For decades, the Hulk has been one of themost popular Marvel Comics heroes. Before the reign of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the “big three” of Marvel were Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the Hulk. The same can be said about his popularity in the live-action cinematic universe. Ever since his introduction inThe Incredible Hulk, people have adored the raging green monster as a member of the Avengers.
Whether played byEdward NortonorMark Ruffalo, the not-so-jolly-green-giant has had some thrilling battles in the MCU during his tenure. Because he’s a character so rooted in action and fury, Marvel Studios has certainly taken some extra care in delivering some battles with him that are exciting and interesting.This list will rank every major battle the Hulk has been a part of throughout his MCU tenure, based on the action, the impact, and how well they utilize the character’s infamous rage.
The Incredible Hulk
10Vs. She-Hulk
‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ (2022)
When She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) made her first appearance in the MCU viaher divisive Disney+ miniseries,She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, it was pretty much guaranteed that her cousin, Bruce Banner, would appear. After all, she got her powers from him, so who better to help her get a handle on them?
During a training sequence in which Bruce is attempting to show Jen how to utilize her powers, she tries to leave and throws hands with Hulk when he doesn’t let her. It was a welcome fight because, ever sinceAvengers: Endgame, the “smart Hulk” persona had adopted a more zen approach where fighting no longer seemed to be much of a priority for him. Thus, seeing him in action again wasa very appreciated reminder of just how strong he still is.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
9Vs. The Military
‘The Incredible Hulk’ (2008)
If there’s even been a non-monster villain that has consistently faced the Hulk, it’s the United States military. The only time he’s gotten to face them one-on-one, however (and unfortunately), is in the second Marvel Studios release,The Incredible Hulk. While it may be one of the only times they fight in the MCU, it’s a thrilling action sequence that stillranks among the franchise’s top-tier efforts.
WhenGeneral Thaddeus “Thunderbolts” Ross(William Hurt) finally tracks down Hulk, it’s smackdown time,and the odds are not in the military’s favor— not in the slightest. They attempt to fire guns big and small, sonic devices, and more, but it doesn’t matter. With giant sheets of metal as shields, the Hulk opens a can of absolute whoop-butt on the government (rightfully so).
8Vs. HYDRA
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)
The opening ofAvengers: Age of Ultronis one ofthe more thrilling in the MCU, and Hulk is a huge reason why. As the Avengers attempt to break into a HYDRA facility, everyone gets to see the team working together for the first time since 2012’sThe Avengers. They only got to see the team work with Hulk in the final fight of the first film, so his presence in more and extended battles makes the action even more dynamic.
Seeing Hulk grab HYDRA agents like they’re ragdolls and ripping tanks and trucks into pieces is awesome.It’s wonderful to see him working with other heroesafter being feared and seen as a “doesn’t play well with others” type of guy. Hulk’s furious and unintentionally hilarious contributions to the action madeAvengers: Age of Ultron’s opening one to remember.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
7Vs. Thanos
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
Hulk is a major part of another one of the MCU’s greatest opening scenes, where he gets an absolute smackdown laid on him. Picking up on Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) destroyed Asgardian ship, with Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his Black Order having absolutely decimated it, who better than the “strongest Avenger” to take him on head-to-head?
It’s pretty cool to see Hulk immediately throw hands with the Mad Titan himself. His attack doesn’t last long, however, as the antagonist returns the favor with a beating that sends the green monster into hiding for the entirety of the film. It’s one of themost rewatchable Thanos scenesanda worthy showcase of Hulk’s strength that doubles as strong character developmentfor Banner.
Avengers: Infinity War
6Vs. Fenris Wolf
‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017)
Not only is Hulk’s brawl against the Fenris Wold one of his fights, but it’s also one ofthe funniest scenes in the MCU(at the start). Kicking off the battle with Bruce Banner jumping out of the ship down to the Rainbow Bridge and smacking it without any sort of transformation is hilarious. It quickly jumps to thrilling, however, as the beast inside finally makes his appearance and faces the iconic Norse wolf.
Seeing one of the most legendary Marvel heroes and one of the most legendary Norse monsters trade blows is a sight to behold, especially because they do it in such a feral and savage way. It’s also a rare moment in which audiences see the superhero bleed, thanks to Fenris' mighty claws and teeth.Not to mention,fans get to see Hulk suplex the wolf, which is pretty dang cool.
Thor: Ragnarok
5Vs. The Chitauri
‘The Avengers’ (2012)
The first time audiences ever got to see Hulk team up with other Marvel heroes was inThe Avengers, and, boy, was it worth the wait. After a whole movie building up the hero as a threat to be feared, witnessing him come together with the other heroes was suitably epic. The fight kicks off with a gigantic punch to a large Chitauri and one of thebest Avengers quotes in the MCU:“That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry.”
Ruffalo’s Hulk gets to protect people, fight aliens, and get some cool team-up moments with Thor (and that hilarious moment of him punching the God of Thunder), making this extended sequence super rewatchable. Plus, seeing Hulk finally interact with the rest of the Marvel Universe is pretty unbeatable.
The Avengers
4Vs. The Hulkbuster
If there’s anything that superhero fans like more than anything else, it’s seeing their favorite heroes beat the absolute brains out of each other and an incredible example is the Hulkbuster fight inAvengers: Age of Ultron. Obviously, it’s always cool to seean iconic armor from the comicson screen for the first time, and the Hulkbuster is one of the most popular.
It wouldn’t be a pre-Avengers: Endgameproject if the Hulk didn’t lose his cool, and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) can be blamed for this outburst. The Hulkbuster, also known as Veronica, was teased from the start of the movie, and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) using it to wreak absolute havoc against Banner’s greener self wasone of the most memorable moments of the movie, if not the most.
3Vs. Thor (Round 2)
When Thor and his “friend from work” meet for the first time sinceAge of Ultron, it’s quite the spectacle. Hulk seems to have made Sakaar his home as a fierce warrior, and the God of Thunder has to face off against him in an arena battle. Getting to see the raged-out hero again after two whole years was cheer-worthy, to say the least.
Everyone adores a good hero vs. hero brawl, and these two delivered with a thrilling battle that never sacrifices the humor.
Thor got to show off a bit of his new hammer-less power set, and fans got to finally experience the “World War Hulk” armor in live-action. Everyone adores a good hero vs. hero brawl, and these two delivered with a thrilling battle that never sacrifices the humor. The God of Thunder also got to finally experience firsthand the beating his brother endured inThe Avengers,inciting a great reaction from Loki(Tom Hiddleston).
2Vs. Abomination
While Mark Ruffalo may have taken over the mantle of the character inThe Avengers, Edward Norton’s portrayal inThe Incredible Hulkis still well-regarded. A sequence in the film that cements Norton’s legacy is the final battle in Harlem. It not only gets brought up to represent Hulk in the MCU more than any of his other appearances, but hassome of the best imagery for the character in cinema.
The battle is raw, thrilling, hardcore, and brutal, benefitting from some incredible choreography, as well. The sight of the green herousing two halves of a police cruiser as boxing glovesand obliterating them in the process is spectacular. It’s also stirring because it’s one of the only times in the MCU that people truly got to see him on equal grounds with a villain and had a genuinely tough time taking him on.
1Attack On the Helicarrier
After an entire act and a half of building up Bruce Banner as a ticking time bomb, the monster finally unleashes and turns on the people in the Helicarrier. This entire battle is filled with numerous face-offs that are some of the mostmemorable Hulk moments in the MCU. The most memorable of which is whenhe trades blows with Thor, AKA the only equal match for him in the Avengers.
The Hulk also scares the heck out of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), trashes the Helicarrier, and takes down an entire fighter jet (catching the pilot as he ejects) before being blown out of the sky by it. It’s a legendary moment in the MCU and recognizable by pretty much anyone who’s a fan of the franchise. It’s alsothe perfect representation of the Hulk’s destructive nature, one of the few times in the MCU when the character got to truly let loose.
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