The Incredible Hulk is one of the most powerful characters in the MCU, but he isn’t the most powerful, as these characters prove. Bruce Banner has gone through a lot of iterations in the MCU, going from Ed Norton’s Banner in the 2008 film to Mark Ruffalo’s appearance in The Avengers, and concluding with Professor Hulk in Avengers: Doomsday. Now, it seems that the iconic Savage Hulk may be returning in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and it may take one of these MCU superheroes to bring him down.
In Marvel Comics, the Hulk is one of the most powerful characters, with him accomplishing some of the universe’s most impressive feats. However, for the purposes of this list, we will only be going based on the character’s appearances in the MCU. So, here are all seven heroes who could beat Hulk in the MCU.
7) The Thing
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Of all the characters on this list, The Thing’s ability to beat the Hulk is the most arguable. We’ve only seen The Thing in one movie so far, but he has already proven to be one of the MCU’s strongest characters. While Hulk’s strength definitely outmatches The Thing’s, Ben Grimm’s control over his mind could give him the upper hand. He has the ability to strategize and be a more technical fighter, while the MCU’s Savage Hulk mostly resorts to punching and throwing things.
6) Iron Man
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
While every character on this list could probably beat Savage Hulk, Iron Man is the only one who has actually done it in the MCU. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tony Stark takes on a rampaging Hulk. By using his Hulkbuster armor, Tony is able to actually defeat him. While it obviously took a reliance on a lot of pre-planned protocol that Stark and Banner worked on together, it proves that Tony’s armor can be stronger than Hulk’s punches.
5) Thor
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Iron Man has definitely beaten the Hulk in the MCU, but the more-powerful Thor has only gotten close a few times. During their first face-off in The Avengers, Hulk is tossing Thor around, but there isn’t a clear winner. A jet appears during the middle of their fight and begins shooting at Hulk, cutting the battle short when Hulk jumps out of the Helicarrier to attack the jet.
Thor and Hulk face off again in Thor: Ragnarok. This time, Thor is definitely winning the battle, and he probably would have if it weren’t for the Grandmaster’s intervention. These two fights prove that, when he knows what he’s up against, Thor can take the MCU’s Hulk down on his own.
4) Sentry
So far, Sentry is the MCU’s most powerful hero to originate from Earth by a long shot. Based on what is seen in Thunderbolts, Sentry is basically indestructible, with his super strength and flight making him unmatched by the rest of the team. This means that he could probably take on Hulk, and while his exact strength isn’t known, his durability would be his biggest attribute. Plus, if he turns into The Void, he can simply trap Hulk in a nightmare world until he calms down.
3) Silver Surfer
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Shalla-Bal is introduced in The Fantastic 4: First Steps, and while she is an antagonist for most of the film, she becomes a hero at the very end. She uses her speed and strength to push Galactus into a portal, sending him to the other side of the universe. So, if she can take on Galactus, she can probably handle the Hulk. Shalla-Bal’s speed and ability to phase through people means that Hulk probably couldn’t get his hands on her, allowing her to subdue him pretty easily.
2) Doctor Strange
All of the previous entries on this list have been able to beat Hulk in a physical fight. However, Doctor Strange could easily beat Hulk through his use of magic. He could trap Hulk in a variety of different dimensions until he calms down, tire him out with powerful summons, or send him through a portal to a remote mountain. Hulk wouldn’t know what to do, being overwhelmed by Strange’s mastery of the mystic arts.
1) Scarlet Witch
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If anyone can beat the Hulk, it is the MCU’s most powerful hero, Scarlet Witch. Scarlet Witch is able to bend reality, meaning that she could use an endless number of tricks to incapacitate the Hulk. Age of Ultron already showed that Wanda can get into Hulk’s mind, and rather than making him rampage, she could use this power to calm him down. Hulk would never be able to lay a hand on her. Plus, she held her own in a fight with Thanos, who beat Hulk pretty badly at the beginning of Avengers; Infinity War.
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