THE Hulk is reputed to be one of the strongest heroes in the Marvel Universe, and while that is a fair assessment given his numerous near-cosmic-level feats of strength, it should in no way imply that the Hulk is unbeatable. In fact, the Hulk has suffered many defeats throughout his history in Marvel Comics, and each one has highlighted a specific weakness that the Strongest Avenger is vulnerable to.
After being hit by a blast of gamma radiation, Bruce Banner not only became a gamma mutant with unmatched strength, he also gained the power granted to him by the One Below All. The One Below All uses gamma as a means of influencing the physical world of Below-Place, and the Hulk acts as a sort of avatar. This means that the Hulk is more than just a mutant brute with a potentially unlimited power ceiling, as he is backed by perhaps the most powerful entity in the Marvel Universe, cementing him as a cosmic-level powerhouse.
However, even this does not guarantee him victory in every fight, as the power of other gods – and even mere mortals – is too much for the Jade Giant to handle, as long as his vulnerabilities are exploited. Here they are 10 Superpowers Hulk Is Most Vulnerable To In Marvel Lore!
10
The Hulk can be taken down by cosmic ray generation
The Immortal Hulk #44 by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett
When the Hulk faced the members of the U-Foes during the events of The Immortal HulkNot even his cosmic-level gamma powers could save him from one of the villains in particular: X-Ray. The reason why X-Ray was so formidable is that it has the power to emit any form of radiation in the spectrum, and that includes cosmic rays. During his fight in The Immortal Hulk #44, X-Ray hit Hulk with an immense blast of cosmic rays, reducing the Green Goliath to nothing more than a skeleton.
X-Ray effectively killed the Hulk, but due to his connection to the Place Under through the Green Door, the Hulk was able to come back to life. However, just because he came back doesn’t negate his defeat, as the cosmic rays proved to be strong enough to put him in his (temporary) grave.
9
Hulk is crushed by Zeus’ full power
The Incredible Hulks #622 by Greg Pak and Paul Pelletier
Hulk’s strength is backed by the One Below All (also known as the One Above All), which means it stands to reason that he would be able to take on just about anyone, including Zeus himself. However, The Incredible Hulks #622 confirms that this is not the case. When the Hulk goes to Olympus to challenge the King of the Gods, Zeus utterly crushes him, using his ‘All-Power’ to do so with ease.
Perhaps if Zeus was trapped on Earth and isolated from the power his own kingdom offers, then Hulk would stand a chance against him (similar to how Hulk can fight Hercules). But when Zeus is on Olympus, his All-Power not only makes him physically stronger than the Hulk, but literally Bends reality itself within Zeus’ place of divine power to make him unbeatable.
8
Hulk is defeated by a direct energy blast to Havok’s head
The Incredible Hulk #150 by Archie Goodwin and Herb Trimpe
In The Incredible Hulk #150, the Hulk kidnaps Lorna Dane, aka Polaris, mistaking her for his former ally (and romantic interest), Jarella. In the confusion, Havok goes to rescue Lorna from the Hulk, and the two engage in brutal combat. The fight ends with the Hulk lifting a piece of mountain over his head to crush Havok, and Havok counterattacks by firing a concentrated blast directly at the Hulk’s forehead..
Havok’s blast proved to be powerful enough to not only take down the Hulk, but also revert him back into Bruce Banner. The success of this attack also implies that Cyclops could take down the Hulk with a strong enough blow to the head, just like his brother, Havok, did in this issue.
7
Hulk is vulnerable to size-changing heroes like Wasp
The latest #5 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch
When the Hulk goes absolutely wild in The latest #5, threatening to destroy all of New York City, the Ultimates are called in to take down one of their own. While the likes of Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man put up a good fight, it’s Wasp who finally takes down the Hulk. Wasp defeats him by shrinking enough to enter the Hulk’s head and delivering a blow from her wasp sting directly to his unprotected brain. -one strong enough to revert the Hulk to Banner, resulting in his immediate defeat.
Marvel even doubled down on the idea that smaller and smaller heroes like Wasp can defeat the Hulk in the new Finals comic. In 2024 The latest #6, the Wasp is eaten by a gamma mutant with Hulk-level strength, and she kills him by quickly growing inside his body, reducing him to a bloody mess on the floor.
6
The Hulk is knocked unconscious by Sue Storm’s force field
Fantastic Four #166 by Roy Thomas and George Perez
After the Hulk accidentally (and absentmindedly) causes a plane crash, the Fantastic Four track down the Hulk and launch an orchestrated attack against him, with the main goal of reverting the Hulk to Banner. At this time, the Fantastic Four want to recruit Banner for his scientific genius to aid in their own inventions, but they have no interest in the Hulk, so they come up with a plan to take him down as quickly as possible.
The Hulk is hit by a blast of fire from the Human Torch before being wrapped up by Mister Fantastic, giving Invisible Woman the chance to create a force field around Hulk’s head, cutting off his air supply. While the Hulk is technically defeated by a punch from the Thing, this was very much in the spirit of teamwork, as he was only defeated by Sue’s force fields.
5
The Hulk is embarrassingly vulnerable to magic
The Incredible Hulk #12 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein
When the Hulk’s sidekick Charlie has his soul trapped in a porcelain doll by the evil Frozen Charlotte, the Hulk is desperate to get her back any way he can. Then, the Jade Giant visits Strange Academy in search of Doctor Strange, and he is met with immediate hostility and violence. Although the Hulk is able to plow his way through several magical students, he is quickly defeated by Doctor Voodoo, who reverts Hulk to Banner with nothing more than a simple wave of his hand..
Although Hulk has been defeated by magic in the past (including by Doctor Strange himself), The Incredible Hulk #12 is the perfect example of how embarrassingly vulnerable the Hulk is to magic, as Doctor Voodoo took down the Strongest Avenger like he was nothing.
4
The Hulk is susceptible to possession because of his connection to the Green Door
The Immortal Hulk #39 by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett
Although Hulk’s connection to the Underworld through the mystical Green Door (the path between the physical world and the hellish gamma underworld) is the source of his power, it is also one of his greatest weaknesses. When the One Below All comes up with a plan to use the Leader and Bruce’s father, Brian, to take on the Hulk’s power and bring the Place Below to Earth, the divine entity gives the villains’ access to Hulk’s mind through the Green Door.
The Hulk becomes possessed by these malevolent forces, resulting in the death of one of Hulk’s alter egos, the Devil Hulk, and Bruce Banner himself being kidnapped and taken to the Underworld. Hulk had no way of fighting this attack (until the end of Immortal Hulk when he closes the Green Door forever), becoming a major weakness.
3
Hulk’s Weakness Is Just Calming Him
A+X #7 by Zeb Wells and Dale Keown
Even the most casual Hulk fan knows that the best way to take him down is to calm him down. Hulk is a being driven by rage, and when the rage goes, so does the Hulk. This has been shown countless times in the comics, animated series and even the MCU. And one of the most memorable moments is in A+X #7, when the Avengers learn how to calm the Hulk with technology.
Iron Man and Beast discover they can trigger the transformation by showing calming images of the Hulk (in this case, images of puppies). This way, the Avengers can use the Hulk for missions and ‘shut down’ him when those missions are completed. This also means that the Avengers have effectively staged ‘calm’ against the Hulk.
2
The Hulk is not too strong to be muscular
Tales to surprise #90 by Stan Lee and Gil Kane
While the Hulk is incredibly strong (even on a cosmic scale, in some cases), that doesn’t mean he can’t be outmatched in muscle. In fact, ‘super strength’ is a weakness that Hulk has succumbed to on many occasions throughout his Marvel Comics career. An initial example is shown in Tales to surprise #90, which debuted one of the Hulk’s greatest villains: the Abomination. When he is introduced, The Abomination’s strength far exceeds that of the Hulk, and the villain quickly defeats him.
Fans have also seen the Hulk defeated by the superior strength of characters like Thanos and the Champion of the Universe, meaning his defeat by the Abomination (purely because the Abomination was physically stronger) is not exclusive to Tales to surprisemaking super strength – ironically – one of the Hulk’s main vulnerabilities.
1
Not even the Hulk can resist the power of cosmic power
The Incredible Hulk #250 by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema
The Hulk may have gotten his gamma powers from the cosmically powerful One Below All, but that’s still not enough to engage with certain cosmic beings in the physical realm of the Marvel Universe – specifically, those who wield the Power Cosmic. In fact, the Silver Surfer has surpassed the Hulk on numerous occasions thanks to his ability to wield the Power Cosmic, including and especially in The Incredible Hulk #250, when the Silver Surfer stole the Hulk’s gamma powers, using the Power Cosmic to depower Bruce Banner with a simple wave of his hand.
It’s not just the Silver Surfer who can defeat Hulk with the Power Cosmic, as Galactus himself doesn’t even register the Hulk as any kind of threat to him, cementing the fact that the Power Cosmic is one of the HulkTop 10 most notable vulnerabilities.