First appearing in The Incredible Hulk‘s debut issue in May 1962, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, The Incredible Hulk is one of the most powerful Marvel heroes of all time. The original Hulk was of course Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, a scientist who was exposed to gamma rays turning him into the big green (or gray) monster.
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There have been several Hulks and gamma-based heroes and villains over the years, however, some of these Hulks have power and strength on a different level from the rest. While some may come with different powers and abilities, it is still without a doubt true that Hulk is indeed the strongest of all.
Updated September 27, 2024, by C.M Edwards: The Hulk is a force of nature inside the Marvel universe and undoubtedly one of the most recognized superheroes in the world. The mean green machine shows up out of nowhere, with no warning, and proceeds to wreak havoc against friends or foes, depending on the time of day. The Hulk can either be the key to victory or the domino that signals the beginning of the end. As the strongest being in Marvel comics, Hulk has a long legacy of smash. Throughout the history of the Hulk, he has had many incarnations and has undergone several radical changes. Changing color, changing personality, and even being completely different people have all fallen into the myths of the Hulk and others like him. The Hulk remains one of the strongest characters in the entire Marvel universe and can range from city-wide threat to cosmic force, and everything in between is just as dangerous. Along with the primary Hulk, there are dozens of Gama creations throughout the Marvel comic book universe. From different realities to alternate timelines, a Hulk is just as dangerous as the least. Here are more of the strongest Hulks in the comics.
22 Zombie Hulk
A Mindless And Unstoppable Devourerer Of Humans
- Bruce Banner
- Ultimate Fantastic Four #22
Marvel Zombies is a story written by Robert Kirkman (known for The Walking Dead) and Sean Phillips. The story was spanned across six issues and follows as a small number of surviving heroes try to escape the zombified mass. Magneto, Black Panther, and Silver Surfer all fall prey to the zombies and “the hunger,” which leave little protection for the world.
Even the Hulk falls victim to the hoard of undead heroes and becomes an unstoppable menace himself. Unlike any other Hulk, Zombie Hulk lacks the small amount of humanity that the regular Hulk retains in their transformation. Zombie Hulk’s only desire is to consume human flesh and rampage through entire cities until he finds it.
21 Hulk 2099
The Only Hope Of The 30th Century
- John Eisenharl
- 2099 Unlimited #1
In a bleak distant future, the world of Marvel comics is taken over by corporations, and the earth’s mightiest heroes are no more. John Eisenharl is a low-beat journalist who is ordered to investigate a secret sect of cultists who follow a make-shift religion surrounding the Hulk. In an attempt to write the cultist’s story and make a profit, John ends up alerting the authorities to their existence to force their hand, and they wind up getting slaughtered. During the chaos, a gamma device is detonated, and John is caught in the explosion, granting him the powers of the Hulk. Now, through grief and guilt, John decides to take up the mantle of protector against the corporations and military guards that oppress the people.
20 The End Hulk
Can Regenerate From Next To Nothing
- Bruce Banner
- First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk Vol 1 #1
In a not-so-distant future where the world’s mightiest heroes have gone extinct along with the rest of the human race, the Hulk remains the only hero left. Alone and hundreds of years old, Bruce Banner wanders the earth, fleeing from an insectoid threat only to turn into the Hulk whenever he meets his death.
The Hulk has a prime healing factor in this form and can fight off waves of monstrous insects and even completely regenerate after he’s been eaten alive from the inside out. This Hulk is built on survival instead of just anger and, while held back by age, continues to be strong enough to leap across half the planet and destroy entire land faces with ease.
19 Joe Fixit
Can Rip A Train Car In Half
- Bruce Banner
- First Appearance: Hulk #324
Joe Fixit is an interesting iteration of the Hulk’s many personalities. While the original Gray Hulk is a mindless savage like most other Hulks, Joe Fixit is one of the first incarnations of the Hulk that retained a reasonable amount of intelligence.
Joe Fixit came about with more personality and bravado than normal Hulks, having no problem telling right from wrong and being able to hold back to live a reasonably normal life. Unfortunately, Joe Fixit’s attitude leaned more toward anti-hero as he would constantly be on the wrong side of right. Joe Fixit is as strong as the base Hulk, which is a sizable threat by itself, but he can’t level entire cities and can’t grow much stronger than he already is.
18 Doc Green
Equal Strength To Base Form Hulk
- Bruce Banner
- First Appearance: Hulk Vol 3 #9
Doc Green is yet another byproduct of Bruce Banner and the many personalities from his fractured psyche of being both himself and the Hulk. When altered by the Extremis virus, Bruce modifies his brain and becomes something similar to the mixed Hulk.
Retaining his personality but his Hulk form, like Professor Hulk, Doc Green has the brain and brawn to take on any threat. Unfortunately, this incarnation of the Hulk is a lot less friendly and has a poor moral compass. Retaining the ability to grow stronger with rage, Doc Green takes on most of his former allies and does so with extreme prejudice.
17 Savage Hulk
Lifted An Entire Mountain Above His Head
- Bruce Banner
- First Appearance: Savage Hulk #1 (2014)
The Savage Hulk is a not-so-well-intentioned version of the Hulk that even the mightiest of heroes in the Avengers look out for when he’s on the prowl. The Savage Hulk first appeared in Savage Hulk #1 by Peter David and Mike McKone. This version of the Hulk would also make sporadic appearances throughout many series over the years.
The Savage Hulk is absent of all emotion and humanity. Relying purely on instinct and rage, Savage Hulk goes on wild rampages, unable to be calmed by even the vision of a familiar face. While not the strongest of the Hulks, Savage Hulk is one of the most volatile and one of the most dangerous, having no care at all for collateral damage leaving entire cities in ruins and smashing his way through even his closest friends. .
16 Totally Awesome Hulk
Ripped A Wakandan Hulkbuster Apart
- Amadeus Cho
- Amazing Fantasy #15 (2016)
Throughout Marvel’s comic book history, it is very rare for Bruce Banner to be replaced and for a different character to step into the role of the Hulk. There have been certain events, such as the Dark Avenger, where the Hulk has been imitated.
However, in the case of the Totally Awesome Hulk, Bruce Banner was completely replaced with a new, less angry Hulk. With Bruce Banner’s death rumored, fearing the worst for his friend, Amadeus Cho believed that the world needed a Hulk so he took it upon himself to transform himself into a gamma-powered juggernaut. While Amdeus’s time as the Hulk was short-lived, he put his all into assuming the world of “strongest there is” and was able to uniquely learn to control his gamma mutation.
15 She-Hulk
Defeated The Wrecking Crew By Herself
- Jennifer Walters
- The Savage She-Hulk #1
Among the family of Gama-altered super beings, She-Hulk sits atop the hill alongside the Hulk. Jennifer Walters is the cousin of Bruce Banner, who was turned into a Hulk when she suffered a gunshot wound and desperately needed a blood transfusion.
Coming into contact with Bruce’s tainted blood, her skin turned green, and she grew to over seven feet tall. While She-Hulk’s strength is comparable to that of the Hulk, her transformation seems to keep her Psyche intact and allows her to maintain her composer in both her base and heightened transformations.
14 Red She-Hulk
Able To Use Brute Strength To Escape An Alternate Dimension
- Elizabeth Ross
- Hulk #15 (2009)
The love life of Bruce Banner is a very small story, mostly circulating around Betty Ross. The tangled web the two love birds resided was made volatile by not only Bruce Banner’s alter ego but by his unending feud with Betty’s father, Thunder Bolt Ross.
Betty herself was dragged into the conflict and lost her life due to the actions of A-Bomb. However, she would reemerge as part of Thunderbolt Ross’s Code Red team having been changed into Red She-hulk by MODOK.
13 Devil Hulk
Overwhelmed A Prime Hulk
- Bruce Banner
- Incredible Hulk #13 (2000)
The Devil Hulk poses a unique type of threat. It is an alternate mental persona created by Bruce Banner as a defense mechanism, first appearing in the Incredible Hulk comic in 1992 and also appearing in Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction video game. The Devil Hulk is the protector that Bruce created to survive his father’s abuse. After his gamma explosion accident, the Devil Hulk took on a different role in the depths of his mind.
The Devil Hulk’s sole purpose is to protect Bruce. It has no sinister intent unless threatened or if Bruce is in danger. The Devil Hulk has a wide range of abilities that normal Hulks do not possess, such as telekinesis, higher brain activity, and psychic powers.
12 Weapon H
Fought Sabertooth, X-23, And Old Man Logan At The Same Time
- Clayton Cortez
- Totally Awesome Hulk #21 (2017)
What would happen if they took Hulk’s size and abilities and mixed in Wolverine with his abilities, claws, and all? Well, that is exactly what happened when Marvel created Weapon H. First appearing in Totally Awesome Hulk 22, Weapon H has a few unique abilities.
Taking Wolverine’s healing and bone claws along with Hulk abilities Clayton Cortez is a formidable being. Super strength, advanced healing, and even the adamantium skeleton were given to him by the Weapon X project. Using DNA from Amadeus Cho’s Hulk and Old Man Logan, the scientists created a terrifying beast in Weapon H.
11 Green Scar
Crumbled Half A City With A Single Step
- Bruce Banner
- Incredible Hulk #104 (2007)
The harsh conditions on the Planet Skaar forced the personality of the Hulk to become Green Scar. Appearing to have Bruce’s mind combined with Savage Hulk’s strength and Gray Hulk’s cunning, Green Scar was not a Hulk to be messed with.
With a base strength of a human that rose to above 100 tons, that had no defined limit, Green Scar was incredibly powerful and had to remain so to survive. This personality of the Hulk competed in the gladiatorial games on Planet Skaar becoming a favorite of the crowds. The true power of the Green Scar would be felt during the World War Hulk event, where Hulk returned to Earth to get revenge on those who sent him into space against his will.
10 Old Man Hulk
Created An Entire Army
- Bruce Banner
- Giant-Sized Old Man Logan #1
In the graphic novel Old Man Logan, a deteriorating Wolverine survives alone in the wasteland that is now the world. Filled with famine, monstrous mutants, and savagery, Logan does his best to live day to day. The main antagonist of the comic is Hulk, but not the one that was a member of the Avengers.
Having turned truly sinister, Hulk now controls a vicious gang that rules the area. Hulk has passed on his gamma gene through nefarious means and created an entire army as strong as him. In addition, this Hulk has also resorted to cannibalism, which comes back to bite him in the end.
9 Maestro
Killed All The Avengers
- Bruce Banner
- Hulk: Future Imperfect #1
One of the more recognizable Hulks, most recently appearing as a boss character in The Avengers video game by Square, Maestro is a version of Hulk from the future who has gone just a slight touch insane.
Maestro is the Hulk powered up by end-of-the-world nuclear events that killed off most of the planet. His strength had been boosted so much that he could lift twice as much in a calm state. First appearing in Future Imperfect Issue 1 in December 1992, Maestro has been a fan-favorite antagonistic Hulk ever since.
8 Red Hulk
Defeated The Watcher With One Punch
- Thunderbolt Ross
- Hulk #1 (2008)
General Thunderbolt Ross was always a thorn in Bruce’s side, becoming a Hulk himself, leading to one of the most explosive showdowns in Hulk’s history. With an iconic red-skinned look with yellow eyes, the Red Hulk has cemented himself in the upper tiers of the Hulk since his debut. With his super strength, healing factor, durability, and speed Red Hulk is already a formidable opponent.
Adding into the mix of his energy-absorbing powers and thermokinesis, this Hulk is also really aggressive, even going as far as murdering Abomination and Wendigo before going on a rampage so bad that it took Thor and Hulk combined to end the destruction. Red Hulk is set to make his first on-screen appearance in the upcoming Marvel phase of movies named Captain America: Brave New World. The film is set to debut Sam Wilson as the new Captain America where General Ross (played by Harison Ford) is set to be a main character.
7 Kluh
Punched Nova Into Another Country
- Kluh
- Red Hulk: Scorched Earth #1
During Avengers & X-Men: Axis in 2014 issue 4 introduced readers to Kluh, a version of the Hulk fueled by sadness and depression instead of anger and rage. This Kluh towered above Earth’s mightiest heroes after realizing these people were not his friends.
It took the full night of Thor, Scarlet Witch, Luke Cage, Wasp, Sam Wilson, and Medusa to try and tackle Kluh. Kluh even tried to murder Steve Rogers’s son in front of him, only to be stopped from doing so by Apocalypse. He may not have been around long but his levels of violence and brutality are unseen normally in the Hulks.
6 Hulk – Herald Of Galactus
A Hulk With The Power Of Cosmic
- Bruce Banner
- What If? World War Hulk #1
This version of the Hulk comes after the events of World War Hulk. Instead of being fended off by the Sentry and the combined effort of the Avengers, Hulk instead won the fight against the Sentry, and in a last-ditch effort to destroy the Hulk, Tony Stark laid waste to the entire world. As the sole remaining survivor on the planet, Hulk was finally left alone. Even after the world is finally turned to dust, Hulk still lives and is approached by Galactus. Hulk begs for death, but instead, Galactus charges the Hulk to find planets for him to devour for eternity in exchange for erasing his memories of what he’s done and what he has become.
5 Titan Hulk
Destroyed An Entire Planet With Ease
- Bruce Banner
- Hulk #15 (2023)
Being dubbed the Hulk’s Hulk, the deadliest of all the Hulks, this version first appeared in April 2022, Hulk issue 6. This is the Hulk pushed to the limit of his rage like when Bruce becomes angry and turns into the Hulk, Titan is the result of the Hulk reaching his anger limit.
Towering at 30 feet, Titan is so huge his shoulders are literal mountains. One of the giant beasts’ newly shown powers is the ability to siphon Gamma energy, readers were wide-eyed when Titan siphoned the abomination’s energy by sucking up its head after melting it. Being recently introduced, the true extent of Titan Hulk’s powers is unknown meaning he could yet prove to be the strongest of them all.
4 Blue Hulk
Lifted A Destroyer Class Space Ship With Ease
- Bruce Banner
- Captain Universe: Incredible Hulk (2006)
When the Uni-Power bonded with Hulk, not only did he gain a new blue skin tone, but he also gained the powers of Captain Universe. Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and even Daredevil have also been the holders of the title Captain Universe, but this was Hulk’s turn.
The incredible Uni-Power boosted Hulk’s already immeasurable strength and granted brand-new psychic and telekinesis cosmic powers, and the ability to fly. Along with the unlimited strength the Hulk already possessed being boosted, this mixture of abilities created an unstoppable being. Blue Hulk could not only smash bodies with his enhanced strength and fly, but he could also smash minds using the Uni-Power, a terrifying Hulk all around.
3 Worldbreaker Hulk
Defeated Skarr One-On-One
- Bruce Banner
- Incredible Hulk #610 (2010)
Possibly the most famous of all Hulk’s different personalities, Worldbreaker Hulk was an unstoppable force. The power of Savage Hulk and the intelligence of the warrior Green Scar came together to create one of the strongest Hulks ever.
Easily outmatching the entire strength of the Avengers, Worldbreaker Hulk came to be when Hulk absorbed the entire energy of planet Skaar. He became a literal Hulk bomb and could destroy entire cities by releasing the Gamma energy. Worldbreaker Hulk even took the full force of The Human Torch’s supernova attack and Storm’s lightning at the same time. It took an orbital strike from Iron Man’s satellites to stop the devastation he caused.
