Summary

• Hulk's gamma radiation has both scientific and mystic origins - it guarantees immense power, but often in very different ways.
• Red Harpy, She-Hulk, Skaar, and Red Hulk show how powerful Hulk's immediate family have become.
• Surprising allies and enemies like Weapon H, Doc Sasquatch, Rhino, and Queen Monolith show how different gamma mutates can be.

When it comes to physical strength in the Marvel Universe, the gamma-powered heroes and villains of Hulk lore are the unquestioned gold standard. Tapping into one of the fundamental forces of the Marvel Universe, gamma mutates have shattered planets and torn holes in reality itself. However, among a group of characters whose powers fluctuate so often, who is the strongest gamma character right now?

Originating in the 'Below-Place' - an eldritch realm populated by the hateful entity known as the One-Below-All - gamma powers have both scientific and mystic origins. Because of this, gamma forms have few set rules, generally creating a unique 'monster' form based on the wielder's subconscious desires or fears. While immense power is a given, it's expressed in a surprising variety of ways.

Here are the 13 strongest gamma mutates in Marvel canon right now, drawn from ongoing or recently concluded comics. This list will favor base level strength over maximum potential, since the nature of gamma means that most of these heroes and villains have no upper limit in the right circumstances.

The term 'gamma mutate' describes anyone transformed by gamma radiation in Marvel lore, with such beings also referred to as 'Hulks.' The term shouldn't be confused with X-Men's 'mutants,' whose powers come from the naturally occurring X-gene.

As the monstrous Red Harpy, Betty Ross has gone from damsel to antihero...

13 Red Harpy (Betty Ross)

Hulk's Iconic Love Has Become a Proud Monster

One of the most varied Hulks in Marvel lore, Betty Ross has a long history of gamma enhancements, and has most famously been the Harpy, the Red She-Hulk, and now the Red Harpy (who emerged when Betty was assassinated in Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's Immortal Hulk #16.) While not the strongest gamma mutate, the Red Harpy is still incredibly powerful, and combines significant superstrength with razor-sharp feathers, high-powered energy blasts, and talons sharp enough to tear Hulk's heart from his chest.

Hulk's most famous love interest, Betty Ross is depicted in the MCU by Liv Tyler, who will soon return in 2025's Captain America: Brave New World.

The Red Harpy form taps into Betty's rage at the way her life has been shaped by others, including her former partner Bruce Banner and father General 'Thunderbolt' Ross - a major contrast to her reckless enjoyment of the superhero life back when she was the Red She-Hulk. Red Harpy recently toured the prior versions of Marvel's multiverse in Al Ewing and Javier Rodríguez's Defenders, learning more about her gamma powers and their connection to magic.

12 Brawn (aka Amadeus Cho)

The Former Totally Awesome Hulk Combines Brains and Brawn

Famously the "seventh-smartest person in the world," Amadeus Cho was initially an ally of the Hulk who later took Bruce Banner's gamma powers, becoming the Totally Awesome Hulk. However, Amadeus later purged the vast majority of his gamma radiation, taking on a new, less muscular form and the new codename Brawn. An ally of the Champions and the Agents of Atlas, Amadeus is no longer a Hulk-level operator, but is still more than strong enough to tangle with 99% of Marvel's heroes and villains.

11 Doc Sasquatch (aka Leonard Samson)

Two Iconic Heroes Have Been Combined

Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's iconic Immortal Hulk series revolutionized Marvel lore, revealing that all gamma mutates are connected via the eldritch realm known as the Below-Place. Indeed, they're so connected that it turns out they can even steal each other's bodies under the right circumstances. That's what happened to the two superheroes known as Doc Samson and Sasquatch, with the mind of super-psychologist Doc Samson ending up in the newly-green body of Alpha Flight's Walter Langkowski.

Now going by 'Doc Sasquatch,' this new gamma hero continues to act as the go-to therapist for the Marvel Universe, recently working with Matt Murdock (in Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto's Daredevil) to redeem a group of penitent Marvel villains. The other half of this body-swap equation - now calling himself Walter Samson - is also still out there in the Marvel Universe, recently aiding Alpha Flight in protecting mutants from the extremist group Orchis.

Skaar actually draws his power from two sources - his gamma-irradiated blood and the semi-mystical Old Power...

10 Skaar, Son of Hulk

Hulk's Son Combines Gamma Radiation with the Tectonic Old Power

While the Son of Hulk is incredibly powerful, his strength doesn't quite reach the level of his father. That's because Skaar actually draws his power from two sources - his gamma-irradiated blood and the semi-mystical Old Power, which allows him to control earth and rock while in direct with the planet's surface (an ability he was taught by his mother, Caiera the Oldstrong.) This power has allowed him to achieve some major feats - like hurling the Juggernaut into orbit - however this max strength is dependent on being able to channel the planet's power. Interrupt that connection and Skaar's might takes a nosedive, as seen during his recent struggles in Al Ewing, Crystal Frasier and Lan Medina's Gamma Flight.

Skaar recently entered MCU canon in 2022's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, seemingly originating from the years his father spent as a gladiator on Sakaar.

9 Red Hulk (aka General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross)

Rulk's Energy Powers Make Him a Versatile Fighter

The Red Hulk made a major impression when he debuted in 2008, punching out cosmic powerhouses like Silver Surfer and the Watcher. However, Red Hulk's strength was misleading - his core ability is to channel cosmic energies into his own body, meaning that he made mincemeat out of these godlike beings by temporarily stealing their strength for himself.

Depicted in the MCU by the departed William Hurt, it's rumored General 'Thunderbolt' Ross will take his Red Hulk form in 2025's Captain America: Brave New World, where he'll be played by Harrison Ford.

While still immensely powerful, the Red Hulk - a transformed General Ross, who has spent years hunting the Hulk - marries his physical might to tactical genius and decades of military training. Previously believed dead, Red Hulk was revealed to be undercover with the villainous Power Elite, returning to 'life' in Ta-Nehisi Coates and Robert Quinn's Captain America #20.

Easily the newest addition to Hulk lore, Rick Jones' Hulk was only just introduced as a victim of an alt-universe's Bruce Banner...

8 Hulk of Earth-65 (aka Rick Jones)

Spider-Gwen's Reality Just Introduced Two New Gamma Mutates

Easily the newest addition to Hulk lore, Rick Jones' Hulk was introduced in 2023's Spider-Gwen: Smash, from Melissa Flores and Enid Balam. The series revealed that in the world of Spider-Gwen, Bruce Banner is an obsessive villain who has carried out a series of experiments on vulnerable people, turning rockstar Rick Jones into a Hulk under the pretense of radical anti-addiction treatment. While Banner himself is also a Hulk in this reality, fans haven't really seen him in action, whereas Rick showcased his gamma-powered strength in several fights against Spider-Gwen.

7 She-Hulk (aka Jennifer Walters)

Marvel's Legal Eagle Just Gave Up a Major Strength Upgrade

The perfect blend of gamma strength and human intellect, Jennifer Walters' She-Hulk has been through a lot in the last few years. Just months ago, she'd have placed far higher on this list, as Jason Aaron's Avengers run saw Jennifer Walters enhanced by first the Celestials and then the Phoenix Force, becoming the strongest Hulk in the Marvel Universe. However, she's since abandoned her cosmic upgrades and embraced her former life as a genius lawyer and superhero. Her adventures continue in Rainbow Rowell and Ig Guara's Sensational She-Hulk.

She-Hulk is played by Tatiana Maslany in the MCU, empowered by coming into with the Hulk's blood.

6 Rhino (aka Aleksei Sytsevich)

Spider-Man's Superstrong Villain Is a Gamma Mutate

While the Rhino is often overlooked as an official gamma mutate, the Spider-Man villain's immense strength and durability come from repeated gamma ray treatments which have gradually enhanced his body to near-Hulk levels (especially in conjunction with his Rhino-suit, which is designed to work in tandem with his powers.) Recently tangling with Nightcrawler as an agent of Orchis (in Simon Spurrier and Lee Garbett's Uncanny Spider-Man), Rhino is held back only by his notable lack of intelligence.

It takes a lot to rule an entire planet of Hulks, but Monolith has proved she has the raw might to do the job...

5 Queen Monolith

The Ruler of an Entire Hulk Planet

Introduced in Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley's Hulk #9, Monolith is the queen of 'Hulk Planet' - an entire world of gamma mutates who absorbed not just the Hulk's gamma powers but also Bruce Banner's intelligence. Originating in an alternate universe, Monolith eventually met the mainstream Hulk, and welcomed him to live on this ultra-powerful planet where even the horses are gamma-enhanced monstrosities. Immensely strong in her own right, Monolith is also capable of absorbing the gamma energy of others, and can do so on a planetary level - when battling against the corrupted Hulk form known as Titan, she drew on countless Hulks' strength to help beat back the villain.

4 The Legendary Hulk

The Ultimate Universe's New Hulk Is a Religious Leader and Villain

A very new addition to Marvel lore, the Legendary Hulk was recently introduced in Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch's Ultimate Invasion. This Hulk is a citizen of Earth-6160 - a world where the villainous Maker used time travel to rewrite Marvel's timeline, preventing the origin stories of major heroes and turning others into villains. Having experienced the same gamma bomb explosion as the mainstream Bruce Banner, the Legendary Hulk has learned to master his rage through meditation, and rules the world as part of the nefarious Maker's Council while also acting as the figurehead of the religious order known as the Children of Eternal Light. However, recent events have begun to show that Hulk's rage is still simmering below the surface.

Combining the powers of Wolverine and Hulk, Weapon H recently unveiled a jaw-dropping new gamma power...