Hulk vs Thor Rematch Finally Settles Who's More Powerful (& It's Not Close)

Summary Hulk and Thor fight frequently, but usually with some kind of caveat that makes a direct comparison difficult.

However, in Avengers: Twilight, Hulk just took down Thor with a single hit, showcasing his limitless strength.

Fan debate is heated over who 'should' be stronger, but this story offers up a very clear answer as to who actually is.

Warning: contains spoilers for Avengers: Twilight #5!As Hulk and Thor square off once again, fans of this Marvel match-up have new evidence of who's really the "Strongest Avenger." The Son of Odin and the Green Goliath are among the strongest Avengers in franchise history, with their respective tempers resulting in many different face-offs between the two. However, it's rare fans get a definitive indication of who's truly most powerful.

That changes in Avengers: Twilight #5. The issue takes place in the Avengers' near future, where Red Skull has discredited Captain America's team and convinced the public that heroes cause nothing but destruction. This is all part of his plan to seize control of America, as he reveals he's been working behind the scenes to enact a fascist takeover of the planet. Just as Cap seems to have the upper hand against Red Skull, he unleashes the ultimate weapon that he's kept secret until now.

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Mind-controlled by Ultron's technology, Hulk has been turned into a living weapon, with Red Skull dropping him on any targets that get in the way of his plans, creating the illusion of world peace through total domination. While Cap does have his own team of Avengers to fight back, Hulk's arrival immediately takes Thor out of the fight. Despite the God of Thunder seeing Hulk coming, he's knocked unconscious by a single, earth-shaking blow form the Green Goliath, shown unconscious on the ground as the dust clears from Hulk's arrival. Thor even whispers a quiet, "No..." when he sees what's coming.

Avengers: Twilight #5 Writer: Chip Zdarsky

Artist: Daniel Acuña

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artist: Alex Ross

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Captain America has recruited Thor, Ms. Marvel, the new Hawkeye, and a badly injured Tony Stark to face off against the Red Skull, but Hulk just turned the tables...

Hulk Just Took Out Thor In One Shot

The Red Skull Reveals Hulk Is His Personal WMD

Avengers: Twilight takes place in a world where the Avengers disbanded decades ago, having lost public trust after the events of 'H-Day.' Known as 'Hero Day,' this disastrous mission saw Ultron upgrade the Avengers' villains, then - in the middle of their fight - take control of the Hulk and send him on a rampage, causing massive loss of life. The Avengers never recovered (indeed, several of them died), and in the years since, Red Skull has slowly infiltrated America, turning SHIELD into his personal enforcers.

As the miniseries draws to a close, Captain America has recruited Thor, Ms. Marvel, the new Hawkeye, and a badly injured Tony Stark to face off against the Red Skull. But Red Skull didn't come to the fight alone - having captured Ultron, he forced the Mad Android to build him his own powerful Iron Man armor, with which he's able to face off against Captain America and Thor. He's also deployed James Stark - Tony's rebellious son - who commands a fleet of his own Iron Man drones. Despite their mechanical might, it seemed the Avengers might win the day... until the Hulk made his entrance by downing a god in one shot.

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In their most brutal fight, Hulk nearly killed Thor by allowing his severed arm to rapidly heal around the god's face...

This Thor vs Hulk Fight Is Surprisingly Definitive

Marvel's Strongest Heroes Usually Have Weird Caveats To Their Fights

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What makes this fight so noteworthy is that - at least so far - both heroes appear to be at their default strength levels and possessing their most iconic power sets. That's actually pretty rare in Avengers-adjacent comics. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's team was deliberately assembled from Marvel's big-name solo heroes. While that makes them the publisher's ultimate A-list team, it also means that every Avengers story also has to run parallel to each member's adventures in their own comic. It's not unusual for heroes to drastically change between Avengers arcs - or even unexpectedly quit the team - because of what's going on in their own book. That means that although Hulk and Thor often fight, it's usually with some kind of wrinkle.

For example, the recent 'Banner of War' crossover from Donny Cates and Martin Coccolo offered fans a knock-down, drag-out fight between Thor and Hulk. However, at the time Thor was hugely powered up as the new king of Asgard, while Mjolnir was badly damaged and now had Odin's spirit trapped inside. Meanwhile, Bruce Banner had rewired his mind to turn Hulk into his puppet (essentially a living spaceship powered by rage), and his mind and powers had been twisted by the demonic D'Spayre. The fight also saw each hero steal the powers of the other, with a gamma-upgraded Thor and a Mjolnir-wielding Hulk. It was a bombastic clash, but not one likely to settle any fan debates.

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Before that, Hulk and Thor clashed in Immortal Hulk #47 from Al Ewing and Joe Bennett. Again, this story sees Hulk in a rare gamma form - his 'Devil Hulk' persona - and using powers that he rarely wields otherwise. In this fight, Hulk nearly killed Thor by allowing his severed arm to rapidly heal around the god's face. At the same time, Devil Hulk was literally exuding rage, infecting Thor and making him more reckless and cruel during their battle. It was a meaningful fight that said a lot about Hulk's relationship with the Avengers, but not one that did much for the 'Hulk vs Thor' debate fans constantly want to see answered.

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By taking place in the Avengers' future, Avengers: Twilight is free to tell its own story, not having to take into account where Hulk and Thor are in their personal journeys. While Ultron's tech is forcing the Hulk to follow Red Skull's demands, it doesn't seem to be enhancing his strength beyond his usual limits, setting up a surprisingly 'fair' fight that takes the two combatants back to basics. In that context, it seems there's no contest, as Hulk lays out Thor like he's not even there.

Marvel stories are better when Hulk is the publisher's strongest hero...

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Hulk SHOULD Be Stronger Than Thor

Fans Are Divided, But Marvel's Strongest Hero Should Be a Monster, Not a God

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The debate of 'Hulk vs Thor' is more than just superhero fans arguing that their favorite is stronger (though that's of course a strong component.) A common argument when Marvel fans are at loggerheads is that it's integral to Marvel's cosmic hierarchy that a literal god is stronger than an irradiated scientist. After all, Hulk's default status quo is slugging it out with kaiju, whereas Thor's is facing down Frost Giant armies and ancient gods.

Recent lore changes have made this more complex. Immortal Hulk established that Hulk's gamma energy connects him to the One-Below-All - Marvel's ultimate villain who dwells beneath the multiverse and opposes all forms of life. Rather than just an experiment gone wrong, Bruce Banner unlocked a latent connection to a fundamental power of reality, with even Thor recognizing him as a fellow god in all but name. Thor vs Hulk may once have been magic vs science, but that will never be the case again - if anything, Hulk is connected to a deeper level of cosmic energy than the Asgardian gods themselves.

While Superman is a great character, the way he dominates DC stories shows why Thor shouldn't be Marvel's strongest hero...

But even putting aside that point, Marvel stories are better when Hulk is the publisher's strongest hero. This is because his strength comes with such a major downside in Bruce Banner's inability to control the Hulk. Marvel's world is inherently interconnected, and no single hero is the 'main character' of its universe. Making the strongest hero around a dangerous rage-monster stops his presence or absence from dominating any given story - he's a big gun the Avengers can call on in an emergency, but not someone they can trust on the team the majority of the time.

While Superman is a great character, the way he dominates DC stories shows why a shared universe's most powerful hero needs to be tempered with some downsides - many Justice League stories devolve into the other heroes clearing away lesser obstacles so that Superman can swoop in and save the day. While Thor is one of the most powerful Avengers and essential against their mightiest enemies, keeping him off the top spot ensures that he doesn't become a narrative obstacle: someone who needs to be distracted, depowered or toned down to work in a team book.

Avengers: Twilight nails exactly how the franchise can best use Thor and Hulk - one the big-gun hero who can take on armies but isn't invincible, and the other a terrifying embodiment of power whose unpredictability makes him a sometime-ally, sometime-enemy. Hulk taking down Thor so easily also gives this new Avengers roster a chance to do what Earth's Mightiest Heroes do best - fight the foes no single hero can withstand!

Avengers: Twilight #5 is available now from Marvel Comics.