Step into the Gamma Lab for a breakdown of the MCU’s various Hulks and their individual power sets.
The Incredible Hulk has always been one of the strongest characters in any Marvel medium, be it comics, cartoons, or live-action movies. The MCU started with just one Hulk, the mild-mannered Dr. Bruce Banner, but over the years, several other Gamma-fueled beasts have been introduced.
Who’s the Strongest Hulk There Is?
The Hulk and his ilk are well-known for their physical strength. Here’s how all seven of the established MCU Hulks stack up against one another from the weakest Hulk to the strongest Hulk.
HulkKing (Todd Phelps)
Todd Phelps is the wealthy mastermind behind the in-universe hate group known as Intelligencia. A self-styled creep, Phelps specifically targeted Jen Walters, wishing to obtain a sample of her Gamma-irradiated blood and gain Hulk-level abilities.
Utterly obsessed with Jen after going on a single date with her, Phelps launched an online hate campaign against her, hoping to place her in a scenario where she would lose control and show the world how dangerous her She-Hulk side could be.
In the finale, Todd injects himself with Hulk blood and becomes the not-so-intimidating HulkKing, presumably bestowed with at least a good portion of superhuman strength. Fortunately for Jen, she takes control of her own story and changes MCU canon so that Todd faces justice.
HulkKing’s misogynistic ways, crude, obsessive behavior, and especially, his massive ego would probably make him fairly easy to take out, dinging him in the power ranking a bit. File this one under Red Flag.
Skaar
Skaar, son of Hulk. Conceived with an unknown mother while ol’ Jade Jaws was reigning supreme in the Grandmaster’s Contest of Champions on Sakaar. Little else is known about the lad, other than his questionable-looking hairdo.
Skaar has not had any lines of dialogue or displayed any feats of strength in the MCU thus far. He was introduced by his father at a Banner Family cookout in the closing minutes of 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Given his parentage, it’s probably safe to assume that Skaar is almost as strong as the Hulk, but given his youth coupled with the fact that he was born and raised on an alien world, it might just be that the Hulkling (Not to be confused with THE Hulkling) doesn’t know his own true power. That could potentially spell trouble.
Freak (Happy Hogan)
The Freak does not exist on the Sacred Timeline proper. Instead, he was seen exclusively in Marvel’s popular animated series What If…? which explores other realities and universes.
When Justin Hammer and his hired goons infiltrate Avengers Tower during the Holidays, Stark Industries‘ Head of Security Harold “Happy“ Hogan plays John McClane and hunts them down. In the process, he’s inadvertently injected with a sample of Hulk blood, transforming into the towering purple Freak.
Happy uses his newfound brute force to take out Hammer and his cronies. As far as his overall power level goes, Hogan-as-Freak seems to be roughly on the level of the Hulk, but with only two appearances under his belt, more data is required to make a full determination.
She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters)
She-Hulk may not appear as buff as the other Hulks, but make no mistake, Jennifer Walters is a force to be reckoned with. Whether it’s in the courtroom, (where she works as an attorney) or pummeling baddies, Jen is a powerhouse. Arguably, what limits her are her own insecurities and self-image.
Walters’ body isn’t as dense with muscles as her cousin Bruce’s, but she’s very likely nearly, if not outright as strong as him. She doesn’t have the anger and rage usually associated with Hulks either; when Jennifer is She-Hulk, she retains complete control over her emotional state and mental faculties.
Jen also has an unusual, additional ability that is most un-Hulk-like: Much like the Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool, she knows that she’s a character in the MCU and can freely and fully break the fourth wall. This gives Jen a green leg up in the superpowers department.
Red Hulk (Thaddeus Ross)
Thaddeus Ross has had quite the journey in the MCU. Originally shown as a general in the United States Army on an unrelenting hunt for Bruce Banner, Ross suffered a heart attack in 2011. He promptly retired from military service and moved into politics, eventually becoming U.S. Secretary of State.
In 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World Ross will become the very thing he once sought to destroy: A Gamma-powered monster.
The menacing Red Hulk will take the stage and serve as an antagonist in Brave New World. However, since that film isn’t out until next year, Red Hulk’s strength level can only be ascertained through supposition.
It could very well be that Red Hulk is even stronger than the original. Ross enjoys feeling powerful, so it is entirely plausible that he would demand a souped-up version of whatever winds up turning him into a raging beast. This remains to be seen though.
Hulk (Dr. Bruce Banner)
The Jade Giant himself, Dr. Bruce Banner was transformed into the eight-foot-tall, green-skinned, muscle-bound Hulk during an experiment gone horribly wrong.
A creature of almost pure rage who only seems to increase in power as he becomes more aggravated, there are a great many in the MCU who have a tremendous fear of the Hulk.
Hulk can withstand blasts from tanks and shrugs off average gunfire as though it merely tickles him. His immensely built legs can propel him several hundred feet into the air with one jump. The only things that hold the Hulk back are his anger, limited intellect, and his other half, Bruce, regaining control.
But in recent years, Banner spent some time in his state-of-the-art Gamma lab in tropical Mexico. It was here that the good doctor managed to fully integrate the brains (Bruce) and the brawn (Hulk) into one being, colloquially known as Smart Hulk.
It does seem like the Smart Hulk form isn’t as physically strong as the rageful version though, so this version of Bruce Banner is not the strongest Hulk that exists in the MCU right now.
Abomination (Emil Blonsky)
A high-ranking member of the British Royal Marines, Emil Blonsky craved one thing above all else: Power. Especially after bearing witness to the fearsome abilities of the Hulk while attempting to apprehend ol’ Jolly Green in Rio de Janeiro.
Hulk tore through Blonsky and his men like they were made of cardboard, so under the supervision of then-General Thaddeus Ross, Emil was administered an offshoot version of the Super Soldier Serum that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America.
When the serum was mixed with the blood of Bruce Banner, Blonsky grotesquely mutated into the ferocious and unpredictable Abomination, whose strength seems to surpass that of Hulk’s.
Fortunately for the denizens of the MCU, Emil has turned over a new leaf in recent years and now practices the pursuit of inner peace. Namaste.
An Imperfect System
At the end of the day, it’s up to the writers, producers, and directors of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to establish how strong they want characters to be. Sometimes, power and strength levels can be inconsistent from project to project or even scene to scene.
This means that even if Bruce is able to chuck a boulder into the stratosphere in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, it’s entirely possible that the next time he shows up, his feats will be lessened or increased, depending on how the creative team wants to depict him.
It’s important to remember that the MCU is meant to be entertainment. Getting bogged down in minutiae like, ”Who’s the strongest?” can, of course, be quite fun and worthwhile for fans. But sometimes it’s best to just take a step back and enjoy the show.
All of the MCU’s Hulk appearances can be streamed on Disney+. Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on February 14, 2025.
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