Warning: Contains spoilers for The Incredible Hulk #17! Fans would be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn’t be hurt by a punch from these HulkAs the Green Goliath has consistently proven, he has the strength to take on practically any hero or villain in the Marvel Universe. However, the Hulk’s current ‘big bad’ is an entity that seems to be a bit beyond his reach. In fact, this villain is so powerful that they are literally immune to the Hulk’s strength (with one very important exception).
in The Incredible Hulk #17 by Philip Kennedy Johnson and Nick Klein, The Hulk is trying to save the life of his friend and sidekick, Charlie, after her soul is trapped in a statue by an evil Hulk Villain known as Frozen Charlotte. After exhausting every other means, Hulk learns that the only way to save Charlie is with the help of his ancient enemy: The Elder – and the Hulk seeks to get Elder’s help by force (if he can).
The Elder is the leader of every monster on Earth, and has been since the dawn of human civilization. The Elder is the first creation of the Mother of Horrors, who is now trapped in a mystical prison, placed there by the One Below All. Like this Hulk The series recently confirmed, the Hulk and the Eldest are ancient enemies, because Eldest has been battling avatars of the One Below for thousands of years. And there is no one better equipped for that job, since the oldest proved in this issue that she is immune to the Hulk’s strength.
The Hulk can’t hurt the Elder no matter how hard he hits
Hulk may not come out on top in his battle against the Elder
Even with a full-strength punch, the Hulk doesn’t even leave a mark on the Elder. Then, when the Elder launches an attack of his own, the Hulk is completely powerless to counter it. The Elder tears the Hulk to shreds, ripping him apart with her monstrous tendrils like he’s nothing. In the end, the Hulk succumbs to the Elder’s strength, and it doesn’t seem like there’s anything he can do to defeat the ultra-strong enemy. Well, except for one thing, but that would quite literally open the door to something much worse.
The Hulk has 1 sure-fire way to defeat the Elder: The One Below
The one below all helped the original Hulk beat the oldest in The Incredible Hulk #16
The reason Hulk is the ancient enemy of the oldest is that the one below all is the cosmic rival of the mother of horrors. Hulk is the one below everyone’s avatar on Earth (as is every ‘Hulk’ that was before him), while the Eldest is the first child of the mother of horrors, making them a lifelong enemy. The rivalry began in the ancient past, because the power of one under all is the only thing that can stop the mother of horrors and her monsters.
This was put on full display in The Incredible Hulk #16, when The one below all channeled their power through the green door In the mortal plane to help the first Hulk, Enkidu, defeat the Elder. However, in The Immortal HulkThe Hulk closes the green door to prevent the One Below from taking over the planet by turning everyone into supernatural gamma mutants, and ruling the world as their god. However, if he wants to defeat the Elder, Hulk may have no choice but to open the green door once again.
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Opening the green door to unleash the One Beneath All is a surefire way to defeat the Elder and ensure that the Mother of Horrors remains imprisoned, but that would only put Hulk in the same predicament he was in during The Immortal HulkMeaning he’s pretty much caught between a rock and a hard place. While it’s impossible to know what the Hulk will do next in his ongoing battle against the Eldest, the one thing fans do know is that this immensely powerful foe could be the toughest. Hulks ever faced, as she is totally immune to his strength.
The Incredible Hulk #17 by Marvel Comics is now available.