When the public thinks of the Hulk, usually two things stand out. Green and angry. They wouldn’t be wrong as these characteristics have been common to Hulk since his earliest portrayals in the Marvel Comics. However, despite the initial appearance of Hulks wanting to break instead of talk, they would fail to see that Marvel harbors incredible intellect in the many Hulks from the Marvel Universe.
There’s not just one Hulk, nor Bruce Banner’s cousin, Jennifer Walters, who debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Lawyer. Many of the Hulks in the Marvel Comics are clever Hulks, and some of them have an intimidating level of intellect.
10 The Incredible Hulk
When Dr. Bruce Banner developed a gamma bomb for the US military, he was bombarded with a massive dose of gamma radiation. The banner soon turned into a green monster, the embodiment of anger. With nothing guiding him but sheer physical strength and fury, the nearly mindless Banner would be known as the “Incredible Hulk.”
Bruce Banner and the Hulk are constantly at odds, while Banner does his best to keep himself calm to prevent the monster from coming out. When Hulk is present, his vocabulary is limited and he seeks out simple things, such as destroying what’s bothering him and hiding in caves.
9 Skaar, son of Hulk
When Hulk was banished from Earth, he found himself in a strange alien world and had relationships with an alien woman, Caiera de Oldstrong. When Caiera died, a cocoon containing Skaar fell into the lake of fire. Skaar emerged from this cocoon and quickly matured in just a year. Hulk’s son is no fool and can form coherent sentences and motifs, but is not a shining example of intellect compared to the other Hulks.
Raised by Old Sam, Skaar took months to speak, eventually leaving the planet on which he was doomed to find his father and his own life in the cosmos. The character has appeared many times in the Hulk mythos.
8 Mr Fixit
Bruce Banner is a rather complicated person. Among the appearances of the Hulk, there is an alternate persona, that of the Gray Hulk. This Hulk had less superior strength than the regular green Hulk, but whenever Gray Hulk won out of Banner’s subconscious, he would become a significantly different personality and call himself “Joe Fixit”.
A morally ambiguous Las Vegas enforcer and a tough guy, Mr. Fixit was known for being strong, but above all with smart minds. Fixit could think for himself and was even smart enough to drive.
7 Red Hulk
Continuing the tradition of secret identities, Red Hulk was later confirmed to be General Thaddeus Ross. Tired of being defeated by the Hulk’s physical strength, Ross became what he swore to destroy. Despite great anger, Red Hulk still regains his personality, and sometimes even his gray mustache. He can wield his licensed SHIELD pistol instead of relying solely on fists.
Ross has more control over his Hulk than Banner and can seemingly return to his human form at will, with little effort. The character is known to go on missions as the Hulk, and may be featured in Marvel Studios’ Lightning strikes project.
6 Devil Hulk
Bruce Banner has really experienced a lot of horror in his life. Before even becoming bound by the Hulk’s curse, he grew up with a horribly abusive father, Brian Banner. Bruce longed for a father figure to protect and love him, creating a manifestation out of comfort. However, in his later years, this manifestation became a reality as his father’s abuse had lingering effects that made him see father figures as terrifying or evil.
Devil Hulk would be freed and take control of Bruce as his Hulk at night. Devil Hulk prioritizes protecting Bruce Banner and children in general. It’s not a primordial thought, but an intelligent and thoughtful decision by Devil Hulk.
5 Red She Hulk
Smarter than the last, Red She-Hulk has been seen wielding real weapons rather than fists, even bragging in battles against those she fights against. Red She-Hulk had revealed her identity after a while as none other than Betty Ross, daughter of Thaddeus Ross, and Bruce Banner’s romantic interest.
Red She-Hulk has limited control over her anger and can become the Red She-Hulk in anger and distress. However, despite anger being a factor of her control, she is still emotionally intelligent and aware of what she is saying and doing.
4 She-Hulk
There may be no other Hulks who can successfully control their anger while acting as a lawyer in a courtroom. She-Hulk is one of the most popular Hulks and Marvel characters in general, and She-Hulk can now be seen in her own Disney Plus series. Marvel Studios She-Hulk: Lawyer takes a lot of inspiration from the Marvel Comics version of She-Hulk.
Jennifer Walters became She-Hulk after a blood transfusion with Bruce Banner, who infected her blood with gamma radiation. As She-Hulk, Jennifer has incredible strength and stamina, but she stays true to herself, mostly staying as She-Hulk, even in her work as a lawyer.
3 Maestro
The Maestro is arguably the most dangerous of all Bruce Banner’s futures as the Hulk. Combining intellect with the Hulk’s anger and malice, destruction is inevitable. Maestro is a Hulk version of what could be a possible future in the Marvel Universe. It is a hundred years in the future when a nuclear war devastates the earth. Humanity is on the brink of extinction and Maestro becomes its ruler.
Maestro’s intelligence cannot be underestimated and he craves nothing but his survival. In doing so, Maestro ensures that those who could pose a threat are quickly eradicated. This future Hulk is completely intimidating and a bad future that many want to avoid.
2 Amadeus Cho
Amadeus Cho was a promising child with an incredible intellect that showed from an early age. He’s had quite a few adventures throughout his Marvel career, but none as radical as his time as the Totally Awesome Hulk. This Hulk became part of the Champions superhero team and proud of himself as a better and smarter Hulk than the original.
Cho exhibits super genius intelligence. His mind works like a supercomputer and he is able to quickly perform a seemingly infinite number of unimaginably complex calculations in his mind in record time. He is one of the most intelligent people on the planet, including Reed Richards and Tony Stark.
1 Professor Hulk
Professor Hulk is the idealized version of Bruce Banner, where he has all the strengths of the Savage Hulk and all the intelligence of Bruce Banner. This version of Hulk has none of the awkwardness you see in Bruce and the Hulk. Professor Hulk is the combination of muscle and brain in one being.
The biggest conflict in Bruce’s life was accepting his mother’s death at the hands of his father. Bruce, and the personalities of the green Hulk and the gray Hulk, were constantly at odds for control, until Bruce convinced them to merge and become an idealized incarnation of the Hulk and Banner.
0 Comments