok‘s many surprise jokes, Hulk’s attempts to quell the lord of Muspelheim and stop the end of Asgard is clearly one of his biggest single hits in the entire franchise. Flying through the frame and toward the giant fire demon may be a visual gag that is, admittedly, quite funny, but Hulk very quickly lands a punch on Surtur that manages to stumble the titan in quick order. Hulk of course does not stop with one hit, but continues to fight until Surtur flicks him away. It’s a testament to how strong the Hulk is that his first punch caused such a massive shift, but that Thor called him back from finishing the job is a real missed opportunity.

1) Punching the Leviathan in The Avengers

Though far from his first real punch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he had an entire movie where he smashed things and punched the Abomination; this is the first time that a punch from The Hulk had lasting effects. Arriving on the heels of the iconic, “That’s my secret, Cap. I’m always angry,” line, The Hulk delivers a blow that sends the Chitauri’s gigantic Leviathan to a standstill and permanently grounds it. In one hit, The Hulk fully announced his presence as one of the MCU’s most powerful characters, sending a punch forward that not only delivered a satisfying visual motif and action beat for hte audience, but brought a narrative loop to a close and started an entirely new one.

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