Hulk is undoubtedly one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, but even he can’t compare to characters like Galactuswho possesses strength that even someone as incredibly strong as the Hulk could not comprehend. However, while the Hulk wouldn’t stand a chance against Galactus, the same cannot be said for the Hulk’s best friend, who happens to be the only hero strong enough to defeat Galactus on his own.
In a four-part mini-series Hunger Joshua Hale Fialkov and Leonard Kirk create a rift between Earth-616 and Earth-1610 known as the original Ultimate Universe. The Avengers unintentionally created a hole in time and space during the events Age of Ultroncreating this huge rift connecting the two universes – and Galactus uses it to enter the Ultimate Universe.
Once in the Ultimate Universe, Galactus merges with his own variant, Ga Lak Tus, and causes hivemind androids to overrun his Herald. Mere moments after Galactus makes Earth-1610 his new home, he is already far more powerful than before and sets his sights on a nearby planet for destruction. However, Galactus didn’t get far before he encountered the only man who had the power to defeat him: Rick Jones.
Connected
Rick Jones, Hulk’s longtime friend, is strong enough to defeat Galactus
Although Rick Jones is essentially an ordinary guy from Earth-616 who befriends the Hulk after Bruce Banner saves his life from the gamma bomb explosion that created the Hulk, he has cosmic powers in the Ultimate Universe. Ultimate Rick Jones became the Chosen One of the Watchers, who imbued Jones with god-tier powers and declared him the protector of the entire universe. With this power, Rick Jones can transform into a being of pure energy, fly through space, emit powerful energy blasts, and even create teleportation portals.
However, as powerful as Rick Jones is in terms of Watcher power, he won’t reach his peak until he becomes Captain Marvel. After the supposed death of Mar Vel during the battle with Galactus, Rick Jones dons the Kree warrior costume, thereby becoming the new Captain Marvel himself. By combining the power of the Watchers with the power of Captain Marvel, Rick Jones becomes like a god and is able to destroy the entire swarm of Ga Lak Tus and seriously wound Galactus (even to the point of incapacitating him) with a single shot.
Ultimate Universe isn’t the only time Rick Jones becomes Captain Marvel
Rick Jones teams up with Mar-Vell Captain Marvel #17
It’s true that Rick Jones spends a significant portion of his history in Marvel comics as the Hulk’s (and Captain America’s) powerless sidekick, but that doesn’t mean he’ll stay that way forever. In fact, Rick Jones on Earth-616 undergoes the same transformation as his Earth-1610 counterpart when Mar-Vell’s essence merges with his. Captain Marvel #17: While Rick wasn’t literally Captain Marvel himself, he channeled the cosmic hero’s powers while they were united. Not only that, Jones also became close to Genis-Vell (son of Mar-Vell) in Avengers: Forever #12, making him a version of Captain Marvel again.
While it’s interesting that Rick Jones becomes the version of Captain Marvel in both the main and Ultimate Marvel Comics universes, it’s fair to say that the Ultimate Universe version Hulkhis best friend is much stronger, as this particular version of Rick Jones turns out to be strong enough to kill one Galactus and seriously injure another with one attack.