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The Hulk and Superman are both known for their unmatched strength and power
[Photo Credits: Marvel and DC Comics]
The green superhero that needs no introduction faces off one of the most recognizable superheroes of all time.
Both Hulk and Superman possess incredible strength, endurance and power, but can you tell who is stronger of the two?
In this blog post, we’re going to answer that question and explore the backgrounds, abilities and weaknesses of these two fighting machines to settle the debate once and for all!
It’s time for the Hulk vs. Superman showdown!
Hulk vs. Superman’s Origins Story
Every superhero has an origin story that explains how they got their superpowers and what inspired them to start fighting against the villains.
To understand the Hulk and Superman better, let’s take a trip down memory lane to see how they both started out.
Hulk’s Origin Story
The Hulk made his comic debut in the first issue of The Incredible Hulk in May 1962.
To understand his beginnings, let’s go back to the fateful day his alter ego, Doctor Robert Bruce Banner, transformed into a muscular green humanoid.
Bruce used to work in a lab on a gamma bomb. However, while testing the bomb, a teenager named Rick Jones entered the test site.
Banner rushed to push Rick into a protective trench to keep him out of harm’s way, exposing himself to the harmful gamma rays.
As a result of the accident, Bruce Banner transforms into the scary Hulk whenever he is stressed out or even against his will.
With strength as infinite as his anger, the Green Giant gets into fights with bothersome heroes almost as often as with villains because he simply wants to be left alone.
Superman’s Origin Story
Kal-El, better known as Superman, made his first appearance in 1938’s Action Comics #1 comic book.
Kal-El was sent to Earth by his parents, Jor-El and Kara, to escape the destruction of their home planet, Krypton.
Upon landing in Smallville, Kansas, a couple named Jonathan and Martha Kent raised Kal-El as their own son and named him Clark Kent.
Just like every Kryptonian, Clark was born with superpowers. However, he couldn’t use his powers back on Krypton because of the planet’s immense gravity and the red sun — Rao.
Luckily for Clark, Earth has a lighter gravity and a yellow sun, so he can use his superpowers to do good. His adoptive parents instilled the right values in him and inspired him to fight for the greater good of humanity.
Eventually, Clark moved to Metropolis to study for college and work for the Daily Planet. Ultimately, he lived a double life as a journalist and hero.
Hulk vs. Superman’s Powers
The Last Son of Krypton is known for his heat vision and the ability to fly while the Hulk possesses unlimited strength and otherworldly stamina.
But these two iconic superheroes have more superpowers and abilities that make them fearsome and hard to beat.
In round one of the Hulk vs. Superman showdown, let’s find out which superhero has greater powers.
Hulk’s Powers And Abilities
1. Unlimited Stamina
What makes the Hulk special is his immeasurable stamina.
A fight that goes on for an extended period of time can tire out most superheroes and villains but not the Hulk! He can stay at the top of his game for several days!
In the Incredible Hulk Annual #7 comic book, the writers say that Hulk’s stamina is limitless if he’s in a state of complete rage!
But we’ve seen him look tired in some comics, so how could that ever happen?
Well, if the Hulk leaves mid-battle, it’s not because he’s tired — it‘s more likely that he simply lost interest in the fight!
When the Hulk is no longer enraged, he goes back to being Doctor Bruce Banner.
2. Unlimited Strength
One of Hulk’s greatest powers is his unparalleled strength.
And the driving force for his strength is his rage.
The angrier the Green Goliath gets when someone pushes his buttons, the more powerful he becomes!
3. Regeneration
Hulk’s invulnerability makes him immune to almost any man-made weapon.
On top of his invulnerability, the Hulk also possesses regenerative powers that allow him to heal from anything.
If he suffers from internal damage or loses a body part, his body can repair itself and regenerate the part that’s missing.
The angrier The Hulk is, the faster he heals.
The ability to heal himself despite the injury came in handy many times, especially in the Incredible Hulk #398 comic book.
Vector — a member of the U-Foes team of supervillains — peels every inch of Hulk’s skin from his body, yet the Hulk manages to regenerate his skin and muscles in a matter of seconds!
4. Life-giving Blood
If you think that The Hulk is just an indestructible powerhouse that never tires out, you might want to think again! This powerful superhero also possesses an unusual ability — to give life to others with his own blood.
His blood helped save the life of his cousin — Jennifer Walters. It also gave life to dry soil, allowing flowers to bloom.
5. Ability To Survive In Space And Water
One more terrifying yet awesome ability that makes the Hulk even more powerful is his ability to survive in space!
Space can be a deadly place. Essentially, it is a vacuum with no oxygen, and you’d need a spacesuit to survive in it for longer than 15 seconds.
With his instant tissue regeneration and super lung capacity, the Hulk doesn’t have a problem existing or even fighting in space. He can hold his breath for long periods of time and repair his tissues even in the most hostile environments.
The same goes for underwater fights. Since the Hulk can hold his breath indefinitely, he wouldn’t have a problem taking someone down underwater.
Superman’s Powers And Abilities
1. Flight
The planet Krypton is known for its extremely cold or hot weather and gravity heavier than Earth’s. Kryptonians developed the ability to fly to brave such harsh conditions and avoid getting crushed by intense gravity.
The Last Son of Krypton can hover in mid-air, push heavy objects away from the Earth’s surface and manipulate the gravitational force surrounding him.
2. Heat Vision
Superman is like a solar battery — he absorbs solar energy from the Earth’s Sun and uses it as heat vision.
The Man of Steel’s heat vision allows him to release stored solar energy with great precision and intensity through his eyes.
What makes his heat vision special? Well, he can hit objects of microscopic sizes from a hundred feet away. He can even use this power as Clark Kent!
3. Time Travel
In the comics, the Last Son of Krypton can travel back in time by flying around the Earth faster than the speed of light.
His speed causes the Earth to slow down and start to rotate in the opposite direction.
In Superman: The Movie, the Man of Steel makes the most of this power and uses it to protect Lois Lane — his great love.
4. Superhuman Senses
Of course, Superman wouldn’t be a super man without his heightened human abilities!
He possesses an enhanced sense of sight, smell and hearing, taking some of the basic human abilities a step further:
- Sight: Superman defies the laws of physics by being able to see through walls
- Smell: Superman’s sense of smell can be compared to that of a bomb-sniffing dog
- Hearing: In some comics, Superman’s hearing has no limitations, while in others he can hear within a one-mile radius. In either case, he can still hear better than an average person, which allows him to respond to other people’s cries for help.
5. Shapeshifting
One of Superman’s most interesting abilities is to alter the shape of his body and face. He possesses a total mastery of his muscles and can tweak them at will.
In his earlier adventures, such as those described in the Superman #45 comic book, the Last Son of Krypton used this ability to escape alien traps by shapeshifting into alien guards.
Hulk vs. Superman’s Weaknesses
When you know that the Man of Steel survived getting shot in the eye and the Jade Giant survived being skinned alive, you may think that these two superheroes are invincible.
But just like everybody else, they also have weak spots.
Hulk’s Weaknesses
- Adamantium and Vibranium: Regular knives and swords don’t leave a mark on Hulk, but Wolverine’s claws can cause him harm. The claws are made from Adamantium and are powerful enough to pierce Hulk’s skin, as described in Incredible Hulk #340. Vibranium is a metal from the fictional Kingdom of Wakanda, which is also home to the powerful superhero Black Panther. Should Black Panther decide to make a weapon of Vibranium, the Green Giant would be in serious trouble!
- Sleeping Gas: Hulk’s opponents often manage to knock him out with sleeping gas temporarily.
- Rage nullification: In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Widow uses her calming techniques and a soothing voice to keep Hulk’s anger at bay. But what if his enemies decide to use this trick to strip him of his power?
- Inner battles with Bruce: The Hulk has a multiple personality disorder, and he always fights with Bruce for control over the body they share. The constant fighting prevents the Green Giant from achieving peak performance in fights.
Superman’s Weaknesses
- Magic: Superman gained his powers as a result of natural phenomena, and that makes him vulnerable to anything supernatural and magical.
- Atomic radiation: Even though the Man of Steel gets his powers from solar energy, he isn’t immune to atomic radiation.
- High-pitched noises: The Man of Steel’s sense of hearing can be both a blessing and a curse. Noises that have high-pitched frequencies, like the ones coming from the Black Canary, can catch him off guard and hurt him.
- Kryptonite: Superman can experience severe weakness and excruciating pain when exposed to the green kryptonite’s radiation.
What Would The Hulk vs. Superman Fight Look Like?
Now that we know what Hulk’s and Superman’s main powers and weaknesses are, let’s imagine they get into a fistfight with each other.
Since they both possess superhuman strength and speed, their fight might go on for days.
However, according to Greg Pak — Marvel’s writer, who worked on several comics featuring the Hulk, Superman would win their fight because of his virtues:
“Superman, being who he is, will not just make his enemy angry. Also, Superman, Clark, would take the time to figure out what’s going on and try to diffuse the situation. Clark doesn’t just charge into battle and start fighting people for the hell of it. He doesn’t lose control in that kind of way. And if he does, he comes back. So Clark would win by eventually finding a way to reach the Hulk and diffuse him, and he would turn back into Bruce Banner.”
But what if the Hulk had a kryptonite?
In that case, the Hulk would be a clear winner since extended exposure to kryptonite can drain all of Superman’s strength.
Now, let’s say the battle continues in outer space.
While the Green Giant can hold his breath in harsh environments, Superman would have an advantage in space because he can fly at the speed of light and fight in space as if he were on the ground.
If this were to happen, Superman would win the fight.
Who’d Win The Hulk vs. Superman Fight? Our Verdict Is In!
In the Hulk vs. Superman showdown, the winner depends on the location, where the two fight and the emotions they go through that day.
Here’s a quick recap of the possible Hulk vs. Superman fight outcomes:
- Superman would easily be defeated and fall flat due to excruciating pain and muscle weakness if the Green Goliath were to have a kryptonite on hand.
- If Superman could bring Hulk to outer space, he would have the advantage thanks to his ability to fly and his familiarity with space.
But, the actions of these two superheroes heavily depend on their emotions. The Hulk is powered by his rage while the calm Superman relies on his logic and good morals.
Superman has high moral standards, so he probably wouldn’t even want to fight the Hulk and would do everything in his power to talk him down.
There you have it! These two iconic superheroes are both physically strong but they aren’t each other’s enemies since both characters have a heart of gold, in one way or another.
FAQs
1. Can Superman’s strength match the Hulk’s?
Superman sure does posess immense strength, *but* the Hulk’s strength increases with his anger, potentially surpassing Superman’s.
2. Would Superman’s speed give him an advantage over the Hulk?
Superman’s superhuman speed could give him an edge in terms of agility first and foremost, allowing him to outmaneuver the slower-moving Hulk. Sure, the Hulk is also fast, but compared to Superman, he might appear slow.
3. Could the fight between Superman and the Hulk lead to a stalemate?
It’s quite possible that neither character would emerge as a clear victor, resulting in a stalemate or temporary ceasefire.
