Marvel Comics' new Hulk series, Hulk: Smash Everything, introduced a new power for the titular Marvel hero that would make him the strongest Avenger if he were to appear in Avengers: Secret Wars. While Avengers: Doomsday has a stacked cast of powerful heroes, one clear omission from the confirmed cast list is Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner. Ruffalo has already confirmed he will not be returning in the 2026 MCU crossover, but not much is known about his absence (though some have strongly speculated that it has something to do with his appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day). Ahead of Hulk's uncertain MCU future, Marvel Comics is doing its own thing that could define what's next for the character on-screen.
The official synopsis for Marvel Comics' new Hulk series, Hulk: Smash Everything # 4, confirmed that Hulk will be sucked into a black hole and will eventually become Cosmic Hulk, noting that this version of the Green Rage monster is "too powerful for his own good," and he is set to go up against all of the Avengers to neutralize him.
"HULK GOES COSMIC! Galaxies are born, stars go supernova, but HULK will always remain!!! After deserting Hulk in Earth's pre-historic age, the Leader thought himself successful - only for HULK to get sucked into a black hole and become COSMIC. Now too powerful for his own good, COSMIC HULK goes up against Earth's mightiest heroes in a battle that rivals the big bang!!! GO FIGURE!"
This version of Hulk is all but confirmed to be his most powerful form yet in Marvel Comics. The blurb for the 5th issue of the same comic also revealed Hulk's new power to smash through entire planets, and he even "smashed through Earth's core," further cementing how dangerous this version of Hulk really is.
"HULK SMASH FINALE! In his endless pursuit of just being left alone, Hulk has smashed through the Earth’s core. With the planet falling apart from the inside out, will Hulk shoulder the literal weight of the world? Or will he decide that everything is better off smashed?"
If Mark Ruffalo's Hulk receives this upgrade, a cosmic version of Hulk that can literally smash planets would make him the strongest Avenger in his possible return in Avengers: Secret Wars, surpassing other strong MCU characters from Avengers: Doomsday like Thor and Sentry.
Entertainment insider Daniel Richtman previously revealed that Hulk will play a major role in Secret Wars, and it will be interesting to see how powerful he will be ahead of his eventual matchup with Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom (read more about Marvel Zombies' juiced-up version of Hulk called Infinity Hulk).
Hulk: Smash Everything # 4 is written by Ryan North, with art from Adam Kubert and Vincenzo Carratu. It will be released in comic stands on March 11. Meanwhile, the fifth issue will be released on April 22.
Why The Hulk's New Power Is a Double-Edged Sword in Avengers: Secret Wars
The existence of Avengers: Secret Wars strongly suggests that the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and the X-Men will lose to Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, meaning that Doom's evil plan for the Multiverse will come to fruition and lead to the rumored Battleworld plot.
This means that the Avengers need every bit of help they can get to reverse the events and defeat Doctor Doom, meaning that it makes sense that Hulk will be recruited after his absence from Doomsday.
If somehow the remaining survivors would find a way to give Hulk an upgrade and turn him into a similar version of the Cosmic Hulk from Marvel Comics, then Earth's Mightiest Heroes could have a fighting chance against Doom, but there's a catch.
Given that Marvel Comics' storyline involving Cosmic Hulk positioned him as a villain, it's possible that Doom could find a way to turn him into an antagonist, making everything worse. It also didn't help that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is rumored to bring back the savage version of Hulk, making him more unstable, unpredictable, and easier to turn into a villain.
Whatever the case, the combined efforts of all the heroes are needed in preventing another catastrophe by making Hulk more powerful against Doom.
