Although the Incredible Hulk is a hero, Marvel Comics often pits him in fights against other heroes, something that the MCU has mostly ignored. The Savage Hulk is a rampaging beast, and while Bruce Banner wants to do good, he can’t really control Hulk’s urge to smash. Because of this, heroes frequently have to take him down in order to protect civilians, save cities, or stop him from making situations worse.
First, a breakdown of who the MCU’s Hulk has actually fought. Hulk famously faced Abomination in The Incredible Hulk, before returning in The Avengers. There, he faced off against Thor in the Helicarrier before helping the Avengers take on Loki and the Chitauri army. Then, Hulk fought Iron Man’s Hulbuster suit in Avengers: Age of Ultron before again joining the team to smash Ultron. Hulk again fought Thor in Thor: Ragnarok, as well as Hela, fought Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, and then became Smart Hulk in Avengers: Endgame, putting an end to the MCU’s Savage Hulk fights.
6) Spider-Man
Image Courtesy of Marvel
Hulk and Spider-Man have had a lot of meetups in Marvel Comics, which is why it’s so surprising that the duo hasn’t even met in the MCU. Luckily, this is set to change in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with the first trailer featuring a scene in which Peter finally meets Bruce Banner. While it hasn’t been confirmed, it has been heavily rumored that Bruce will revert to his Savage Hulk form in the film, meaning that Spider-Man will finally get the chance to fight him.
Of the characters on this list, Spider-Man has the best chance of fighting Hulk in the MCU thanks to Brand New Day. However, if he remains the Savage Hulk after the film, it will allow all of these later entries the chance to face him in future MCU projects.
5) Deadpool
In Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, Hulk is one of the many superheroes that Deadpool faces off with, and their fight is epic. Deadpool is ripped apart by Hulk, with Deadpool later attacking and decapitating a sleeping Bruce Banner. Deadpool clearly knows who Hulk is after Deadpool & Wolverine, and due to his healing factor, he is one of the only MCU characters who can take him on. So, it would be great to see them fight in the MCU.
4) The Thing
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The Thing is the MCU’s other human-turned gargantuan bruiser, and he has fought Hulk at several points in Marvel Comics. The fight is always interesting, as Hulk is undeniably stronger, but the Thing’s control over his mind allows him to be more strategic. Now that the Thing is joining the main Marvel universe in Avengers: Doomsday, we’re one step closer to this fight happening.
3) Red Hulk
Captain America: Brave New World was a weird one, as it was essentially a sequel to The Incredible Hulk without Hulk in it. Harrison Ford played Thunderbolt Ross, who turns into Red Hulk at the end of the film. Red Hulk fights Captain America, but not Hulk. It is really weird not to have Hulk in this story at all, but hopefully the MCU has a clash of the Hulks planned for the future.
2) The Leader
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The Leader was the main villain of Captain America: Brave New World, and he, too is a Hulk villain. He is arguably the most popular rival of Hulk in Marvel Comics, which is why it’s shocking that Hulk wasn’t in the 2025 movie. The Leader is still alive, and the MCU needs to pay off The Incredible Hulk‘s post-credits scene by finally having the Leader take on the Hulk.
1) Wolverine
Wolverine vs. Hulk is one of the most famous superhero fights of all time, with it occurring multiple times throughout Marvel Comics. Unfortunately, Wolverine has been part of FOX’s X-Men universe, while Hulk has been part of the MCU, making an on-screen clash of these titans impossible until now. However, Disney’s acquisition of FOX meant that they could appear alongside each other in a movie, meaning that this fight is possible now.
Deadpool & Wolverine features a scene in which Deadpool travels to a universe where Wolverine is fighting Hulk. The fight isn’t shown, with it only being a quick gag. However, this has left fans wanting a true Wolverine vs. Hulk fight in the MCU. This scene showed that Marvel is aware that fans want to see it, so hopefully Hugh Jackman’s Logan can take on Bruce Banner in a future project.
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