The Hulk is, by far, Marvel’s strongest hero. The Green Goliath has launched his way up the ranks with each devastating battle he’s had with Marvel’s greatest heroes and villains. An unstoppable, immortal machine of destruction, the Hulk is not the kind of monster anyone should hope to tussle with, and these ten battles prove it.

When the Hulk first debuted as a gray-skinned monster of rage in Incredible Hulk #1 (1962), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, his strength was already a terror unlike any other. In time, the Hulk would only grow angrier with the world and thus his power has grown too. Recently, it was revealed that Hulk has been an unstoppable immortal this entire time. Now, he’s waging new wars against ancient evils and cosmic gods, cementing his status as Marvel’s strongest hero. While the Hulk has dolled out some serious punishment, these fights prove that he’s still the best fighter.

10 Hulk vs. Wolverine

Incredible Hulk #340 (1988) by Peter David and Todd McFarlane

After driving through Texas in search of government-built gamma bombs, Hulk and his ally Rick Jones when, nearby, the X-Men’s Blackbird is forced to ground due to a rogue storm. Upon grounding, Wolverine emerges from the aircraft, having already caught a glimpse of the traveling gamma-fueled hero. With a score to settle, Wolverine follows the Hulk’s sent, bringing him further into the raging night’s storm. However, Hulk somehow gets the drop of Logan until Wolverine lands a clean slice.

Unlike last time though, Wolverine tries to pull back, citing that he has become a better man. However, the Hulk, still bleeding emerald-green blood, refuses to back down and viciously assaults the X-Man. The ensuing battle rages forward as both land blows that would have killed the average person a hundred times over. Nearby, Rick Jones and Clay Quartermain scold the Hulk and Wolverine for their actions, prompting the Gray Behemoth to slam Logan onto the ground and leap away with his allies.

9 Hulk vs. Thor

Incredible Hulk 2001 #1 (2001) by Erik Larsen and Jorge Lucas

While the Hulk and Thor have gone toe-to-toe on numerous occasions, this fight takes the cake as one of the most interesting. In this issue, the Hulk has been trying to outmaneuver the military while helping stop disasters as he comes across them. However, his rapid pace soon catches Thor’s attention, who believes that the Hulk’s struggle with the military means that he has done something wrong. Thor immediately swings in hammer first as the Hulk adeptly punches Mjölnir away.

Soon, the surrounding forest is laid flat as the God of Thunder calls down a strike of lightning, only temporarily subduing the green beast. However, the Hulk refuses to back down, so Thor teleports the two to a distant land. The fight continues to ensue when Thor lifts a blazing tree and slams its trunk into the Hulk. Thor, unable to beat the Hulk head first, continues to teleport the two around while throwing the Hulk at dangerous monsters or toward the sea’s depths. Ultimately, Thor fails to take the Hulk down, who leaps away, bored by Thor’s games.

8 Hulk vs. Abomination

Incredible Hulk #25 (2001) by Paul Jenkins and John Romita Jr.

Following a conflict with Abomination that seemingly killed Betty Banner, the Hulk emerged, enraged at his iconic foe and thirsty for blood. Blonsky, who has just emerged from his post-fight respite, is immediately hit by the Hulk, who flies in a roaring fit of rage. Abomination, a fellow gamma mutate, holds back the Hulk’s repeat punches but rarely finds an opportunity to switch to the offensive. The villain attempts to drown the Hulk, which only leads to dire consequences when a nearby dam is shattered by their fight.

The Green Goliath quickly catches up to Blonsky and unleashes multiple pages’ worth of blows as Abomination’s scales burst from his body with every punch. Over and over again, the Hulk lands fatal blows straight to Abomination’s face, his rage finally boiling over. In the end, Abomination is left as a bloody and beaten pulp, his eye missing, his brains exposed, and one smash away from being “dead.” However, fortunately, Bruce Banner wakes up in time to stop the Hulk before he can truly call himself a killer.

7 Hulk vs. Absorbing Man

Immortal Hulk #9-10 (2019) by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, & Martin Simmonds

In these issues, the United States Hulk Operations have sprung the long-time villain and Hulk rival Carl Creel, aka the Absorbing Man, from prison with a promise to defeat the Hulk for good. Recently, the shadow organization has developed a red gamma serum that should have given Creel the ability to absorb Bruce Banner’s gamma. When the Savage Hulk and Absorbing Man finally clash, the red gamma drug does exactly as expected, as Creel strips the Hulk of his power.

However, in doing so, Absorbing Man unintentionally links with the One Below All, who transforms the villain into a splayed monster, dripping blood and gamma energy. Even in the Emerald Giant’s weakened state, the Hulk smashes through Creel’s body as the One Below All tests the Hulk’s resolve. Unfortunately, the battle is soon interrupted by Gamma Flight before a Green Door erupts from Carl Creel’s dying body. While this may not have been a clear victory for the Hulk, he still managed to kill the villain with only a small fraction of his original power.

6 Hulk vs. Red Hulk

Hulk #4 (2008) by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness

After Thunderbolt Ross, now the Red Hulk, goes on a destructive rampage, the Hulk attempts to stop his ex-father-in-law from killing the Watcher. Back and forth, the two gamma beasts trade blows, each thinking they’ve gained the upper hand. The conflict becomes so dangerously destructive that heroes and villains alike begin working together to intervene in the fight. Fortunately for the Hulk, the heroes actually side with him this time and set the Hulk loose to finish off the Red Hulk.

The Hulk catches up to Ross, sparking another fight between the two. However, this time the Hulk is finished playing games. A new fight emerges as the Red Hulk desperately tries to kill his attacker. Meanwhile, the Green Goliath easily takes every blow Ross can deal out. Thor momentarily intervenes until A-Bomb stops and reminds the God of Thunder that Hulk is only getting stronger with each blow. Soon, the Hulk reveals that he had intentionally let the fight draw on to gain strength while the Red Hulk overheated.

5 Hulk vs. The Red King

Incredible Hulk #102 (2006) by Greg Pak and Carlo Pagulayan

During Hulk’s Green Scar era on the planet of Sakaar, the Hulk has now risen through the gladiatorial ranks and leads a band of rebels against the Red King. Crown City, currently swarmed by alien parasites called Spikes, is ablaze in a civil war, when the Red King finally catches up to the Hulk and his traitorous friends. Armed with a powerful exoskeleton, twin flamethrowers, and a flaming sword, the Red King challenges the Hulk to a final confrontation to decide the uprising's fate.

The Red King, cloaked in his cybernetic exterior, unleashes a flaming blast that consumes the Hulk entirely. However, the Red King’s boastful nature soon becomes his undoing when the Green Scar is sent into a fit of rage, brutally assaulting the monarch in response. No weapon in the Red King’s arsenal can pierce the Hulk’s skin, let alone kill the beast. The king then tries to drown the Hulk in lava, but the hero emerges free from harm before launching the Red King miles away and taking his place as ruler of Sakaar.

4 Hulk vs. The Avengers

Immortal Hulk #7 (2018) by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett

Recently, Carol Danvers’s new iteration of the Avengers have decided that the Hulk is far too great of a threat to let roam free. Ready to protect his “son,” the Devil Hulk emerges and quickly chucks Ghost Rider’s car through a house. The Hulk, more powerful now than he ever has before, lands a direct punch on Thor’s face as even the God of Thunder its “He is stronger than he was. Vastly so.”

Iron Man and his Hulk Buster armor try to pin the Hulk down, but the armor is only ripped apart by the Hulk, forcing Tony to eject in panic. One by one, the Avengers are put in their place, leaving them no other choice but to use their most powerful weapon: The Helios Laser. This devastating beam of explosive energy engulfs the nearby town, all to stop the Hulk. While the blast was strong enough to momentarily subdue the Hulk, it took an entire team of Avengers and one ultimate weapon to be able to do it.

3 Hulk vs. The Silver Surfer

Incredible Hulk #250 (1980) by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema

In this issue, both the Hulk and the Silver Surfer are without peace as they attempt to find solace from their ongoing fights. The Surfer has been trapped on Earth but believes that the Hulk’s gamma energy may be the key to the Surfer’s escape. The cosmic herald believes that if he can harness the Hulk’s power, he may be able to break the barrier and strip Banner from his curse altogether.

The two go back and forth as the Hulk lashes out at what is essentially a death threat against him. While the Silver Surfer momentarily knocks the Hulk out with a cosmic ray, the Green Goliath catches up to the Surfer in space and unleashes a fury of attacks. Explosions rock from the Surfer’s board as the Hulk defies the lethal constraints of space. Unfortunately for the emerald hero, he couldn’t sustain his form for very long at this point and devolved back into Bruce Banner.

2 Hulk vs. Sentry

World War Hulk #5 (2008) by Greg Pak and John Romita Jr.

This contest of champions is easily one of the most entertaining fights Marvel has ever released. After returning to Earth following the death of his family on Sakaar, the Hulk’s most powerful alter, the World Breaker, emerges for the first time. This time, Bruce Banner and the Hulk are aligned in their rage and will not be stopped. With the Avengers defeated, they call upon the only person strong enough to repeatedly stop the Hulk: Sentry.

The Sentry and the Hulk, who have long considered themselves friends, engage in a cataclysmic battle as the Sentry unleashes his full powers for the first time. City blocks are immolated by Sentry’s power while the Hulk takes the flaming frenzy of one million suns as if it were nothing. In the conflict’s climax, Sentry releases a tornado of solar power, only strong enough to momentarily call the fight a draw. However, the Hulk, now de-powered into Banner, quickly regains his full strength when they learn who truly killed his family.

1 Hulk vs. Superman

Incredible Hulk vs. Superman #1 (1999) by Roger Stern and Steve Rude

While this list has primarily focused on mainstream Marvel battles, there is no better test of the Hulk’s strength than the impervious Man of Steel, Superman. In this issue, the Hulk suddenly emerges during the day while, somewhere across the country, Superman reflects on a newscast of Bruce Banner’s life. Hearing the beast awaken from hundreds of miles away, Superman soon arrives on the scene to help Bruce Banner emerge.

Enraged by Superman’s interference, the Hulk launches the Man of Steel into space, allowing the beast to make a momentary escape. Superman eventually catches up to the Hulk while Thunderbolts Ross and the US military unleash a barrage of missiles at both heroes. The confrontation remains evenly matched until Superman finally reasons with the Hulk and the two forces against a third, villainous party. While the fight soon shifts into a tag-team duel, Superman is left heavily injured, exclaiming that “[I’ve] never felt… such pain!”