Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Incredible Hulk #16! I Hulk he's been the most prominent hero in the MCU since the beginning of the universe, which means he hasn't had any amazing moments throughout. However, one line of dialogue uttered by the Jade Giant stands out as the most quotable, and as it turns out, that line has a deep connection. Hulk The Marvel Comics fans will never expect.
In The Incredible Hulk #16 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Danny Earls, readers are thrown into the ancient past of 3600 BCE, where the first Hulk named Enkidu tracks down the Elder One to challenge an eldritch monster to battle. Like the modern day Hulk, Enkidu is the master of the One Below All, the source of all of the Hulk's powers. The Fallen One and the Mother of Horrors (actually the god of all monsters) are ancient rivals, making the battle between Enkidu and Eldest even more epic.
While the Elder initially has the upper hand with Enkidu, the original Hulk calls upon the raw power of the One Beneath All Himself to defeat the Elder once and for all. After receiving a massive power boost, Enkidu smashes the Elder to the ground. At this point in the eldritch monster's history, the Elder is revered as a god, though Enkidu proves his worshipers wrong, as after defeating him, Enkidu looks down at the Elder and says, “Little god“.
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Although the Hulk technically said “Little god” to Loki in the MCU before Enkidu said to the Elder in the comics (as of release date), the MCU's Hulk represents the modern day iteration of the character, while Enkidu is the very first Hulk in Marvel history, meaning that the MCU's Hulk 'was ' line from his Marvel Comics ancestor. However, regardless of who said it first, the most important thing about this is that both Hulks said the line at all.
In the MCU, Hulk calls Loki “Little god” after easily taking him down at the end of the movie, which is what happens between Enkidu and Eldest. It's as if the MCU's Hulk, in some mysterious sense of past gamma memory, remembers being in the same situation with an almost identical result, and as such, says the same thing when he gets the win. It's a cool little detail, giving this line significant importance in Hulk lore.
Hulk has a history of beating the 'Less Gods' in Marvel Lore
The Eldest and Loki are far from the only 'minor gods' that Hulk has brought down in his Marvel career (comics or otherwise). The Hulk has won many battles against the Marvel gods, including the likes of Thor, Hercules, and the One Beneath It all himself after slamming the god into oblivion. Hulk also beat other characters with the power of cosmic gods, such as Gladiator and Sentry, which only proves how strong Hulk really is. However, he never seems as powerful as when he stands on the battered body of a physical god.
Hulk's many victories over the Marvel gods are very surprising to him, and even more so when Hulk knows how much better he is than these so-called divine beings, which he makes clear by calling them “a minor god” after beating them. And now, the Hulk has done that twice, once in the MCU and once in the form of Enkidu, giving this iconic MCU line a deeper connection. HulkHistory of Marvel Comics.
The Incredible Hulk #16 by Marvel Comics is available now.