X-Men '97 Confirms One Team Member May Be Stronger Than The Hulk
Contains spoilers for "X-Men '97" Season 1, Episode 7 – "Bright Eyes"
The Marvel Universe is packed to the brim with incredibly powerful heroes and villains, and there isn't a definitive answer to who is the strongest. After all, powers and storylines continually shift, leaving the answer to the question in constant flux. However, two candidates that almost always rank near the top of the list are the X-Men's Rogue and the Incredible Hulk, and in the latest episode of "X-Men '97," the latter accomplishes a feat of strength the Jade Giant would be proud of.
Keeping the Hulk contained has long proved to be a near-impossible feat. Since debuting in "Incredible Hulk" #1 (by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Paul Reinman, and Artie Simek), the monstrous hero's strength has been on full display, with even the strongest and most technologically advanced opponents struggling to take him down. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, S.H.I.E.L.D. even prepared a special detention cell aboard the Helicarrier for the big green guy, and though it was strong enough to hold Loki for a while, it was ultimately unable to contain the Hulk. Often, the best hope of stopping the Hulk is hoping he reverts to Bruce Banner and loading him up with drugs to sedate him enough to prevent the Hulk from re-emerging.
In the recent "X-Men '97" Season 1 episode, "Bright Eyes," viewers learn of another facility designed to keep the Hulk at bay. However, when Rogue breaks through it and quickly dispatches a building designed to be impenetrable by the green Avenger, it immediately sparks the question: Is the X-Men hero actually stronger than the Hulk?
Is Rogue really stronger than the Hulk in X-Men '97?
Following the deaths of Gambit and Magneto in the previous "X-Men '97" episode, Rogue goes on a mission to find out who is responsible. She visits a covert U.S. Army facility, ripping through its defenses while an unfazed Thunderbolt Ross sips coffee and tells his nervous soldiers, "Gentleman, need I remind you, we're staying in the same place built to hold the Hulk?" He refers to Rogue as an unhinged intruder from the swamp, suggesting her powers pale in comparison to the Jade Giant. He quickly finds out just how wrong he is.
Rogue uses her strength to tear the top of the building off, telling Ross, "Daddy always used to say breaking into prison was easier than breaking out," before confronting him about the whereabouts of Henry Gyrich and Bolivar Trask, whom she blames for the mutant massacre in Genosha. In the process, she decimates the bunker that was specifically designed to keep the Hulk contained.
However, while this shows she's a legitimate powerhouse, it doesn't necessarily mean she's stronger than the Hulk. The facility was made to contain the Hulk, but whether it actually could is never answered. When the Hulk's rage reaches its highest level, he can break through nearly anything — even a prison designed specifically to stop him. Plus, Rogue has some advantages the Hulk doesn't, such as the ability to fly, meaning the bunker is equipped to deal with the Hulk, not a flying mutant. While Rogue's powers certainly put her in the discussion of being potentially stronger than her fellow hero in a matchup of pure strength, Hulk probably still has an advantage at his upper levels.
Why is the X-Men's Rogue so strong?
Debuting in "Avengers Annual" #10 (by Chris Claremont, Michael Golden, Armando Gil, and Joe Rosen), Rogue's initial powers weren't as mighty as they are these days. Due to her original mutation, any skin-to-skin contact caused her to steal abilities and life energy from anyone she touched, a power that is were especially tragic when used on humans as it can easily kill them. However, during an encounter with Carol Danvers (then known as Ms. Marvel), she somehow permanently absorbed the Avenger's powers, giving her flight, super-strength, and the hero's memories. Despite Rogue's backstory of originally being a villain who fought alongside the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and her adopted mother, Mystique, she would use the new abilities she received from Danvers for good. Rogue has kept the power upgrades from her clash with the hero, making her one of the strongest X-Men in the Marvel Universe.
Rogue isn't as strong as the Hulk when both are at the absolute height of their strength. But that's only because Hulk's upper-power limit is unknown and potentially so high that it's practically incalculable. In a fight against the Jade Giant, Rogue could certainly hold her own before ultimately losing. But, with Danvers' impressive abilities combined with her mutant powers, in terms of pure strength, few heroes can rival her.