Since his eponymous debut in 1962, the Hulk has been the strongest there is. Many characters, including those outside the Marvel multiverse, have taken a shot at the title, but none come close to the reality-tearing physical strength of the Green Goliath. All who’ve faced off against him have eventually lost their war, but that’s not to say Hulk wins every battle.

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Hulk is an unstoppable force and immovable object all at once, and is used as a sort of measuring stick for every hero looking to test their strength. Sometimes those heroes actually win. Many do so through clever tricks, but these characters in particular beat the Hulk at his own game. Call it luck, or maybe a plot device, but Spider-Man, Thanos, and more were able to fell Marvel’s mightiest hero through brute force. Special thanks to John Cimino's blog, Hero Envy, for taking the time to tally a few of these recurring rivalries.

10 Thanos Broke Hulk In An Alternate Timeline

Cosmic Ghost Rider talks about feeding Captain America to Hulk

Thanos and the Hulk have a long history, with the Mad Titan naming Hulk as one hero he'd rather not fight. Back in Jim Starlin's Infinity Gauntlet #4, by George Perez, Ron Lim, Josef Rubinstein and Christie Scheele, Thanos shrunk Hulk, removing him from the fight.

More recently, in Thanos #15, by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw, things are unimaginably bad for Hulk in a timeline where Thanos won. When a younger Thanos arrives at the Mad Titan's lonely castle, Cosmic Ghost Rider leads him to a pit where the Hulk, now little more than a pet, sits surrounded by the bones of friends he's been forced to devour.

9 Red Hulk Skewered The Incredible Hulk

Red Hulk stabs Hulk with an Atlantis trident

Marvel's Eternals are usually unseen beings, pulling the strings from behind the thin curtains of reality and perception. In Hulk #11, written by Jeph Loeb with pencils by Ed McGuiness and inks by Dexter Vines, that all changed when The Grandmaster appeared and commissioned Hulk to assemble a dream team.

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Unbeknownst to Hulk, The Collector had given the same assignment to the Red Hulk, whose true identity was unknown at the time. When the teams faced off, Red Hulk got ahold of the Trident of Atlantis and stabbed Hulk with it, killing him. He then went on to kill most of the remaining combatants and wield the power cosmic in the following issue.

8 Juggernaut Took Hulk By Surprise

Juggernaut Tackles Hulk

The Juggernaut is, quite literally, an unstoppable force. He and Hulk have faced off numerous times, usually ending in a win for the green guy and varying injuries for Juggy, spanning a range from minor to critical. That's not the case in The Incredible Hulk #402, written by Peter David with pencils by Jan Duursema, inks by Mark Farmer, and colors by Steve Buccellato.

Professor Hulk wanders the jungle with his mind on his friends and his new business ventures when a man in street clothes reaches out from the brush to strangle him. Hulk puts up a good fight, but Cain gets the upper hand, pummeling Hulk into submission until Red Skull emerges to offer a deal.

7 Zeus Gave Hulk The Prometheus Treatment

Hulk is bound to a rock for vultures to feed on

Angered by their treatment after the Chaos War, Hulk takes his family to Mount Olympus in Incredible Hulks #622, by Greg Pak, Paul Pelletier, Danny Miki, and Paul Mounts. Hulk has demands for Zeus in exchange for his sacrifice, but Zeus makes it well-known that martyrdom isn't a Greek virtue.

After breaking Hulk's ribs and slamming his head against rocks, Zeus has Hephaestus chain the Hulk to a stone, where giant vultures tear at his flesh. This was the same punishment Zeus gave to Prometheus for his gifts to humankind, and is a brutally fitting sentence for Marvel's own modern Prometheus.

6 Spider-Man Punched Joe Fixit Into Orbit

Spider-Man punches Joe Fixit

The Hulk has always been driven by a pervasive desire to be left alone. When the Joe Fixit persona emerged, it was a personification of Banner's repressed desires and inhibitions. Still, the desire for solitude remained, and in Amazing Spider-Man #328, written by David Michelinie with pencils by Todd MacFarlane and inks by Al Gordon, his peace is short-lived.

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Contracted to beat-up Spider-Man, Joe finds him wall-crawling in the middle of a populated city. Unbeknownst to anyone but himself, Spider-Man is, at this point, imbued with powers beyond those of a radioactive spider. Wielding the power cosmic, Spider-Man punches Joe into a low orbit, then brings him back down to say "no hard feelings," before leaving with his friends.

5 Namor Beat Hulk Underwater

Namor makes some bold claims after thwarting the Hulk

Hulk and Namor have fought many times. The first win for Namor came in Avengers #3, by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman, and Stan Goldberg. During this early period, gamma radiation and stress turn the Hulk back into Banner, not the other way around.

After escaping the Avengers once, Hulk tussles with the Sub-Mariner somewhere near the Gulf Stream. Namor nearly drowns Hulk, then drags him onto land and poses a plan to attack the Avengers. The two fire a tank at Avengers Headquarters, but Hulk's stress triggers a transformation, and he conveniently reverts to Banner before he can do any more damage.

4 Abomination Beat Hulk In His First Appearance

The Abomination Destroys The Hulk

Emil Blonsky is the perfect Hulk villain, providing a truly wicked mirror for the not-so-jolly green giant. In his first appearance in Tales to Astonish #90, written by Stan Lee with art from Gil Kane, the Abomination makes quick work of the Hulk, using the novelty of his strength to his advantage.

Up to that point in the Hulk's history, there really hadn't been anyone to equal the Hulk. Heroes like Thor and the Thing put up a good fight, but as heroes they never matched his rage or unchecked power. Abomination came to even the playing field, and despite falling down the power ranks since, remains one of Hulk's greatest foes.

3 Thor Bested The Hulk Once Or Twice

journey-into-mystery-thor-vs-hulk

Thor is mighty indeed, and his hammer's enchantment has made Hulk furious more than once. The God of Thunder has called Hulk a "Devil of Midgard," and in their numerous battles on the silver screen and in the books they've fought to outmatch one another. As with most conflicts between heroes, it usually ends in a draw.

Related: The 10 Greatest Avengers Rivalries

Incredible Hulk Annual #1, written by Erik Larsen with pencils by Jorge Lucas and inks by Al Milgrom, Al Vey, and Greg Adams, doesn't declare an overall winner, but does bring Thor one decisive win. Thor knocks Hulk out in the beginning, striking him on the back of the head, causing him to revert into Banner.

2 Thing Has Arguably The Best Record Against Hulk

Thing prepares to Fight Hulk

Hulk and Thing have been duking it out since the early 1960s. Hulk wins most of his fights, but Thing has lasted more rounds than most people could walk away from. In Fantastic Four #13, written by Dan Slott with art by Sean Izaakse, he knocks out a mind-controlled Hulk at the cost of his rocky form. Shortly after, Hulk brutalized Ben during his honeymoon.

Then, when a wounded Hulk wandered scared and alone through Coney Island in Immortal Hulk #41, Thing sought vengeance. Written by Al Ewing with pencils by Joe Bennett and inks by Ruy José and Belardino Babo, it's conflicting and painful, with Joe Fixit emerging to scream at Ben for beating on the childlike green hulk.

1 Hulk Is His Own Worst Enemy

Maestro breaks Hulk's neck, temporarily killing him

Death doesn't stick to the Hulk. Since the highly destructive gamma bomb split Bruce's psyche, he has been his own worst enemy. Bruce is always on the run from himself, and in Peter David's Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect #2, with art by George Perez, he sees what could happen if he stopped running.

The Maestro is the last man standing in the Hulk's distant future. Keeping trophies from the powerful heroes and villains he's killed, he is a dark idealized version of Hulk. When Professor Hulk is flung forward in time, he tries to stand against Maestro, but is not a physical match. Maestro snaps his neck, killing Hulk temporarily and forcing him to take another approach.

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