Since his debut in 1962, the Hulk has worked hard to live up to his moniker, "Incredible." The huge green hero has earned a reputation for his super-sized strength. Unfortunately for the Hulk, several other heroes possess super-strength, which can make it difficult for him to distinguish himself from his heroic colleagues.
Despite the fact he's often classified solely by his strength, the Hulk has achieved some pretty incredible feats in his time. There's a reason the Incredible Hulk has been around for so long and has remained a firm favorite with comic fans. His accomplishments, both as the Hulk and Bruce Banner, speak for themselves.
10 He Took Out Thor With One Hit
The Hulk has clashed with Thor on more than one occasion, and they're usually evenly matched. However, the Hulk has taken out Thor with just one punch on two different occasions. First, in Avengers (Vol. 1) #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Hulk is affected by suggestive psychic powers.
Led to believe that Thor sees him as a scared child, the Hulk takes the Thunderer down with one hit. In Immortal Hulk #7 — by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit — the Avengers confront the Hulk. Once again, one punch proves more than enough for Hulk to remove Thor from the battlefield.
9 He Held Back A Mountain Range
During Secret Wars by Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck, and Bob Layton, Bruce took charge of Hulk's body. While he was in control, Bruce didn't have the same level of strength that he usually did in his Hulk form. After an attack on the heroes' headquarters, Molecule Man ripped a mountain range out of the ground and dropped it on top of the heroes.
Luckily, the Hulk held the entire mountain range on his shoulders, stopping himself and his allies from being crushed to death. He successfully kept the mountain suspended until Iron Man could blast the range apart.
8 He Held A Planet Together
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The Red King, the cruel ruler of Sakaar, found himself losing a rebellion in the Incredible Hulk #92 by Jose Ladronn, Greg Pak, Carlo Pagulayan, Jeffrey Huet, Chris Sotomayor, Virtual Calligraphy, and Randy Gentile. Not able to accept the inevitable defeat, the Red King activated a doomsday device, causing the planet's crust to split apart.
The Hulk abandoned his battle with the king and leapt into a rift in the planet, falling down to the plates themselves. Despite burning burned by lava and ash, the Hulk held onto the plates and pulled them back together. By securing the plates together, he saved the planet, then returned to the surface to defeat the Red King.
7 He Shook A Planet To Its Core
As if holding a planet together wasn't an incredible enough feat, in World War Hulk by Greg Pak and John Romita Jr., Hulk broke a planet. Hulk had mistakenly thought the other heroes were planning to kill him, thanks to an ill-timed ship explosion.
In fact, the explosion was a trick designed to fuel Hulk's rage and keep him strong. Hulk became furious when he learned the truth. His power grew, and as he stomped on the ground, he caused earthquakes across the USA. Two more stomps and he could've shaken the Eastern seaboard loose.
6 He Took Down Black Bolt
Hulk has proved himself a powerful hero capable of defeating almost anyone he wants to in the Marvel Universe. One of the few heroes who has consistently bested Hulk is Black Bolt, an incredibly powerful ruler who can kill with just a whisper.
When they come face to face in World War Hulk by Greg Pak and John Romita Jr., Black Bolt whispers, "Enough." The whisper sends Hulk flying into the void, or so it seems. On the next page, Hulk leaps back at his opponent. The next time Black Bolt appears, he's beaten, bloody, and unconscious.
5 He Outlived Everyone
When the world ends, Hulk is usually the last one standing. In Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect — by Peter David, George Perez, Tom Smith, and Joe Rosen — the Hulk has been called to the future. While there, he discovers a villain by the name of Maestro is ruling over what's left of humanity.
Hulk soon learns he's destined to become the Maestro after all the other heroes and villains of Earth are dead. All his friends and teammates are gone, and he's left behind. In Incredible Hulk: The End by Peter David and Dale Keown, all humanity is gone. Hulk is the only one left alive. This end may be tragic, but it shows how strong Hulk is.
4 He Destroyed A Dimension
In Incredible Hulk #126 (Vol. 1) by Rob Thomas, Herb Trimpe and Artie Simek, the Hulk becomes trapped in another dimension by a villain called the Night-Crawler. As the two fight it out, Night-Crawler unleashes a brutal sonic attack on the Hulk.
In retaliation, Hulk counters with his famous super-powered clap. The clash between the wall of sound and the clap rips through Night-Crawler's dimension and tears the entire dimension to pieces. With just one move, Hulk comes out on top and wins the battle.
3 He Cracked Onslaught's Armor
In Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1 — by Mark Waid, Scott Lobdell, Joe Bennett, and Adam Kubert — the X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, and the Hulk gathered to fight Onslaught. There was just one problem; nothing could pierce Onslaught's armor, and the heroes were struggling to win.
With some help from Jean Grey, Professor Hulk shut down the Bruce Banner part of himself. With Banner out of the way, he could return to the more savage Hulk, giving him a boost of much needed strength. Dealing one final blow, Hulk cracked Onslaught's armor, enabling the other heroes to rush in and defeat him.
2 He Defeated Himself
In Defenders #8 by Kurt Busiek, Erik Larsen, Ron Frenz, Al Vey, Tom Smith, and Chris Eliopoulos, Hulk fought and defeated himself. While searching for the Silver Surfer, Kree forces has attacked the Defenders. At first, the Defenders couldn't win against the Kree weapon the Starwheel, powered by the imprisoned Silver Surfer, and the heroes found themselves trapped in individual energy bubbles.
The bubbles grew stronger as the heroes tried to escape, reflecting their own powers back at them. Doctor Strange and Namor were defeated, but Hulk refused to give up. Hulk repeatedly punched the bubble, even as it bounced the impact back on him, until he finally broke his way out.
1 He Punched Superman Into Space
Many people have wondered if the Hulk is stronger than Superman. Hulk grows stronger as he gets angrier, but Superman has proved himself an all-powerful hero. In The Incredible Hulk vs. Superman #1 by Roger Stern and Steve Rude, the Man of Steel and the Jade Giant faced off in an amazing crossover event.
During one incredible moment, the Hulk punched Superman so hard that he launched the Man of Steel into space. Shocked by the strength of the hit, Superman took a moment to marvel at it. Apparently, Superman had faced no one with as much power as the Hulk before.