Since the Hulk first appeared all the way back in Incredible Hulk #1, written by Stan Lee and penciled by Jack Kirby in 1962, there have been a lot of changes to the character. Throughout more than 55+ years of publishing, animating and acting, hundreds of artists and writers have had an opportunity to put their own spin on the character, which has led to some interesting changes. To be clear, we aren't just talking about how the character shifted from grey to green and back again more than once; if you break down the total history of the Hulk, there have been dozens of different versions, types and even characters who can call themselves the Hulk.
Looking back over the years, there have been around 25 versions of the character. While there have been more if you take each and every video game and animated series, the differences between those versions aren't significant enough to warrant breaking them down even further. That leaves a good 25 versions of the Incredible Hulk to rank and rate, which is why we now present to you these 25 versions of the Hulk with our pick for the strongest of them all down at the bottom of the list.
25 GRAY HULK
When the Hulk first hit the shelves back in 1962, he was completely different than he is now. The character was grey (due to an ease of coloring decision), only came out at night, was kind of a smart-aleck and he was nowhere near as strong as he is these days. That original series only lasted six issues and the Hulk turned green the following issue, but the fact that he was once grey has been interwoven into the character's history.
In terms of strength, the original grey Hulk was certainly the weakest. One of the most notable differences between the original Hulk and the versions that followed had to do with his intellect. He was intelligent and not nearly as simple-minded as the eventual "Hulk Smash" version most fans are familiar with these days.
24 THE INCREDIBLE HULK (TV SERIES)
In what had to be one of the first and certainly most successful superhero television series for Marvel, The Incredible Hulk introduced a more television-friendly version of the character. In this series, the Hulk was more of a sympathetic creature who surfaced when Banner became enraged, which thankfully happened at least once per episode.
This version of the Hulk was significantly weaker than many of his comic book counterparts. While he couldn't throw a tank across a desert or hop from one state to the next, he could lift a car and smash through walls. He also wasn't as tough as his comic book counterpart and could be shot and wounded, though he survived these attacks. He finally died in The Death of the Incredible Hulk, a television movie, after falling from a helicopter, which wouldn't even phase the comic book version.
23 MR. FIXIT
Mr. Joe Fixit is a version of the grey hulk brought about when writers determined the various versions of the character weren't to do with ink issues, but rather, were different aspects of Bruce's personality. The Joe Fixit personality emerged when the Hulk was prevented magically from reverting back into Banner. He adopted the name and went to work security at a Las Vegas casino.
Joe Fixit shared many of the aspects of the Hulk, but was far less savage. His strength increased as he became enraged, but at a much slower rate and he retained most of Banner's intelligence. He was far calmer than any other Banner/Hulk, which made him stick around for a long period of time. Ultimately, the Mr. Fixit Hulk would leave and return, but while he was around, he offered an interesting look at the psyche of both Banner and the Hulk characters.
22 GREEN HULK
While the Hulk was quickly switched from grey to green, the character didn't change very much until after the original Incredible Hulk series came to an end. That series only lasted six issues, but it wasn't long before the character began popping up in The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and his own book, but the new version was different. Marvel ditched the nightly transformation aspect and instead focused on the Hulk coming about when Bruce Banner gets angry... and you really wouldn't like him when he was angry.
This Hulk was considerably stronger than the original version. His intellect seemed to dampen over time — either from being in Hulk form for a long period of time or simply as publication continued. This Hulk continued to get stronger the angrier he got, which technically could put no limit on his strength, but there were some Hulks more powerful than this one.
21 RICK JONES HULK
You probably recall Rick Jones as the young teenage boy who got too close to the Gamma Ray Bomb test that brought about the creation of the Hulk. The two became friends over the years and when Bruce Banner (seemingly) removed the Hulk persona from his being, Jones was there to help him celebrate as he finally married the love of his life, Betty Ross.
Things were looking good for Bruce Banner, but when it became necessary for Banner to once again merge with the Hulk, things went awry and Jones ended up becoming the Incredible Hulk in his place. Jones didn't retain the Hulk persona for very long before it reverted back to Banner, but he demonstrated a comparable strength to the original green Hulk making him at least as strong as that one.
20 THE INCREDIBLE HULK
This version of the Hulk comes from the fourth animated incarnation of the Marvel Universe to feature a version of the character. He appeared in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Hulk Vs. and Thor: Tales of Asgard, all of which make up what is often referred to as the Christopher Yost Animated Universe. Yost is a writer who interwove those films into a single cohesive animated universe, which of course, included the Hulk.
This version of the Hulk was more of a callback to the one most people remember: he's big, he's green and he isn't the brightest guy around. Fans appreciated seeing a return to form with a Hulk who could tackle just about any strength test out there and still come out and literally smash whatever stood in his way. This Hulk was expertly voiced by Fred Tatasciore.
19 THE INCREDIBLE HULK (1996)
By 1996, the Hulk had only been featured in one animated series of his own, which made a new series for the UPN network a welcome treat for fans of Marvel and the Jade Giant. In a return to his previous role, Lou Ferrigno took on voicing the Hulk. The Incredible Hulk was intended to fit into the Marvel Animated Universe airing on television at the time alongside the Fantastic Four, but the series only remained on air for 21 episodes.
The Hulk from this series took on the familiar look of the character seen in the comics and previous television series, but amped things up quite a bit. Ferrigno's classic Hulk roar only helped to increase the ferocity of the Hulk as he smashed through anything in his path. This was a much stronger version of the character that we previously saw in animated form.
18 RED SHE HULK
Red She-Hulk is a version of the character with powers somewhat different from a traditional green Hulk. She came about when Betty Ross, Bruce Banner's ex-wife, acquired the powers that allowed her to transform at will into a red behemoth with strength so great, she can punch through dimensional barriers. Because she is a "red" variant of the Hulk, she has the ability to siphon Gamma Radiation from those around her, which allows he to revert other Hulks in her vicinity back into their human form.
Red She-Hulk doesn't have as much control over her powers and abilities as her green counterparts, which allowed She-Hulk to defeat her, but given her abilities, she is technically much stronger than the classic She-Hulk. She even carries a sword crafted by Tony Stark she affectionately refers to as her "Big ass sword." The weapon is crafted from enchanted Asgardian Uru metal.
17 SHE-HULK
Bruce Banner isn't the only person to have to put up with being a Hulk. When his cousin Jennifer Walters was near death, he reluctantly gave her a transfusion of Hulk blood. This gave her what can only be described as a mild version of the Hulk condition, meaning she could transform into the Hulk at will and was incredibly strong, but not as strong as her cousin. Basically, she got everything good about being a Hulk with no real negative side-effects.
She-Hulk does increase in strength the angrier she gets, just like her cousin, but thanks to he ability to retain her rational mind and intelligence after transforming, she can hold onto her cool. This effectively caps her upper-strength, but she could conceivably lose it and get stronger than most of her fellow superheroes in the Marvel Universe, some of which we have seen recently after Civil War II.
16 SKAAR
There was a time when the Hulk was trapped on a planet and forced into gladiatorial combat. While there, he fell in love with a powerful woman and became the happiest he has ever been... until the rocket that brought him there exploded, seemingly killing his pregnant wife. Thinking her dead, he left the planet, but she was able to give birth to two children prior to dying. One of the youngsters, Skaar, was immensely powerful.
Skaar inherited powers from both of his parents, which included his father's brute strength and his mother's ability to tap into the elemental "Old Power." While he is incredibly strong like his old man, he isn't as tough as some of the versions on this list. He was once knocked out by the Immortal Iron Fist, but so have a lot of powerful people, so we won't hold it against him too much.
15 SAVAGE SHE-HULK
Unlike the original She-Hulk, the new Savage She-Hulk was not the Hulk's cousin, but rather, his daughter. Granted, this version of the character came from an alternate future which saw the union between the Incredible Hulk and Thundra, which produced Lyra. Lyra came to the past to try and find a mate so she could help her people, but decided to stick around for a while and became an agent of A.R.M.O.R.
Savage She-Hulk is strong, but not as strong as many of the Hulks on this list. Unlike every other Hulk, she loses strength the angrier she becomes. This has led her to develop a special relaxation method as her strength increases exponentially the calmer she becomes. When at a state of absolute relaxation, she is stronger than most of the Hulks on this list, though she isn't the most effective combatant.
14 WAR HULK
During the "Onslaught" crossover event, Marvel toyed with the concept of a Banner-less Hulk. During the event, the Hulk's personality was once again split, but this left two Hulks: one went off to become the Hulk on another Earth while the one without the Banner personality remained on Earth and became the target of Apocalypse. In his bid for world domination, Apocalypse turned the now Banner-less Hulk into his new Horseman of War, which was certainly fitting.
War Hulk was afforded a massive strength increase thanks to his new buddy Apocalypse, but his strength was effectively capped. He no longer increased in strength as he got angrier, which made for an immensely powerful Hulk, but one who couldn't achieve the levels of strength seen by many of the other Hulks on this list.
13 MERGED HULK
When it became apparent that the Green Hulk, Grey Hulk and Bruce Banner's separate psyches would eventually destroy one another, Doc Samson uses hypnosis to merge all three. This resulted in a brand new "merged hulk" who retained the intelligence of Bruce Banner but remained in a gigantic version of the Green Hulk who was stronger than the Savage Hulk. The Merged Hulk decided all was well and went on to lead a normal superhero life.
Everything seemed fine at first, but the new personality broke down at times. When he was overcome with rage, he would revert to his Bruce Banner body, but with the mind of the Savage Hulk meaning he was puny Banner, but thought he was the strong and indestructible Hulk. Eventually, the Merged Hulk would disappear and different personalities would emerge over time.
12 GREEN SCAR
When the Hulk was accidentally dropped off on Sakaar, he became a gladiator. On this new planet, the Hulk was as strong as most of the people there but could be hurt. It placed the strongest there is in a situation where he was almost like everyone else (though he was still the Hulk, let's be real here). Over time, as the effects of the portal that brought him there wore off, he became the strongest being on the planet. Coupled with his battle prowess from the gladiatorial pits and new methods of focusing his anger, he became infinitely more powerful than his previous forms.
This version of the Hulk retained his intelligence (he wasn't savage, but also wasn't Banner in Hulk form) and was so strong, he became the ruler of the planet. Everything was working out great for the angry green giant until the rocket that brought him there exploded, killing his wife and unborn children... or so he thought. This set him on the warpath back to Earth to mete justice on the Illuminati who sent him there.
11 HULK (2003)
While many fans may want to forget the 2003 film, Hulk, Ang Lee did manage to give fans the first live-action feature film adaptation of the character. Seeing as there hadn't been a similar rendition since the days of Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, this was a welcome change, but the film failed to resonate. This was primarily due to the plot, writing and effects, which made the Hulk look more like a weird version of Shrek than what they were clearly aiming for.
While Hulk didn't break new ground for Marvel, it did introduce a version of the character fans were eager to see. This was the Savage Hulk who could take a bullet to the eyeball and not even notice it. Picking up a car was barely anything for this Hulk as he had no problem whatsoever jumping incredible heights or throwing a tank across the desert.
10 THE INCREDIBLE HULK (2008)
Though he isn't currently played by the same actor, this version of the Hulk was the first to technically be included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Edward Norton has since been cast aside to make room for Mark Ruffalo, but many aspects of the character remain the same with this first depiction by Norton. Like his other cinematic renditions, this Hulk is ridiculously strong and proves it when he comes face-to-face with Abomination.
The Incredible Hulk was our first real glimpse at a feature film version of the Hulk battling a truly strong opponent and it worked well. While many fans were upset that Norton didn't return to reprise his role as Banner/Hulk when the character reemerged in The Avengers, the change in actors did allow us to split them up on this list. Speaking of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk...
9 HULK (MCU)
While Edward Norton's Hulk was technically the first to be a part of the MCU, Mark Ruffalo's performance as Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk is considered to be the MCU version. Rufallo's take on the character has offered some insights into the psyche of the Hulk by showing his soft side in his interactions with Black Widow as well as his brute strength when he took down some hefty enemies in the final battle of 2012's The Avengers.
Since he first appeared in The Avengers, Ruffalo's MCU Hulk has changed considerably. He portrayed a version of the Green Scar in Thor: Ragnarok and is clearly the strongest character on the team (just don't tell that to Thor). As the character has evolved, he will likely show an increase in strength when he battled Thanos in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War.
8 DOC GREEN
When Bruce Banner is hurt, he sometimes turns into the Hulk, but usually, he throws on a bandage and moves along. When he was shot in the head by the Ancient Order of the Shield, his ability to heal became compromised. Sure, it helped him to survive, but that doesn't mean he couldn't use some help: enter, the Extremis virus. Tony Stark gave Banner the virus in the hopes of helping him heal, which it did, but it also caused a new personality to emerge.
The new "Doc Green" version of the Hulk was much like the Merged Hulk, but without any of the imposed limitations. He was incredibly strong and powerful, but could increase his strength well beyond normal limits. Unlike Merged Hulk, this didn't cause him to revert to Banner form, which made him a risky guy to keep around. Eventually, he had the Extremis virus removed.
7 ULTIMATE HULK
This entry somewhat combines the version of the Hulk from the Ultimate Universe of comics as well as the two films, Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers II. This version of the Hulk is by far one of the strongest, but also one that is pretty much beyond control. In a plotline similar to the one they opted for in the live action MCU, the Avengers form to battle the Chitauri, but they have trouble reigning in the powers of the Hulk.
Hulk essentially loses all control and beats the ever living tar out of his teammates before they are able to band together and stop him. If you are looking for a Hulk who is pretty much out of control and able to lift anything and everything in the immediate vicinity (including ultimate Mjolnir, even if it is a different beast in this universe), the Ultimate Hulk is certainly what you are looking for.
6 TOTALLY AWESOME HULK
If the Hulk had a groupie, his name would be Amadeus Cho. Cho is a longtime friend of Banner and is also one of the smartest people in the Marvel Universe. His intellect has allowed him to do amazing things... like the time he absorbed the Hulk radiation from his pal Bruce Banner and became the Totally Awesome Hulk as a result. As the Hulk, Cho has pretty much the same abilities, but none of the negative aspects.
Cho can change into and out of the Hulk form at will. He also isn't limited in his intellect in any way, which makes him one of the most powerful and smartest characters in the Marvel Universe. Cho also has no limits on his rage-induced strength like the Merged Hulk, which places him rather high on this list.