How Strong Is Hulk In The MCU Vs The Comics?

When the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched in 2008, it did so with two films: "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk." While the actor who portrays the Jade Giant has since changed, one thing has remained the same — the Hulk is immeasurably strong. He also goes through lots of changes, and since his reintroduction to the silver screen in 2008, the Hulk has done a lot in the MCU that demonstrates how incredible he truly is. It's the same in the comics, though Hulk's history dates back to 1962.

Whenever a comic book character is lifted from the page and transformed for a movie, there are going to be alterations. Most costumes that look good in comics don't translate well to live-action, but that's never been much of an issue with the Hulk, as he's typically portrayed wearing tattered purple pants. In terms of his strength, the comics have maintained a sliding scale, enhancing or reducing it depending on the stories, writers, and artists.

Still, when someone as popular as the Hulk is adapted, fans inevitably ask how he compares from the movies to the comics. For the most part, the MCU's version of the Hulk is a close approximation of his comic book counterpart, though, as of writing, he's not as strong. That's largely due to several story arcs that saw the Savage Hulk transform over the years into the Immortal and Worldbreaker Hulks, among others. Here's how the Hulk's strength compares between his comic book and movie versions.

The Hulk's strength in the MCU has never been outright defined, but it's possible to gauge, thanks to some of his more impressive feats. There are plenty of online discussions attempting to inject math by assessing the mass of something like a Chitauri Leviathan from "The Avengers" and the energy required for Hulk's punch to stop it in its tracks. While that punch shows that the Hulk's strength far exceeds his mass, it pales in comparison to the time he knocks back Surtur in "Thor: Ragnarok."

In the same movie, Hulk manages to become the champion of Sakaar, and while this occurs off-screen, it's clear that he dominated the competition. Finally, surviving using the Infinity Gauntlet and only coming away with a damaged arm puts him near Thanos. That's despite his previous fight against the Mad Titan, which didn't end in his favor. In the following film, he's transformed into the so-called "Smart Hulk," which is a variant that appeared in the comics throughout the 1990s, though he was known there as "Professor Hulk."

Granted, there are plenty of things about that Hulk that didn't make it into the MCU, but his strength, for the most part, made the transition. Still, with over 60 years of publishing history, the Hulk's strength has increased exponentially in print, and when compared to the MCU, comic book Hulk far outclasses his MCU counterpart. It's difficult to quantify Hulk's MCU strength, but in terms of ranking, he's stronger than Thor and weaker than Thanos.

Initially, the Hulk was relatively weak, grey in color, and only transformed at night. Much of the character's lore has changed over the years, but one aspect has remained constant: Hulk's strength scales with his rage. The angrier he becomes, the stronger he gets, and he's been pretty peeved for decades. In "Marvel Comics Secret Wars," Hulk holds up a mountain to protect his gathered superhero allies.

Marvel classifies the Hulk's strength at a seven, which means he can lift 100+ tons, but that mountain weighed closer to 150,000,000,000 tons. Comics really aren't here for hard math, to be fair. Over the years, Marvel has offered a large variety of Hulks, each one with different strength levels that arguably make him the strongest character in the Marvel Universe. One of Hulk's strongest forms is Worldbreaker Hulk, who is the result of his time on Sakaar. That's where he rises to become the planet's champion, only to return to Earth ready for a fight.

This is not only Hulk at his angriest, but it's also his strongest comics form. He's around 10 times the level of strength as that Savage Hulk who lifted the mountain in the '80s. Writer Greg Pak described Worldbreaker Hulk as "stronger than any mortal — and most immortals — who ever walked the Earth." There's simply no comparison between that version of the Hulk and the one seen in the movies ... yet. Until the MCU shows a feat greater than literally cracking a tectonic plate, comic book Hulk will remain the strongest between the two variants.