Throughout the entire history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Hulk has been central to the franchise’s development, but Bruce Banner isn’t the only gamma-irradiated character we’ve seen. Renowned biochemist and nuclear physicist Bruce Banner became the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk after exposing himself to gamma radiation in an effort to recreate the super-soldier serum that transformed Steve Rogers into Captain America. Since 2008, six further live-action characters have undergone gamma radiation transformations and even more Hulk variants have been seen in animation.
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While there are many different Hulk-like characters in the MCU – with most of them being introduced to the franchise during the recent projects of the Multiverse Saga – some are considerably more powerful than others. The Hulks are some of the MCU’s most formidable, powerful, and unpredictable characters, but Marvel Studios is still introducing us to new iterations even in its most recent projects. Here are all the Hulk-like characters in the MCU, ranked by power from least powerful to most.
12) Skaar
In Marvel Comics, Skaar – Bruce Banner’s son from Sakaar – is far from the least powerful Hulk, but we haven’t seem him show off his might in the MCU, so it’s hard to judge how strong he’ll be. Wil Deusner (Stargirl, The Winchesters) played Skaar briefly at the end of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, when he came to Earth and was introduced to Banner’s extended family, including cousin Jennifer Walters and her then-lover, Matt Murdock. Skaar didn’t speak or show off any strength, though he seems to be a natural-born Hulk, so he could be very powerful.
Skaar hasn’t yet been confirmed to be returning to the MCU. Mark Ruffalo, however, has been announced to be returning as Bruce Banner in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. This means that Destin Daniel Cretton’s upcoming Spider-Man sequel could reference or even feature Skaar, cementing him as a key part of the MCU’s Hulk story.
11) Todd Phelps’ HulkKing
Until we know more about Skaar, he is the weakest Hulk we’ve seen in the MCU. Not far behind, however – and perhaps soon to become the least powerful – is Todd Phelps’ HulkKing, also from She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Jon Bass played Phelps brilliantly in She-Hulk, making him a hateful and annoyingly entitled villain who founded Intelligencia out of envy that more women, including Jennifer Walters, had been gaining power. Phelps stole Walters’ blood and injected himself with it, becoming HulkKing, but his story was quickly rewritten by the fourth wall-breaking hero and Phelps was sent to prison instead.
10) Happy Hogan’s Freak
In What If…? season 2, it was Tony Stark’s best friend, Happy Hogan, who was injected with a vial of Bruce Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood, becoming the purple Hulk-like creature known as the Freak. Hogan became Freak in Marvel Comics’ Tales of Suspense #74 in 1966 in an effort to cure his illness, but his transformation in What If…? is accidental during Justin Hammer’s Die Hard-style invasion of Avengers Tower at Christmas. Freak’s infancy and lack of control makes him weaker than many other Hulks in the MCU, but he was a fun addition to What If…?.
9) Emil Blonsky’s Abomination
The second Hulk in the MCU was Emil Blonsky’s Abomination – aptly named in reference to the unpredictable combination of Banner’s irradiated blood and the experimental super-soldier serum already in Blonsky’s body. The Hulk defeated the Abomination in Harlem, leading to the latter’s incarceration. Blonsky was again defeated by Wong in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and then took on the Hulk again in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law – where he had more control – before this story was rewritten. The Abomination is certainly powerful, but there are other Hulk’s who have more intellectual and physical strength than he does.
8) Samuel Sterns’ Leader
Introduced in The Incredible Hulk, Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns demonstrated his genius-level intellect. This was taken to the extremes after he was exposed to Bruce Banner’s blood, however, as Sterns became the deformed, super-intelligent, and probability-predicting Leader. Nelson returned after 17 years to pose a significant threat in Captain America: Brave New World, where he was shown to have been manipulating MCU events behind the scenes from his lair in Camp Echo One, including feeding gamma pills to Thaddeus Ross which eventually birthed a brand-new Hulk. The Leader’s intelligence makes him incredibly powerful, but his strength is still lacking.
7) Thaddeus Ross’ Red Hulk
Speaking of Thaddeus Ross, it was brilliant to see him finally follow in his Marvel Comics counterpart’s footsteps and become the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World. This appearance reminded us of the early days of Bruce Banner’s Hulk, as Ross’ Red Hulk was formed of pure rage and was seriously powerful. He harbored heat-based powers while also showing off his jumping, hand-to-hand combat, and tactical thinking skills, even when in Hulk form. Harrison Ford did a great job at portraying this unbridled villain, who is physically stronger and more unpredictable than many previous Hulks.
6) Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law put Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters front-and-center, transforming the gifted lawyer into She-Hulk after she, too, was exposed to her cousin’s gamma-irradiated blood. Walters’ immediate control over her She-Hulk persona and her ability to break the fourth wall makes her stronger than the likes of Samuel Sterns and Thaddeus Ross, as she has demonstrated the ability to break out of her world and rewrite the story – which is seriously impressive. She-Hulk’s future in the MCU is uncertain, but it would be great to see her return to show off even more of her remarkable gifts.
5) Bruce Banner’s Hulk & What If…?’s Variants
You might be surprised that the original Hulk, Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, isn’t higher on this list – and he might have been had he not been significantly weakened as the MCU has developed. Originally played by Edward Norton, The Incredible Hulk’s Hulk was very strong and almost unmatched. He defeated the Abomination in Harlem, took on Loki and the Chitauri in Manhattan, and fought Iron Man in Johannesburg in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which was the last time he was in his savage form. Since then, more attention has been put on Banner’s brains instead of the Hulk’s brawn.
The Hulk is strong enough to take on the likes of Loki, Iron Man, Thor, and more – but not as strong as Thanos – and he’s powerful enough to withstand the combined energy of the Infinity Stones. His animated variants in What If…? – at least those without major changes and enhancements – presumably have the same level of power. He bested She-Hulk during their familial spar, and there’s no doubt he’d be able to defeat Red Hulk (Sam Wilson managed it), the Leader, and more in then MCU, making him the most powerful live-action Hulk.
4) Asgardian Hulk
Now, What If…? hasn’t just featured versions of the Hulk that are very similar to the live-action incarnation, but has also given us glimpses at some of the most ridiculously-overpowered Hulks in any Marvel media. What If…? season 2’s finale revealed that Strange Supreme had been abducting universe-killing variants, hoping to sacrifice them to restart his destroyed reality, and one of these was a version of the Hulk with Asgardian weapons and armor. There’s little doubt this god-like Hulk/Thor crossover would easily be able to defeat the live-action Hulk, but we’ll probably never see this play out.
3) Apex & Gamma Beasts
The premiere of What If…? season 3 brought us to a universe where the Avengers suited up in massive mech suits in order to battle the Apex, a giant gamma-irradiated beast born from Banner’s attempt to cure himself of the Hulk. The Apex spawned the Gamma Beasts and started the Gamma War that was reignited for a new team of Avengers in What If…?. The original Avengers – even in their Hulkbuster armors – were killed by the Apex and its Gamma Beasts, and the same fate looked possible for the new Avengers, had it not been for an even stronger Hulk.
2) Mega-Hulk
After his actions birthed the Apex and started the Gamma War, Bruce Banner isolated himself for years. After Sam Wilson reached out for help, however, Banner came out of retirement and exposed himself to the radiation of an old atomic bomb that increased his power and size as the Hulk, transforming him into the Mega-Hulk. This version of the Hulk defeated the Apex and took control of the Gamma Beasts, leading them away and ending the Gamma War, cementing himself as the second-most powerful version of the Hulk we’ve ever seen in the MCU – but one has him beat.
1) Infinity Hulk
What If…? season 1, episode 5, “What If… Zombies?!” saw Bruce Banner head to Earth to warn the Avengers about Thanos’ impending arrival, only to find the world ravaged by a Quantum Virus that has turned millions into zombies. Banner joins a team of surviving heroes on a mission to find the Mind Stone and broadcast its curative signal across the world, ultimately apparently sacrificed himself. Marvel Zombies continued this story in 2025, and revealed that Banner did not die, but actually traveled to Wakanda after the Black Panther destroyed Thanos and the Infinity Stones – threatening all of reality.
To stop the energy of the Infinity Stones from destroying everything, Banner absorbed their power, transforming into an unbelievably, incomprehensibly powerful being that is technically not Banner nor Hulk. “Infinity Hulk” channeled the power of the Infinity Stones in his body, which makes him one of the MCU’s most formidable characters ever, let alone the most powerful Hulk. He easily fights of Wanda Maximoff’s zombified forces, only taking minor hits that heal quickly, though the combined strength of the Queen of the Dead and Kamala Khan proved too much even for him.
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