The MCU Rewrites Marvel's Power Hierarchy by Introducing Two New God-Level Hulks

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for What If…? season 3.

Before the arrival of Red Hulk in 2025 Captain America: Brave New Worldthe MCU just revealed two incredibly powerful Hulk upgrades that make all the Hulks thus far seem puny in comparison. Having already introduced a new Hulk in season 2 with the mutant form of Happy Hogan in Marvel's Die Hard riff, And if…? season three's return to screens ramps things up massively.

The live-action Hulk is still in his Smart Hulk form after Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner managed to achieve a kind of zen-like balance between the conflicting sides of his personality. This came at the expense of the Hulk's more interesting stories – both conflict and volatility – but it was a smart move for Avengers: Endgameso the twist always seemed logical and justified. Unfortunately, it also now seems unlikely that we'll ever see a Savage Hulk again, unless something changes dramatically or the rift of the MCU's multiverse brings a less evolved variant into play. And if…?The Hulk's new forms prove exactly why this can be a good thing.

And if…? obviously offers Marvel Studios – or the Marvel Animation branch to be a little more specific – the chance to explore stories and concepts that aren't possible in the main MCU timeline, and the Season 3 opener does so with aplomb, introducing the Avengers mecha, a new Hulk villain, gamma beasts and the terrifying final form of Bruce Banner. And the episode basically destroys the Hulk's on-screen power hierarchy and introduces two rivals to Marvel Comics' most powerful Hulks with stunning abandon.

Marvel's Most Powerful Hulk in the Comics Explained

A Hulk literally destroyed planets

There is some debate over which version of the Hulk is more powerful in the comics: for a long time, the Merged Hulk (a combination of Bruce Banner, the Gray Hulk, and the Savage Hulk) could claim to be the boss (and would become Professor Hulk which the MCU Banner is currently based on). After all, his combination of intelligence and savage brutality provided a more complete Hulk experience. But more recently, Marvel's rush to power has introduced much greater threats.

Immortal Hulk has evolved into a threat to defeat the Avengers, but the Maestro (the version everyone should want Ruffalo's on-screen variant to become in Secret Wars) takes him down. But if we're talking about true, unbridled power and threat, the most powerful Hulk of all time is the fan named “Entropy Hulk”, who first appeared in The Immortal Hulk #25. More officially known as the Breaker of Worldsor Breaker-Apart, the enormous monster was essentially a cross between Hulk and Galactus, who destroyed planets rather than devouring them, and was capable of exterminating all life.

You don't get much more terrifyingly powerful than that, but And if…? season 3 introduces a pair of new Hulks that could easily come in just behind the Breaker of Worlds. Which goes a long way toward highlighting Banner's potential as a weapon.

What If Season 3 Introduces a Terrifying New Hulk Villain

In an attempt to resolve his problem with the Hulk, in And if…? In season three, Bruce Banner bombards himself with a huge dose of gamma radiation, unintentionally creating a second hulk – called The Apex – who separates from his body and is much larger, more formidable variant that looks like something out of the ordinary Ruin video game series.

Boasting the same near-immeasurable strength as the Hulk, Apex is also capable of pulling giant Gamma Beasts out of his skin, not unlike Gremlins that multiply when they get wet, and effectively create an unlimited army at his command. And if…? season three reveals that The Apex and that army are so powerful that they killed the original Avengers, despite Tony Stark providing each of them (and many other heroes) with new Hulkbusting mech suits.

Apex then threatens to kill all of the second-tier Avengers, led by Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who combine their mech suits to create a giant Mighty Avenger zord, and comes dangerously close, before another god-level Hulk emerges. stops him in his tracks. Enter Mega Hulk.

Bruce Banner Gets a Major Power Upgrade in the MCU

The Hulk reaches his terrifying final form in the MCU

If you've ever lamented the fact that Bruce Banner's powers in the MCU always seemed a little restrained, And if…? Season 3 offers the most powerful version of the character you've ever seen. Faced with the Mighty Avenger's seemingly inevitable defeat and the fall of Earth, Bruce once again attacks himself with a massive dose of gamma radiation, and this time evolves into a monstrous kaiju-like Hulk almost instantly labeled “Mega Hulk” by Wilson .

Reminiscent of a mutant Godzilla-Hulk, Mega Hulk has an enormous tail, dorsal fins, and a reinforced forehead and, most impressively, is capable of launching gamma blast (again, like Godzilla) that ultimately melts the Apex and replaces it on top. of the new hierarchy of power. This means that the Gamma Beast army recognizes him as their alpha and follows him after Apex's death.

Mega Hulk is clearly a huge threat to Earth, but instead of fearing him and going into battle, Sam Wilson draws on his previous work as a PTSD therapist to calm the beast and underline the fact that the Avengers do not fear him.. He is their friend. The Watcher then takes the opportunity to extol the power of friendship and understanding, while Hulkzilla retreats to the ocean. It all sounds a little like Sesame Street, but that's basically the story line of And if…? season 3.

New episodes of And if…? Season 3 releases every day on Disney+