Invincible and the Hulk are two of the strongest characters in their respective universes. Pitting classic comic book characters together and discussing who would win has been a staple of nerd culture since its inception and maybe even the dawn of time. While drastically different characters, Invincible vs. Hulk would be a battle for the ages that could rival the best fights in either character’s catalog.
Since his debut in 1962’s The Incredible Hulk #1 (by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman, and Art Simek), the Hulk has been shown to have unlimited strength. He has continuously proven himself as the strongest of the Marvel Universe. Over in the Invincible universe, Mark Grayson is the strongest hero of his universe. He has taken down his universe’s strongest villains, including the Viltrumite Emporer Thragg. While they may seem evenly matched, Invincible creator Robert Kirkman may have already settled this clash of the Titans.
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Robert Kirkman Settles Invincible Vs. Hulk Debate
The Clash of the Titans has a surprisingly simple outcome
In a Skybound interview with fellow Invincible creators Ryan Ottley and Cory Walker, Robert Kirkman said he believes Invincible could easily beat The Hulk. Despite pushback from Ryan Ottley, who was drawing Hulk at the time, Kirkman explained, “Hulk can’t fly. Hulk can’t breathe in space. The Hulk loses.”
While the Hulk has been shown to be able to travel nearly 1,000 miles in a single jump, the Jade Giant is still bound to gravity, which does give Invincible a significant edge.
Invincible could easily throw Hulk into the middle of space and leave him there. While Hulk’s relative strength constantly changes between different writers, it’s generally considered that Hulk still needs oxygen in some form. For example, Hulk can breathe underwater by his body developing a special gland to oxygenate the fluid he breathes. In Incredible Hulk #90 (by Daniel Way Juan Santacruz and Impacto William Muri), Nick Fury stated that the data on Hulk suggests that his mutation could adapt to zero-atmosphere environments. Still, this ability hasn’t been fully realized.
There are panels across the Hulk’s history that readers may point to as proof of Hulk breathing in space, such as in the opening pages of World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker #1 (by Chris Giarrusso, Peter David, Lee Weeks, Al Rio, Sean Phillips, Scott Hanna, Tom Palmer, Impacto, William Muri, and Joe Caramagna). Hulk fought in space on the deck of his Stone Starship, but he is often shown to use a breathing device, meaning he has a giant lung capacity.
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Is Invincible Stronger Than The Hulk?
Mark may be invincible, but The Hulk’s strength is unlimited
Strength levels in comics are almost non-existent, with characters constantly leveling up as the universe changes and threats get bigger. Any character can be the strongest if the writer thinks they are, but for this particular battle, strength is the primary force behind both characters. Being a Viltrumite, Invincible’s upper strength limits are unknown. Still, he has been shown to easily lift multiple tons, stop nuclear rockets in orbit, and even destroy a planet by flying through it.
However, they don’t call Hulk ‘The Strongest There Is’ for nothing.
Invincible undoubtedly has the strength to at least match the Hulk, but not enough to beat him. Hulk’s strength knows no bounds, and while many readers will jump to the Breaker of Worlds versions of Hulk possessed by The One Below All, Incredible Hulks #634 (by Greg Pak, Paul Pelletier, Danny Miki, Morry Hollowell, and Simon Bowland), saw the regular version of Hulk unleash his Worldbreaker form and shatter an entire planet single-handed.
While Invincible achieved a similar feat by destroying the planet Viltrum in Invincible #75 (by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, and Russ Wooton), it was only with the help of Nolan and Thaedus that he was able to do it. While Hulk’s strength may not be enough to overcome Invincible’s ability to fly, it is important to consider if Hulk had the right opportunity.
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How The Hulk Could Beat Invincible
Other versions of Hulk may have a better chance
While Kirkman’s logic is sound, accepting this answer and not speculating on how this showdown could go differently would be no fun. Invincible may be able to best Hulk, but can he beat all of them? Throughout Marvel Comics, there have been numerous variations of the Hulk who are bigger, smarter, meaner, and come in every color.
Other versions of the Hulk, such as Grey Hulk, Red Hulk, Worldbreaker Hulk, or Entropy Hulk, could have very different outcomes against the Viltrumite hero.
The one version that undoubtedly beats Invincible is Al Ewing’s Entropy Hulk, introduced in Immortal Hulk #25 (by Al Ewing, Gernab Garcia, Ruy José, Chris O’Halloran, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit), who is basically Galactus with the Hulk’s rage. Entropy Hulk, or the Breaker of Worlds, is the ultimate and final version of The Hulk.
Possessed by the One Below All, Entropy Hulk devoured the Sentience of the Universe and destroyed all life throughout the universe for ten billion years. Invincible may be able to beat most variations of the Hulk, but he stands no chance against the cosmic world breaker. World Breaker Hulk could also have the potential to overcome Invincible’s flight and speed, but there may be a way that regular Hulk could still beat Invincible that Kirkman may not have considered.
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Kirkman May Not Have Considered Everything
One of Hulk’s most powerful abilities could neutralize Hulk
The Viltrumite physiology makes them nearly all-powerful, with abilities ranging from super strength, speed, flight, invulnerability, and incredible healing factors. However, there is one weakness that Hulk could exploit to neutralize Invincible’s flight. Fans of the Hulk will be familiar with one of his most famous moves, the Thunderclap.
Incredible Hulk Annual #5 states that Hulk’s Thunderclap is so powerful that it puts the fiercest hurricane in history to shame.
Since a hurricane can release heat energy equivalent to 10-megaton nuclear bombs, Hulk’s Thunderclap can decimate nearly anything in its path. This could be a big problem for Invincible, as high frequencies are one of the Viltrumite’s only weaknesses.
In Invincible #50 (by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, and Rus Wooton), Cecil Stedman used an implant in Mark’s head to produce a high-frequency sound that disrupted his equilibrium and prevented him from taking flight. Due to Mark’s speed, he could fly fast enough to escape the range of Cecil’s device, but when in contact, it brought Mark to the ground immediately and caused him enough pain to actually hurt him.
The amount of energy and force behind Hulk’s Thunderclap would make it one of the loudest sounds in the world, capable of destroying entire cities for miles. Hulk’s Thunderclap would be more than enough to ground Invincible and potentially kill him. Taking away Invincible’s ability to fly makes this battle an entirely new conversation that Hulk may be able to win.
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The Real Winners Would Be The Fans
Invincible Vs. Hulk would be a fight for the ages
Even without Mark’s ability to fly, both characters’ ability to heal from massive injuries still makes the match tough. Hulk is unkillable, even able to completely reform his body after being split into pieces in Immortal Hulk #34. Invincible has also shown similar healing abilities, such as being able to heal after having his guts ripped out by Conquest in Invincible #63.
However, it has been established that Mark can die if his injuries are severe enough, such as when he was ripped in half by Thragg in Invincible #45 and had to be revived by Atom Eve.
Unable to fly, Hulk would most likely be able to win even if Mark killed him. Hulk’s abilities still may not be enough to take down Invincible with his incredible speeds, and Ryan Ottley even conceded to the Invincible win, saying that if Mark ripped Hulk apart, threw his head into the sun, and scattered his remaining body parts around the world, he might win.
Hulk is the strongest there is, and while the fight between him and Invincible would be one for the comic ages, the advantages Invincible has over Hulk make him the winner nine times out of ten. While some Hulk fans may be able to provide more scenarios or versions of Hulk that could beat Invincible, Robert Kirkman’s logic checks out, and it would be hard for Hulk to come out victorious in this battle. No matter who remains standing at the end of this epic clash, the real winners would be the fans who witnessed it.
