Previously in part 1 (http://www.warwithwords.com/?p=5), I discussed the advantages of Savage, Professor, and Mindless Hulk against Superman in this match up. In part 2, I will be discussing and addressing World War and Worldbreaker Hulk (two sides of the same coin) and the more current, Indestructible Hulk.
World War Hulk, especially in Worldbreaker form is considered to be the most powerful of Hulk’s forms, and thus not only does everything previously said about Hulk apply here, but it’s all enhanced.
World War Hulk was Hulk on a rampage, taking on the likes of Dr. Strange, Colossus, Juggernaut, Hercules, Iron Man and more. A specific feat, when Hulk faced Iron Man in his Hulkbuster suit, the two clashed and created a huge shock wave that shattered the glass of adjacent buildings, comparable Superman and Doomsday did in Death of Superman.
Also Hulk had scuffles with Hercules, a being stronger than Superman, he tanked heat from Apollo the Sun God, survived a combined Nova from Human Torch and Lightning strike from Storm (both hotter than the sun, ala Superman’s eye beams), and fought Red Hulk who hit him so hard that he created a nuclear cloud, and yet….none of this fazed him in the slightest.
Furthermore Hulk had battles with Sentry, a Superman expy of Marvel’s who can actually be considered to be STRONGER than the Man of Steel himself, and of course Hulk was victorious.
But the best feats, the incredible showings of strength that Hulk had, were more extreme. During one arc, Hulk was shown pushing two tectonic plates back together, which easily gives him planetary strength. In another, this time as Worldbreaker Hulk, he fought someone who was his equal, Red She-Hulk, and as they clashed the entire planet exploded around them incinerating other strong opponents and destroying the planet (And that was just from the shock wave….oh and he easily survived said destruction).
This level of strength and durability puts him comfortably above Superman in this form, giving him yet another advantage. Another thing I’d like to point out was Hulk was a lot more strategic and intelligent during this run, which is another obstacle Superman will have to overcome: An intelligent beast who is stronger, more durable, and is constantly improving.
Now for Indestructible Hulk….
Indestructible Hulk is the first time Hulk has been SHOWN to be super fast, which partially negates the speed advantage that Superman has over him. As Savage Hulk, he’s been described as ‘lightning fast’ before and even ‘impossibly fast for his size’, but this is the first time he’s been given the usual comic effect for super speed (aka being drawn in blurs).
In addition to this, Indestructible Hulk seems to have new armor to protect him (like he needed it) and had several SUPERB showings of durability and strength.
For one, Indestructible Hulk is shown easily tanking Hyperion’s eye beams, and if you’ve been following along, Hyperion is essentially a Marvel Superman (much like Sentry and Gladiator, though all vary in strength). He also has tanked weapons of ‘Thor Level Ordinance’ including a molecular disintegrator, a machine that rewrites molecules on a subatomic level via sound, and more. He’s also jumped through an Absolute Zero fountain to save Thor’s life, has literally walked through a time stream, and has survived and nearly overpowered the weight of a Supernova.
And with the evolution of Banner as even MORE dangerous than Hulk, with Banner Tech and general psychotic tendencies, Indestructible Hulk may be the most dangerous of all. His durability is insane, his strength seems to remain (although not Worldbreaker level as far as punches thrown), and his resistance to all things damaging is still there, as is his healing factor. Oh and now he has speed.
Indestructible Hulk would likely take Superman as well, and that’s going with the fact that Banner likely won’t help him too much with Banner Tech. Because while Superman is known as a planet mover, a Supernova is at least a million times that, if not far more in force, mass, weight, etc.
And before I close the argument for Hulk, I would like to address the one thing that applies to ALL Hulks that I’ve mentioned before.
Hulk has LIMITLESS strength. The madder he gets, the more powerful he gets and no one has been able to measure or see the end to his strength, not even the nigh-omnipotent Beyonder. Machines have broken trying to measure it, and powerful heroes, villains, and warriors alike have fallen trying to contain or fight it. Hulk also has great adaptation where he seems to START at levels necessary to fight evenly with his opponent, as long as they aren’t ridiculously more powerful than him (such as Thanos).
So Superman will have his hands full, not only with a Savage Beast or an Intelligent Beast, or an Intelligent Beast with a psychopath for an alter ego(who happens to have dangerous tech), but a Beast who is constantly adapting, constantly growing in power, and who is hard to take down.
Part 3 will address Superman’s advantages and the argument for him against the Hulk and all of his forms.
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