In the world of comic books, heroes are nothing without their antagonists, and each superhero team has its own collection of villains and arch-nemeses. Without these villains, the story’s entire thrill is lost, as they serve a significant role in shaping the superheroes’ character and persona, in addition to causing difficulties. When it comes to Marvel comics, there are a wide range of villains, some of them are even stronger than the heroes.
Because of their conflicts of interest, every hero has a rival, and they are mostly classified depending on their abilities. A magician’s antagonists are frequently magicians themselves, and God has God-like opponents. In today’s video, we will look at Hulk’s foes based on this.
The Incredible Hulk from Marvel is unquestionably one of the most powerful Avengers. He is accomplished feats that would be inconceivable for most people, such as carrying an entire island on his shoulders or fighting a massive savage canine.
His opponents are likely to have roughly equal or even greater powers than Hulk, but the game-changer is always Hulk’s rising wrath, which is his driving force. With that said, let us get started on today’s video, in which we will look at the top 14 Hulk villains.
MAESTRO
The term Maestro is a Spanish word meaning master, and in the Marvel universe, Maestro is a version of Hulk from the future who is evil and way stronger than the Hulk that is known to us. Created by Peter David, the character first appeared in ‘The Incredible Hulk’ volume 2 issue 401 as a vision and was the main antagonist in ‘The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect’ volumes 1 to 2, published from December 1992 to January 1993.
Maestro served more as a narrative for what if Hulk had been evil. This version of Hulk survives a nuclear war on Earth that kills almost every superhero. Driven insane by the nuclear radiation, he has the intelligence of Bruce Banner and significantly enhanced strength much greater than the Hulk.
Being the last survivor on Earth, where humans are nearly extinct, Hulk absorbs the bitterness he has for the world and becomes a dystopian ruler. Although Abomination might seem like a dark reflection of the Hulk in the comics, Maestro is undoubtedly the darkest and strongest version of Hulk that could ever be.
Maestro nearly has the same set of powers as the Hulk but only enhanced. After absorbing a century’s worth of radiation from the nuclear wars, he had gone insane, which might have been the reason for his enhanced strength. He is likely to possess Hulk’s ability to see and interact with astral forms. During the fight with his younger self, he easily dominates the Hulk with his experience and strength and breaks his neck.
He even tries to convince Hulk to side with him, but Hulk improvises and pretends to be more injured than he actually is, thereby using the extra time to prepare an attack on Maestro. Hulk emerges victorious at the end, and he uses Dr. Doom’s time machine to send Meastro to the time and place where Hulk was created, that is, during the testing of the Gamma bomb. Maestro appears next to the gamma bomb and gets killed, which is also when the Hulk is born.
THE LEADER
Next on the list, we have the self-proclaimed arch-enemy of the Hulk. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, this character was Samuel Sterns, aka the Leader. Samuel was an average American worker doing menial jobs in a chemical plant until one evening, while he was moving canisters of waste material, one of the canisters cracked open, exposing him to gamma radiation.
However, Samuel survived, and then as the days passed by, he started to feel changes in him. Initially, he experienced high intelligence, which seemed beneficial. He realized that his brain now possessed the accuracy of a computer. He enjoyed this and started reading and accumulating knowledge before the effects began mutating his body. His skin turned green, and his skull got enlarged.
The Leader’s intelligence is not to be questioned. Using his acquired super-intelligence, he soon became a criminal mastermind and devised a plan with the aid of extensive spy rings to take control of the United States government. He faced Hulk on several occasions and once even ruined Hulk’s wedding with Betty Ross. He even developed means to control the Hulk and the Rhino telepathically. The Leader had an army of humanoid robots at his disposal and numerous unique weapons like laser pistols, pulse weapons, kinetic gauntlets, etc. After years of searching, he managed to open ‘the Green Door’ and teleport himself to the Below-Place at will. He, however, lost this after being detached from the One Below All.
RED HULK – GENERAL THUNDERBOLT ROSS
General Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross was born to a New Hampshire family with a proud tradition and dedication to the U.S. Army, known as the Rosses. As a young boy, he was heavily engrossed in military studies and later qualified successfully from United States Military Academy. He joined military service and later got married to Karen Lee, the daughter of Captain Lee, whom he admired as a soldier.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in the “Incredible Hulk” issue 1, published in March 1962. He was a panel member for Banner’s research on the gamma bomb. Ross hated scientists and disturbed the entire procedure by goading the researchers to run the tests faster. As a result, there was an accident, and Banner got exposed to a high amount of gamma radiation from the gamma bomb.
Bruce survived but got transformed into the Hulk. He initially tried keeping it a secret, but Ross eventually found out and kept hunting the Hulk for a long time. His hatred was fueled by the fact that his daughter Betty Ross was in love with Bruce Banner. However, over time he agreed and compromised with his hatred. Bruce and Betty’s happiness was short-lived as the Abomination killed Betty.
This engulfed Ross in depression; he got into serious alcoholism before M.O.D.O.K., and the Leader approached him. With their help, he managed to use the gamma energy absorbed from the Hulk’s body and transform himself into The Red Hulk. Red Hulk’s first appearance was in “Hulk” volume 2, issue 1, published in March. Unlike Hulk, the Red Hulk, he could retain his intelligence and consciousness and has been both a hero and villain in the comics. He has even been a part of the Avengers and faced Hulk on several occasions.
His power is mainly his strength which is equivalent to that of the Hulk but what gives him an edge is his ability to retain his mind and use his intelligence even after transformation. We have gotten to see Thunderbolt Ross played by William Hurt in the MCU movies, and are waiting for the storyline where he transforms into the Red Hulk.
ABOMINATION
From creators Stan Lee and Gil Kane, the Abomination has to be one of the Hulk’s most enduring, renowned, and formidable adversaries. Before becoming the Abomination, his name was Emil Blonsky, from Yugoslavia. He was a KGB spy dispatched to an Air Force Base in New Mexico to shoot the US government’s experimental technology. As a result of his betrayal, he was subjected to greater quantities of gamma radiation than the Hulk, and he became the Hulk’s most consistent and powerful antagonist.
The Hulk and Abomination have one of the longest-running clashes in the Hulk’s heroic history comprising of fights with the Silver Surfer and others. The Abomination became stronger than the Hulk at his “normal” strength level, yet, unlike the Hulk, Abomination kept his entire human intelligence. Enamored with his newfound strength, the Abomination nearly killed the Hulk and captured Betty Ross. The Abomination made his first appearance in Tales to Astonish issue 90 published in April 1967.
The gamma radiation that transformed the Abomination’s body reinforced his genetic code by adding 800 pounds of bone marrow tissue from an anonymous source to his body. Unlike the Hulk, the Abomination’s metamorphosis is permanent; he cannot go back and forth between human and superhuman forms. It is possible to hurt him, despite his physical toughness. He does, however, have an accelerated healing factor comparable to that of the Hulk.
As a result, he can regenerate large amounts of injured or destroyed tissue at a far faster and more efficient rate than a normal person. The cloned Abomination was granted the power to create various degrees of very harmful Gamma Radiations after his reformation by the orders of Shield.
Because the Abomination’s lung capacity is greater than that of the Hulk, he can breathe underwater for extended periods. According to the orders of Shield, they introduced a function that allowed Abomination to hunt down the Hulk. Abomination was the main antagonist in MCU 2008 movie ‘The Incredible Hulk’ and also appeared in their recent Shang Chi- The legend of the ten rings
THE RED KING
The Hulk has battled various villains in the comics, from the Abomination to Glenn Talbot. But this one has to be the coolest of them all. The Red King. Red King, formerly Red Prince, is a Sakaar native and the planet’s monarch. He believed he could push himself to become the Sakaarson when he was young.
He made the Spikes and delivered them to An-Sara. To deal with the Spikes, he built the Death’s Head Guards. He tracked out Caiera, rescued her, and appointed her as his right-hand lady. Some, such as Hiroim, Elloe Kaifi, and Felan, questioned him and spoke out against him once he became king of the world. He forced individuals to compete in gladiator games and murder each other.
He apprehended natives who spoke out against him, as well as aliens that dropped through the wormhole from the sky. Created by Greg Pak and Carlo Pagulayan, Red King made his first appearance in Incredible Hulk issue 92: Planet Hulk part 1 of 4 where he dares the Hulk to a battle as he crashes landings on Sakkar, which would be amazing if he did anything. The Hulk was defeated twice by the Red King. The Hulk tore through his mechanical mech both times, causing him to bleed and making a farce of the King. The only time the King avoided being slain by the Hulk was when he nearly blew up Sakkar. Despite his immense potential, he made for a rather lousy villain.
The Red King’s powers lie in the Power Armour.
ABSORBING MAN
The Absorbing Man, a lifelong opponent of both the Hulk and Thor, is the next villain on our list. He made his first appearance in ‘Journey into Mystery’ issue 114 published in January 1965. Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Carl “Crusher” Creel, a former boxer and crook, transforms into the Absorbing Man after consuming a concoction laced with a magical elixir concocted by the Asgardian evil Loki.
Carl Creel grew up in the Bronx, but his mother supported him and told him to set high goals for himself. Carl’s father became aggressive when his mother died while he was young, yet he taught him how to be an automobile mechanic and even purchased his boxing gloves. Carl eventually got the courage to fight back when he was sixteen, and as a result, his father rejected him from their house.
Carl lived on the streets and in the gym from then on. He went into a life of crime on the streets, breaking into houses and automobiles while discovering his ability to box at the gym. He first challenges Thor and is hurled into space, but he becomes a regular nemesis of Thor, the Avengers, and, of course, The Hulk. Carl was once attacked by the Hulk while attempting to redirect a radioactive comet, but he was buried beneath the rock when the Hulk returned to human form, zapping Carl’s strength.
The Absorbing Man has the power to reproduce the physical attributes of everything he touches or is touched by, at will. This power encompasses both live and inanimate objects and specific types of energy. The matter in the Absorbing Man’s body magically changes materially and physiologically. His body is made up entirely of the matter or energy he is in touch with. The Absorbing Man can change the molecular structure of his body, clothing, and wrecking ball to imitate the attributes of whatever substance he comes into contact with.
This technique also improves his strength, endurance, and, in most situations, damage resistance. Creel absorbs the attributes of the thing touched if it has energy, such as a battery or a blast furnace. Upon absorbing specific objects, he also possesses limited shape-changing powers, such as creating hammer-like hands when touching a hammer or expanding to tremendous size when replicating massive power or strength items. Daredevil and Journey into Mystery both include his appearance.
ZZZAX
The next on the list is an electrical beast named Zzzax. Created by Steve Englehart and Herb Trimpe, this entity first appeared in ‘Incredible Hulk’ issue 166, published in May 1973. When a group of highly armed terrorists sought to shut down the power of New York City, an explosion occurred because of their gunfire. The explosions started a chain reaction in the atomic reactor resulting in a psionically charged electromagnetic field on a humanoid form.
This electromagnetic form kept growing and started absorbing the electro-psionic fields generated by the people around it and incinerating them. It soon acquired human intelligence and became aware of its surroundings. With rudimentary speech developed, it named itself Zzzax.
Consequently, it began a campaign of murder and destruction to increase its intelligence further. Zzzax clashed with both the Hulk and Hawkeye. Zzzax short-circuited, and its constituent field dissipated when Hawkeye shot an arrow attached to a long conducting wire through Zzzax into the East River. Zzzax hasn’t made many appearances in comic books for various reasons, but he is thoroughly defeated whenever he does. And when the villain is Zzzax who is an unstoppable ball of electricity you would think that he shouldn’t be put down so easily yet he is.
Zzzax is a pure-electrical beast. It has the ability to create electricity, alter electrical fields in the vicinity, and fly. To exist, Zzzax takes energy from the human brain; this typically kills its victims and gives Zzzax temporary personality characteristics that are identical to the person it has absorbed. Only the Hulk, his adversary, has proven impervious to this power. Although Zzzax is an energy creature, its physical form is capable of lifting stuff in the same way as a normal anthropomorphic body can.
Zzzax has the ability to lift 100 tonnes or more, depending on the amount of energy it has absorbed at the time. Due to the quasi-physical nature of Zzzax’s body, it has practically infinite stamina and longevity. It can hover its body in the air, but it cannot attain a velocity greater than that of a normal human of its size jogging or walking at the same pace on a level ground.
THANOS
The next on the list is a popular one: Thanos. Thanos has been one of the most formidable opponents for the Avengers and has faced Hulk on several occasions. Created by
Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich Thanos first appeared in Iron Man issue 55, published in October 1972. Thanos was born to A’Lars, progenitor of the second colony of Eternals on Titan, and Sui-San, who was the last survivor of the original settlement on the moon. Due to his Deviant Syndrome, he was born with purple skin and a massive body which drove his mother crazy upon seeing him for the first time. She even tried to kill him. As a teenager, Thanos was an introvert but liked by his peers.
He eventually liked a mysterious girl who took him to the cave with his friends to overcome his fear. At the cave, they were struck for 3days, during which he witnessed obnoxious and deadly creatures around him but refused to kill them. Later he found out that his friends were killed by these same animals. When he returned to society, he changed. The girl persuades him to go back to the cave and kill the creatures, which he eventually does. Post this, he develops a liking for killing and killed 17 people on Titan. He eventually killed his own mother in hopes of understanding the reason for his own physiology. Thanos embraces his murdering nature and becomes the mad Titan.
Thanos is skilled in martial arts and can use his intelligence in a fight that we all witnessed in his fight with the Hulk in ‘The Avenger: Infinity War’. The fight showcases his skill as a fighter, strength equivalent to the Hulk, and temperament as he did not lose his calm.
Hulk aggression was soon dealt with a few tactical blows followed by a full body slam. He not only defeated Hulk but also made him tremble in fear throughout the story. Even towards the end, when he teleports to Wakanda to get the Mind Stone, Bruce takes a few steps back out of fear. In the Avengers Assemble animated series, we got to see a one-on-one fight between Hulk and Thanos where Hulk got the edge over him owing to his rage. Thanos possesses a wide set of abilities, including superhuman strength, stamina, agility, and immortality. He can also manipulate energy blasts and also possesses divine knowledge of the Universe.
MODOK
George Tarleton, alias M.O.D.O.K., formerly M.O.D.O.C., was a mediocre American technician operating for A.I.M. Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, M.O.D.O.K made his first appearance in ‘Tales of Suspense’ issue 94 published on June 1967. He joined the league to assist in constructing the Cosmic Cube, but the Scientist Supreme turned him into a human-computer.
They expanded his brain to give him superhuman intelligence, but the result was a gigantic cranium that was too much for his weak frame, necessitating his placement in a life support unit known as the “Doomsday Chair.” He gained a wealth of psychic abilities and ego and desire to match as a result of the operation. He then used his newly acquired abilities to seize control of the organization that had experimented on him.
Since Amadeus Cho depowered M.O.D.O.K and reverted to a normal human being, there have been no abilities left with him, but in the period of being a human-computer, he possessed high intelligence and Knowledge.
WENDIGO
It’s always intriguing to see mythology brought to life in comic books. According to legend, the Wendigo, created by Steve Englehart and Herb Trimpe, is a vicious beast who appeared when someone ate human flesh. The Wendigo, a mythical gargantuan beast, formed by devouring human flesh, was similar to comic books. The Wendigo, although being cool, was accessible to battle and put down owing to the two heroes, making his first appearance in Hulk comics at the same time as bringing about the debut of the Wolverine in his famous outfit.
The beast has made several appearances in comic books since then and has grown into a formidable foe. The Northern Gods established the “Curse of the Wendigo” in order to prevent human cannibalism. The cannibal evolves into the Wendigo, a fur-covered beast with extraordinary strength and durability. After that, he or she roams the woods, devouring humans. The Hulk, Wolverine, and Alpha Flight have all faced the Wendigo. Paul Cartier took on the identity of the Wendigo, fought the Hulk, and fled.
He fought the Hulk and Wolverine again, and then fought the Hulk and Wolverine again. The Northern Gods imposed the “Curse of the Wendigo” to prohibit human cannibalism. The cannibal transforms into the Wendigo, a fur-covered beast of incredible power and endurance. They then wander in the woods, consuming humanity. Wendigo has fought the Hulk, Wolverine, and Alpha Flight.
Wendigo has extraordinary strength, endurance, and a regenerative healing factor, as well as toughened talons. Its high agility and razor-sharp claws can devour gigantic animals in seconds.
JUGGERNAUT
Many times, the villains of other heroes shift their attention to The Hulk and become his adversaries. The Juggernaut, a long-time X-Men antagonist who is nearly as great and invincible as the Hulk himself, is one such villain. This villain is Charles Xavier’s stepbrother. He found the mythical Crystal of Cyttorak while having a turbulent relationship with Professor Xavier. Marko Cain transforms into the Juggernaut, thanks to the diamond, and fights Charles Xavier and the X-Men countless times throughout the years. Years later, when Marko attempted to harm an innocent person, he had a short meeting with the Hulk.
Dr. Kurt Marko and Marjorie Marko have a son named Cain. Dr. Marko’s affluent colleague, another atomic researcher, Dr. Brian Xavier, died in an accident, and Dr. Marko married his widow, Sharon Xavier, for her considerable money. At this point, the young inexperienced Charles was unable to manage or terminate his interaction with Cain’s mind. Cain, on the other hand, was standing nearby and heard about Charles’ gift, leading him to conclude that Charles had intruded on his thoughts on purpose. Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Alex Toth, Juggernaut made his first appearance in X-Men issue 2 published in May 1965.
Cain linked to the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak found on Earth and repowered utilizing the parts of the Gem of Cyttorak after losing the Gem of Cyttorak and his abilities. Juggernaut has the ability to summon his unique armour at any moment. Juggernaut has complete control over summoning and removing his magical armour. The Juggernaut is a powerful hand-to-hand combatant that resulted as a consequence of his time in the military and his experiences as a superhuman, preferring to use street fighting and brawling methods that allow him to fully utilize his immense strength. Juggernaut appeared in the movie X-Men: The Last Stand and also in Deadpool 2.
BRIAN BANNER
Brian David Banner was a Marvel Comics villain who was linked to the Hulk and eventually became the principal enemy of the Immortal Hulk series. Created by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema, Brian was Bruce Banner’s or abusive Hulk’s father and arch-nemesis, whose terrible legacy, such as the Guilt Hulk, lasted long after his death. He finally emerged from Hell as a Hulk-like creature, eerily similar to his Guilt Hulk condition, which many mistakes for the Devil Hulk. Brian Banner was most recently seen in the Immortal Hulk series, where he seized Hulk for a moment and forced him to open the Green Door, forcing the whole planet to be taken to Hell.
It’s safe to assume Brian was able to do this with the help of the One Below All. Brian and his mother were physically and psychologically mistreated by their father when they were children. Brian vowed himself that he would never have children since he saw his father as a monster and believed he had received a “monster gene” from him. He was afraid of bringing another Banner into the world.
When Brian Banner was discharged from Los Alamos, he became persuaded that the explosion had harmed him genetically, and he married Rebecca Banner, who subsequently gave birth to Bruce Banner. After Brian’s death, his ghost continued to stalk Bruce’s alter-ego, the Hulk. The image of Brian Banner has also been exploited by villains like Mentallo, the Red Skull, and Guilt Hulk against the Hulk. Brian reappears in the Chaos War storyline, resurrected by the Chaos King and given the ability to morph into the Guilt Hulk.
His genius-level intelligence, Ph.D. in nuclear physics, and psychological metaphysical conversion make him hazardous. He boosted his own abilities by feeding on the Hulk’s rage. He has the ability to change reality.
MADMAN
Created by Jeff Purves, Peter David, Madman, initially known as Philip Sterns, was a great nuclear physicist who earned his Ph.D. at the California Institute of Technology. He was a student of Bruce Banner, whose brilliance eclipsed his own. Philip was envious of Banner, and he grew fascinated with his old classmate later on. With Banner’s “career” as the Hulk, Philip Sterns developed a crazy love or obsession. To imitate his “hero,” Sterns exposed himself to a slew of gamma-radiation tests.
As a result of this, Sterns become a deformed monster, a person who possesses enormous superhuman strength. He also developed a mental illness known as multiple personality disorder. From that point onwards, he was given the ‘commands’ to follow out by a much stronger, probably psychotic personality. The Leader and Philip’s brother, Samuel Sterns, devised a plan to assassinate the Hulk.
During the conflict that followed, Madman had a psychiatric collapse, fully losing his previous identity, and Hulk was able to heal himself as well as poison Madman, leaving him on the verge of death with the cure just out of reach. After landing in London, he kidnapped Prince Charles and held him prisoner on the roof of Buckingham Palace, demanding to be crowned King of England. Madman killed Perseus, a retired Pantheon member whom the Hulk was visiting when he tried to intercede, but the Hulk knocked him away.
Madman, like the Hulk, possesses immense superhuman power. Madman, unlike the Hulk, cannot become stronger as he becomes more enraged, but he is capable of generating huge increases in his size, density, and strength, allowing him to far outstrip the Hulk’s calm condition for short periods of time. In this state, he is said to be at least twice as powerful as the basic level of the merged or ‘professor’ incarnation and has once knocked out the latter with a single punch to the skull due to the benefit of surprise. He’s also claimed to be able to take on a variety of disguises, including that of a scientist spying on the “New World Order.”
U-FOES
Rip-offs might be for the better or for the worst. Created by Sal Buscema, and Bill Mantlo, the U-Foes, for example, fall into the better group. The U-Foes were a gang of scientists who attempted to repeat the experiment that gave rise to the Fantastic Four’s relationship. Each of them was given a unique set of abilities, including the ability to transform into vapors and use cosmic rays.
The U-Foes, like most villains, are usually easily defeated. They did, however, manage to take on and defeat a weakened Hulk in subsequent comics, and the villains ended up spreading out and taking on the Avengers again and again. Not bad for a Fantastic Four rip-off. In order to replicate the Fantastic Four’s genesis, these four power-hungry individuals went to a great extent to replicate the accident that gave birth to the FF, even recruiting the engineers who designed the original shuttle to try to replicate it perfectly.
The endeavor was successful, but the ‘project’ was halted when Bruce Banner found their ground control center and was able to bring the shuttle down since he believed it had been accidentally exposed to cosmic radiation. Despite their newfound ability, the four assaulted Banner as soon as they landed, believing they might have earned even more if he hadn’t intervened, but they were destroyed when Banner morphed into the Hulk, their new abilities no match for Banner’s raw strength and lack of teamwork. They were vanquished on this occasion but went on to become the U-Foes, a group of super-criminals. The U-Foes made their first comic book appearance in ‘The Incredible Hulk’ issue 254 published in September 1980.