Warning: spoilers for Immortal Hulk #46!
When it comes to Marvel's strongest hero, Immortal Hulk #46 sees them clash once more.
Having ascended to the role of All-Father, Thor's responsibilities have grown, but so too has his power. Tapping into new levels of godly might, Thor was imbued with the Power Cosmic in order to fight by Galactus' side, but ultimately slew the Devourer of Worlds when it emerged he'd lied to get the thunder god's help. Meanwhile, the Hulk was stripped of two of his most vital personae, as the Devil Hulk was killed by the Leader, and Bruce Banner was dragged to the Below-Place. But after facing the One-Below-All, Hulk's Joe Fixit persona managed to harness cosmic radiation, merging with the Savage Hulk and returning to life more powerful than ever before.
In Immortal Hulk #46 - from Al Ewing and Joe Bennett - this new Hulk makes short work of the U-Foes who were previously able to destroy his body, and celebrates his resurrection with a drink. Thor approaches, striking him with Mjolnir from behind, and landing a few decent blows before Hulk is ready to fight back. Hulk takes Thor's mightiest blows on the chin and then sends him flying, stepping through the bar's shattered window to see that Thor has brought every available Avenger to back him up.
In their previous clash, Hulk hit Thor so hard he was taken out of the fight, with Captain America stepping in to rescue him. Sadly, despite the new All-Father's upgrades, it's clear only one thing has changed: last time, the Avengers were only able to stop Hulk thanks to Iron Man's Helios Laser satellite, which forced him to transform back into Banner, but Hulk has worked to eradicate that weakness. This time, there may be no way to stop him (except perhaps talking, which the team actually sent Thor in to do.)
Thor's powers are more godlike than ever, and fans recently saw him kill Galactus, so does this mean Hulk is now a threat as dangerous as the Devourer of Worlds? The short answer is yes - Immortal Hulk #25 made it clear that without intervention, Hulk will be hollowed out by the One Below All, unlocking his maximum gamma potential and becoming the Breaker of Worlds - a giant, planet-killing being even more destructive than Galactus. The longer answer is that Thor's power level doesn't scale directly with his physical strength, and it's possible for Hulk to be physically stronger than Thor without necessarily being able to take the full brunt of the magic energy known as the Thor-Force - the equivalent of bringing a gun to a fistfight.
Comic fans have long debated whether Thor or Hulk is stronger, with many arguing that Thor has a stronger base strength, while the Hulk is able to grow stronger than the God of Thunder thanks to his powers scaling with anger. Immortal Hulk #7 made it clear this was no longer the case, and that the Devil Hulk was "vastly" stronger, but his recent resurrection has made him even more overpowered. Thor its that in their prior battle, the Hulk humbled a god, and Hulk insists he will again, whether or not Thor has changed his "playclothes." As the Hulk takes blow after blow to the head then tosses Thor out onto the street, the arrival of the Avengers is the ultimate confirmation that if Thor was ever the strongest Avenger, he isn't anymore.
