My top three are: 1) The Leader, 2) The Gremlin, and 3) General Thunderbolt Ross. I like the powerhouse opponents like Sandman and the Abomination, but I prefer when the Hulk has to go up against geniuses who should be able to outwit him. I like the U-Foes because they represent the best of both worlds. And there are a whole bunch of heroes that I would like to see pitted against Banner as well.
As far as my opinion on the weakest candidate - I have never liked Quasimodo in any form. No particular reason - he just seemed simultaneously redundant and weak.
Redartz: Marti, I'd agree with your picks of the Leader and "Thunderbolt" Ross. But my other top Hulk adversaries would be Sub-Mariner (they can both trade places on the hero/villain see-saw), and Ben Grimm (who doesn't go for a full blown Hulk vs. Thing battle?). Sandman had some great appearances, and I have a sentimental fondness for the Cobalt Man (the first Hulk story I ever read).
Martinex1: So who do you think is a worthy opponent for the Hulk? Is there anybody from his Defenders days that we should consider? Does Hulk's enemy base shift as his intelligence ebbs and flows? What stories and conflicts did you most enjoy; are there battle gems that we are forgetting? Sometimes the Hulk is a menace himself, so we should all be considering some "heroes" as well. Include those heroes in your list if you see fit. Here is a small sample of the Hulk Smash Class! What do you think?
*And thanks to all that suggested great Hulk covers yesterday; I added a few of the confrontational examples here.
21 comments:
BAH!! Hulk's at his best when fighting other monsters! To this end, please see Hulk Annual #5 (1976), wherein the purple-pantsed palooka takes on no less than SIX of the classic Atlas era monsters... GROOT! BLIP!! TITAN!!! DIABLO!!!! GOOM!!!!! TABOO!!!!!!!
I'm going to lead off with with true Bad Guys that come to mind with word-association rapidity:
Leader
Abomination
Rhino
I noticed long ago that the Hulk's rogues gallery does not contain a whole lot of established joes (or josephines) whose primary (or original) association is with the Hulk. There may be a few more, but off the top of my head I can think of The Leader, Abomination, Wendigo, U-Foes, Mercy (I think), and. . . and. . . hunh. He's had a LOT of notable and memorable one-or-two shot adversaries (Bi-Beast, Gremlin, Harpy, Zzzax, The Inheritor, etc). But he also tends to pick up some A-list heavy-hitters from other titles. Rhino (Spidey), Absorbing Man (Thor), Juggernaut (X-Men), Sand-Man (FF), an early attempt to give him the Mandarin (Iron Man), etc. In fact, check out that cover to #139, there-- two of the foes in that gauntlet (including the non-villainous Glob) are Hulk characters, the rest are imports.
Of those guys, the Rhino is easily my favorite-- although I've never, ever bought the notion that the Rhino could be considered the same level of heavy-hitter as the Hulk. Possibly issue #104 (Ooo- talk about yer memorable covers!), but Greenskin's rate of power-creep had already accelerated past the Rhino's by that point. But the Rhino's defeats were also some of the most memorable (#124, accidentally blew himself and the Leader up; #158- pancaked into the floor by his horn; #172- a devastating head-on collision w/ the Abomination), and geeze, if anything he's dumber than the Hulk, and perpetually comes back to show him what's-what.
The worst? Very early in the Tales to Astonish feature Boomerang was the inexplicable antagonist for far too many issues. Boomerang. And not even the sleek, speedy Boomerang of later years. Back then, the guy was wearing what looked like three layers of the bulky old AIM uniform, with little disks and boomerangs stuck all over it. No super-powers. Just trick gadgets. Good grief.
And with that--- yup, off to Home Depot-- til later!
HB
Hulk told me, in 1968, his greatest and weakest enemy was puny human Bruce Banner!
HB, agree with you on the Rhino. I think he would be even cooler mutated further into a half-human half-rhino hybrid though.
Agree with you about Boomerang too! There was also an atrocious Spidey villain at one point called the Kangaroo -- which was a guy who was good at jumping around! BAH!!! Australia is not well served by such dodgey characters!!
Charlie Horse... I've also heard the Hulk exclaim, "There IS no Banner! There is only the HULK!" Guy needs to make up his mind on the Banner issue!!
My favs he fought:
Ironman
FF
Thor
He always made quick work of villains.
Weakest to me was wolverine. Not a fan of the character. Only real super power was healing factor. His bones were augmented. But really he's just a little guy with a big mouth. Only later did they make it that he could cut the Hulk.
Hulk smash puny canadian!!
Glenn - I think if you translate Batroc from French to Australian it means Boomerang? Anyhow they are both puny humans destined to be smashed by Hulk!
Like Superman, The Hulk is a tough match up. 'Hulk is the strongest there is' predisposes the end of every fight!
So with that in mind, and in order:
1. U-Foes - they have interesting powers and surely 4 v 1 is a fair fight for The Hulk?
2. The Leader/Abomination in a tie. If gamma rays made The Hulk, then surely opponents created equally by gamma rays are a fair fight for The Hulk?
3. Thor. It seems clear that The Hulk is stronger than blue eyed Ben Grimm (any dissenters?). But surely a god is a fair fight for The Hulk?
At the least all four create great visuals and the kind of dramatic tension that Boomerang just ain't gonna cut.
Admittedly I haven't read many of the earlier stories, but am I alone in thinking Thunderbolt Ross came across like J. Jonah Jameson without the charm?
Although T-Bolt Ross and The Army (or is it Air Force? There was some confusion in earlier years--) have probably squared off against the Hulk more than any other person, group, or entity, he's always been the adversary I enjoyed the least. Partly because he was written for such a long time as a thoroughly unsympathetic two-dimensional blood&guts military cliche', which led to years of his personality being all over the map as different writers tried to make him more sympathetic. . . only to have that undone as the next writer wanted to "return to the book's roots", and devolve Ross back into a frothing, monomaniacal nut-case. Even as a kid I wondered why on earth all of this expense was being wasted on chasing down this one creature. And why the assault strategy was ALWAYS to throw about 200 fighter planes and tanks and hundreds of troops at the Hulk. EVERY TIME. Because. . . maybe if we do it for a 35th time, THAT will be the charm-??
Biggest problem, though, is that it took years and years and years for Ross to face any consequences for outright treasonous activities-- or even to have them recognized. He collaborated on different occasions with both the Leader and the Abomination. . . simply out of his desire to capture the Hulk. This is not a guy you want heading up a big chunk of your military, IMO. (DaveB-- you got a take on this? Much more in your realm of expertise-)
Ross was finally court-martialed, I believe, and/or retired. And-- he was eventually killed (at Bruce & Betty's wedding?), which was melancholy, but a reasonable final chapter.
And then some writer wanted to "return to the book's roots", so by god, he was brought back from the dead. And somehow re-commissioned. Good grief-- the Super-Villain metamorphosis is complete. . .
HB
I'd probably go with Abomination, since he's Hulk's physical equal (or superior sometimes) and he was responsible for (temporarily) killing Betty; Leader, since he's Hulk/Banner's equal mentally; and maybe Thunderbolt Ross just because he was so obsessed.
A case could be made for Wolverine, though I wouldn't consider him an "enemy" exactly; and maybe Psyklop, since he was kinda responsible for Jarella's death, if I remember right.
HB, Thunderbolt Ross became the Red Hulk (and Betty Ross became the Red She-Hulk) - in 2015 the Hulk's latest incarnation, Doc Green, defeated the Red Hulk and stripped him of his powers. General Ross was then taken into military custody but I don't know what's happened since.
Glenn, Hulk annual #5 is one of my favorite comics of all time, and definitely my favorite Hulk comic.
It should have been titled, "Where Monsters Dwell!"
M.P., Acting Vice-president, Goom Appreciation Society
"Monster"-type foes that come with a dose of pathos?
Glob
Wendigo
Missing Link
As far as battling other heroes goes-- I've always kind of hated to see it, I'm afraid. There's a tendency for the battle to bring out the worst aspects of the "hero's" nature. When the Hulk quit the Avengers waaaaaaaay back in issue number two, he honestly had good reason to take offense, as the other members did indeed let their barely-suppressed prejudices against him fly at the first opportunity when it seemed the Hulk had betrayed them. I don't enjoy the Hulk/Thing slug-fests very much because a) I like both characters so much, so it's like watching friends beat each other up, and b) Ben simply cannot win. He's quite a bit smaller, and not a bit proportionately stronger. It breaks me old heart.
Hmm-- but against yer more arrogant stripe of hero/anti-hero? Yeah, okay--- fighting Namor was never a let-down, and that history created a delightful tension in the early Defenders. And although his tussles with Hercules were surprisingly few, ya liked to see Greenskin return the Prince of Power's "Gift of Battle" for a full refund. And then finally Doc Samson. Leonard's high sense of self-regard got on my wrong side right off the bat when he first appeared in issue #141-- a psychologist/scientist with apparently no ethical limitations or personal code of conduct (totally moves in on Betty pretty much the minute he cures Bruce). He's no physical match for the Hulk, and yet never seems to be able to fully accept that fact. Not a villain at all-- just a jerk.
HB
Hmm OK my 3 picks :
The Leader - gotta love the guy who's always trying to create something to destroy the Hulk, no, not Thunderbolt Ross, the guy with the big green forehead!
The Abomination - a variation on the gamma radiation-created monster, retaining his intelligence, and initially stronger than the Hulk in his calm state. I always viewed him as the anti-Hulk.
Doc Samson - OK, I know he's not a true villain, but like HB this character always ticked me off for some reason. I wished the Hulk pounded him like a nail everytime I see him!
- Mike 'wonders if Trump got a dose of gamma radiation' from Trinidad & Tobago.
Anonymous Anonymous said... Glenn, Hulk annual #5 is one of my favorite comics of all time, and definitely my favorite Hulk comic. It should have been titled, "Where Monsters Dwell!" M.P., Acting Vice-president, Goom Appreciation Society
Arthur Adams did a rather cool remake of the Hulk Annual $5 cover:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/17/f2/9f/17f29ff14947efc8fbe7e751518e71a7.jpg
Personally I feel this is what the Hulk does best -- fighting against MONSTERS, whether they be from outer space, the earth's core, another dimension, swamp or lab experiment.
On another note, the Hulk would have to be THE most inconsistently depicted comic book character of all time!! Just look at all the various renditions in the cover gallery featured here.
Even Kirby couldn't keep him looking consistent from panel to panel in those early issues of Hulk's own mag, The Avengers and FF.
Ha! Just listening to my iTunes on shuffle and 'Nobody Loves the Hulk' has just come on. By '60s garage band the Traits. The record used to be advertised in the comics at the time.
Great song! To be found on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR9qBHbdOTo&list=RDdR9qBHbdOTo
Glenn- thanks for posting that link! Very cool song; I've never heard it before.
Glad you like that old Hulk tune, Redartz. It's the kind of thing that could easily have been a silly novelty song but it's actually quite serious and respectful of the Hulk's plight :) Would be cool if someone reissued it in green vinyl, I'm sure it'd sell great at comic stores.
Excellent topic!
My top 3 Hulk foes:
1.Abomination-when I first started collecting back issues, I got hold of as many Hulk vs. Abomination stories I could find. It was always a great slugfest, plus Abomination being a "smarter" version of Hulk added a nice wrinkle the match-up.
2.Leader-Super-smart gamma-spawned foe, always creating something to fight the Hulk. Sort of the opposite side of the gamma coin.
3.Ross-Present from Day 1, plus his connection to Banner and Betty make Ross a top-tier Hulk enemy. It got especially interesting when Ross let his hatred of Hulk make him a criminal.
I've always like the "evil opposite" kind of villains. That's why I always thought the Abomination was a great adversary for 'ol green skin. He's basically just an evil version of the Hulk.
Then there is the "brains vs. brawn" approach. Which gives us The Leader (or as I call him - Hulk's Lex Luthor). It's the classic match-up. Evil genius versus super strong good guy.
One of my favorite villains in all of Marveldom is the Absorbing Man. He's just such a cool classic villain, with a great super power that makes him a match for almost anybody. So, I always like it when he shows up anywhere, either fighting Hulk, or Thor, or The Avengers, or even Spider-Man.
I have to agree that Boomerang was a lame choice for a Hulk villain. The guy would barely be a challenge for Daredevil. I will also add the Constrictor as a terrible match-up for someone in the Hulk's weight class. I believe he had his first appearance in an issue of the Hulk. I mean come on. Who thought that a guy whose only weapon was a costume that had metal coils coming out of the arms would be any kind of challenge for a rampaging gamma powered man-monster?
The Hulk is definitely at his best when fighting those that can go toe-to-toe with him. My personal favorite Hulk stories are the ones where he is actually cast in the role of menace and has to fight other superheroes. Those are always a lot of fun.
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