Sorry to those fans of the Thor, but if you watched the blockbuster movie Ragnarok, you found out that Hulk was the strongest Avenger. There's a reason why they call Hulk the Strongest There Is, after all; because he's proven himself time and time again with amazing physical feats such as lifting up mountains to punching dimensions apart. Fans of Hulk know that there's so much more to the Jade Giant besides being super strong; in fact, the Hulk has several super powers hiding in plain sight that the average person probably doesn't know about. Some of these powers relate to his physical abilities, whereas others have absolutely nothing to do with his strength.
Yes, Hulk can smash like nobody else and jump incredible distances, but did you know that the Hulk can see ghosts and astral projections? Banner suffers from having multiple personalities, but just how many identities does Bruce Banner have besides the Hulk inside his head? And how was he ever worthy enough to lift up an Asgardian enchanted hammer? Here's a clue: it wasn't Thor's! Check out 25 things that only true fans know Hulk can do and find out what the heaviest thing is the Hulk ever picked up!
25 BECOME WAR
Apocalypse is an evil mutant who believes in survival of the fittest. He employs his Four Horsemen (War, Famine, Pestilence and Death) to help him weed out the weak and to stop those that want to interfere in his plans. Although Apocalypse believes in genetic superiority, he has on occasion allied himself with those that aren't mutants. One alliance was forged when he added Hulk to his Horsemen.
Apocalypse helped an injured Hulk, who had a piece of shrapnel lodged in his head. After it was removed, Hulk served as the Horseman War, starting in Incredible Hulk #456. His strength was increased and he was given two menacing weapons: a sword in one hand and a long whip in the other. To compensate for his decreased healing factor, Apocalypse gave him body armor and a helmet.
24 PICK UP AN ASGARDIAN HAMMER
We know what you're thinking: there's no way that Hulk is worthy enough to pick up Thor's hammer. Hulk on one occasion held onto Thor's hand while he held the hammer and then beat Thor senseless with it, but that's not what we're talking about here. In the former Ultimates universe Hulk picked up the Ultimate version of Mjolnir. However during the 2011 crossover Fear Itself Hulk picked up an Asgardian hammer, but it wasn't Thor's.
The Red Skull's daughter found a lost Asgardian hammer that triggered seven other hammers that sought out those that would be worthy. Both heroes and villains were chosen and Hulk wound up with a hammer that turned him into Nul: Breaker of Worlds. As Nul, Hulk fought alongside The Thing (who transformed into Angrir Breaker of Souls) and fought Thor.
23 SEES GHOSTS
Hulk has amazing strength, endurance and speed. What more does he need? Well, he also has some secret powers that most people don't know about and he doesn't get to use them often. For example, Hulk has the ability to see astral forms, and even ghosts. He's able to spot Dr. Strange when he's projecting his spirit out of his body and was even able to see a woman's ghost after she died from a car bomb.
How is such a thing possible, since it doesn't relate at all to strength or gamma energy? Some theorize that it has to do with his future self, the Maestro, who traveled from the past and died at the site of the gamma bomb explosion. Others think it has to do with Bruce's coping mechanisms as a child, dealing with the the death of his mother at the hands of Bruce's abusive father.
22 CAN BREATHE UNDERWATER
Hulk, using the power of just his breath, was able to knock down all the trees in a forest. So when it comes to lung capacity, he could hold his breath and spend many an hour either underwater or in space. However, in other versions of the Hulk, he didn't need to use his lungs to store air because he didn't need it. Hulk's ability to adapt allowed him to breathe while in the sea.
His body is the result of a mutation due to exposure to gamma radiation, so Hulk's body adapting to extract oxygen from water makes sense (if comic books can make sense). There are also those at S.H.I.E.L.D. that theorize that Hulk could survive without oxygen in the vacuum of space.
21 RETURNS TO POINT OF ORIGIN
Could the Incredible Hulk be part bird? Pigeons, specifically homing pigeons, are a kind of domestic bird that were able to find their way home even over extremely long distances. Because of this, they were also used as carriers, with important messages attached to their feet to bring back to home base. Game Of Thrones used ravens instead of pigeons because there's no drama in sending a pigeon to declare war against the Lannisters.
When the gamma bomb went off in New Mexico, it exposed Dr. Robert Bruce Banner to 350 petajoules of gamma radiation. That day the Hulk was "born," and ever since then, no matter where he is the Hulk, like a homing pigeon, is able to find his way back to the spot where he was born in the desert when the bomb went off. This was also explained with the existence of the Maestro's body being buried at the site.
20 SUPER BREATH
Superman is known his strength and speed, but he also has super breath as well. Oddly enough, sometimes this breath also produces intense cold associated with it. Superman has infamously destroyed whole solar systems with a sneeze, but how is his breath also producing sub-zero temperatures to freeze his enemy in his tracks? The world may never know.
Hulk is also someone that has the ability to produce tornado-like winds using his breath (he's been reported to have the lung capacity of a whale) but we haven't seen the Hulkster freeze anyone yet using his mouth. He's used his breath to knock down whole forests but he's also used it as a less physical way of taking someone down. Regardless, it's still an infrequently used power of his that can be surprisingly devastating to those not standing behind him when he blows!
19 TRANSFORMATIONS CONTROLLED BY BANNER
Don't make Bruce Banner angry, because if you do, the raging beast that dwells within him will be unleashed. Anger and Hulk go hand in hand, and although rage makes Hulk get stronger, anger is what makes Bruce Banner transform from a milksop scientist into the Earth's Mightiest Mortal. Even though Hulk is an engine of destruction, there have been times when Banner had some control over the Hulk's comings and goings.
In the comics, initially the Hulk came to life when Banner willingly bombarded himself with gamma rays. There are other times where Bruce had the conscious ability to trigger the transformation. In Marvel's The Avengers, we find out Banner's secret: he can control his transformation into the Hulk because he's always angry. Now that's scary.
18 LIVE A LONG LIFE
Given how tough the lifestyle is, how long does a superhero live for? Captain America has been around for decades but that's due to him being stuck in suspended animation, as well as help from his Super Soldier Serum. However, guys like Spider-Man and Daredevil are just flesh and blood. Hulk is so much more, so given his durability and strength, will he live longer than the average person?
In the Marvel one shot Hulk: The End, we see that Hulk has survived a nuclear holocaust and is the last surviving person on Earth. In Future Imperfect we find out that in the future the Hulk is now called the Maestro and is completely mad. Thanos #15 takes place in the future where Thanos rules over everything and Hulk is his pet.
17 THE ANGRIER HE GETS, THE STRONGER HE GETS
If you don't know the following fact then perhaps you've never heard of the comic company called Marvel. Whereas most people get fatigued after fighting, the opposite happens with Hulk. The longer he fights, the angrier he gets, and the angrier he gets, the stronger Hulk becomes. Theoretically there's no limit to how angry or how strong he could get, which scares the heck out of everyone in the Marvel Universe.
Some say he draws his strength from an extra-dimensional source, others say it's just a byproduct of his adrenaline. The gray Hulk was significantly weaker (Class 75 strength) than the green incarnation of himself (Class 100); however, gray Hulk had the ability to get angrier faster. Hulk has gotten so strong he's lifted up mountains and punched dimensions apart.
16 THUNDERCLAP
If you have a plan to attack the Hulk, perhaps the strategy is to attack him from afar. Hulk can't fire beams out of his eyes like Cyclops or grab you like Dr. Octopus, so maybe your goal is to snipe him or do some sort of long range assault so that way he'll never get the chance to grab you or punch you. The might be a sound idea if not for the fact that the Hulk does have the ability to attack even if you're not in arm's reach.
By clapping his hands together, Hulk can create a thunderclap that is an assault of sound and concussive force. There's enough force in his clap to put out a significant fire, knock a foe off his feet from afar, and produce enough sound to shatter windows in buildings nearby.
15 LEAP TALL BUILDINGS IN A SINGLE BOUND
In very early issues of The Incredible Hulk it was implied that Hulk was flying but later it was rewritten to say that he was in fact leaping from place to place, sort of the reverse to how Superman went from leaping over buildings to flying over them. This makes sense given that the Hulk's leg muscles are just as impressive as his arm muscles. Just how far can the Hulk leap?
The "average" Hulk jump can propel him approximately three miles. When enraged, that distance can be much greater. Hulk has leapt across countries, oceans, and even straight up. In Incredible Hulk #254, Hulk jumped so high that he left the gravitational pull of the Earth and found himself in space! Jumping is one thing, but what about the landing? That's gotta hurt!
14 TRANSFORM INTO HULK NO MATTER WHAT
Over the years, Bruce Banner transformed into the Hulk due to a number of circumstances. When enraged, Banner turned into the Hulk. In other versions his transformation did not depend on the state of mind Banner was in. Early transformations were due to exposure to gamma rays, and when Hulk was gray the transformation occurred at sundown, and it happened no matter what.
The 1989 crossover Acts of Vengeance involved supervillains swapping targets to fight against. Gray Gargoyle, who had the ability to turn people into stone, decided to take the easy route and turn Banner into a statue, ensuring him a victory. However, while as a stone statue, Banner transformed into Hulk once the sun went down. Hulk was able to undo the stone effect, broke the Gargoyle's arm, then sent him on his merry way.
13 SUPERHUMAN ENDURANCE
When it comes to physical feats, the Hulk will beat almost all competition in almost every category. Hulk has proven that he's the the strongest one there is time and time again. It's because the angrier he gets, the stronger he gets, and that anger also plays a role in his stamina, because his endurance is beyond belief. Although Wolverine once fought Omega Red for over 18 hours, that pales in comparison to the endurance feat that Hulk pulled during Secret Wars.
During Secret Wars #4, a literal 150 ton mountain is dropped on the majority of Captain America's team. Not only does he prevent the mountain from crushing everyone, he is able to support the weight for a period of time. In the animated series Avengers Assemble Hulk goes one step further and actually prevents Manhattan from sinking by holding it above his head for an extended moment.
12 RESISTANCE TO MIND CONTROL
If you're looking for weaknesses with the Hulk, perhaps you're thinking about attacking his mind. The green Hulk may be immeasurably strong but he has a childlike mentality and can be tricked and coerced into doing things for others. Perhaps Hulk is strong of body but weak of mind? Unfortunately an assault on his brain would be just as effective as trying to punch him in the maw.
Hulk possesses a resistance to mental attacks and mind control. This could be due to the fact that when he's so incredibly angry, his mind becomes a scary place to read or approach. Banner also suffers from dissociative identity disorder, and his multiple personalities might even serve as a sort of shield against those that try and access his mind.
11 SUPERHUMAN SPEED
You've been studying the Hulk from afar trying to see what weaknesses he might possess. Hulk is over seven feet tall, weighing over half a ton, so perhaps your thought there's no way the Hulk has any sort of speed. The bigger they are, the slower they are, right? Wrong. The Hulk may not be as fast as Quicksilver, but clearly the Hulk is not skipping leg day at the gym.
When running, the Hulk can travel over 200 miles an hour. In a fight with Spider-Man he was quick enough to grab Spidey by the leg while he was trying to jump away. If you're a fan of the Incredible Hulk coaster at the Universal Theme Park in Florida, you may know that the ride travels at a top speed of 67 miles per hour... which is nothing to the Incredible one.
10 TRANSFORM AT SUNDOWN
If you're getting confused by the different versions of the Hulk, it's understandable. The Hulk has been around since 1962 and his character often goes through crazy changes. You may see him as green and dumb in one comic but then see him as gray and smart in another. One issue might have the Hulk with Banner's intelligence, another might give you Banner with Hulk's savagery. That really did happen!
Although we're used to the iconic situation of Banner transforming into Hulk when he becomes enraged, there was a time when the transformation only occurred when the sun went down. The Incredible Hulk #368 had Hulk fight Mr. Hyde, and Hyde hypothesized that the nighttime change occurred due to Banner's psychological need to hide the Hulk from the rest of the world. Pretty deep!
9 IMMUNITY TO DISEASES
The Hulk may be unstoppable and impervious to most forms of injury, but how many of us Hulkophiles out there remember the classic issue where he's sick in bed from the flu? Don't say you read it because we made it up. The Hulk, given how amazing his metabolism and regenerative powers are, is immune to most if not all diseases.
While off-planet, the Hulk was infected with sentient spores (called Spikes) and his body was able to reject them. Back on Earth, Hulk had to rush his friend Jim Wilson to the hospital who was bleeding after being attacked by Speedfreek. Jim had AIDS and Hulk had no fear of infection, saying he was immune. If Hulk didn't have such a strong immunity, he'd have to eat every orange in Florida to get his recommended daily dose of Vitamin C.
8 INTENSE REGENERATIVE POWERS
When you think of incredible healing powers, Wolverine and Deadpool come to mind. Logan has survived intense heat that's burned off all of his skin and has even been at ground zero of a bomb blast, surviving to tell the tale. Deadpool has survived that and worse. Arguably, the one with the best healing ability around, though, might actually be the Hulk.
The Hulk's body is all about adapting. If he's underwater or in space his body will adapt. If he's fighting someone and he's not strong enough his body will adapt. In the Marvel one-shot Hulk: The End, on a regular basis the Hulk is eaten alive by the only other thing living on Earth after a nuclear holocaust: cockroaches. Once they devour him he grows back entirely (with the last thing to grow back being his eyes).
7 CAN CREATE OTHER HULKS WITH HIS BLOOD
Jennifer Walters was unfortunately seriously wounded by some mafia thugs. The good news was that her cousin was nearby to give her a blood transfusion. The bad news was that her cousin was Robert Bruce Banner and the transfusion of radioactive blood turned her into the savage She-Hulk. She wasn't as strong as the Hulk but she still had superhuman strength, endurance and speed.
In The Incredible Hulk directed by Louis Leterrier in 2008, people were infected after Bruce Banner accidentally bled into a soft drink. In the film several people receive a portion of Banner's blood such as Emil Blonsky, who mutated and became the Abomination. Mr. Blue, who is actually Samuel Sterns, was exposed to Banner's synthesized blood and it's implied that he transformed into The Leader.
6 CHANGE COLORS
If you're confused as to why the Hulk went from having green skin to gray, the real question to ask is why did his skin go from gray to green? When Hulk first appeared in The Incredible Hulk in May 1962, he was a gray goliath. To transform himself into the Hulk, Banner dosed himself with more and more gamma radiation, mutating him into a stronger, green monster.
Although that's the in-story version, it's more likely that the print process wasn't too flattering for a gray character and they switched his color to allow for a bolder print on paper, and used purple in his pants to pop against his skin. The gray Hulk returned in Incredible Hulk #324 after a failed attempt to physically separate Banner from Hulk. There are even versions of Hulk where he's a luminescent green, particularly when he's emanating energy as the Worldbreaker Hulk.