# An intelligent Hulk is grossly overpowered **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 18, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454 "2012-12-18T20:55:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/21 "2012-12-19T04:58:00Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > [QUOTE=RitterSport] > So, is Antman your favorite? > > “What’s your power, again?” > “I can shrink down to the size of an ant, but retain my human strength.” > “Hey, Hulk, get a load of Antman. He has human strength! _snicker_” > > From one of my favorite SNL sketches of all time. Actually, one of my favorite comic superheroes as a child was DC’s Mighty Atom. His ability was to simply shrink in size, unimpressive often, but he could shrink down so small that he would enter sub-atomic worlds. Since he could grow back to normal size in these worlds he could both shrink and grow to any size. But it’s true that only shrinking from normal size is pretty lame here in our regular-atomic world. [/QUOTE] The Atom first did that in '63, right? Same year Ant-Man first journeyed to the micro-world of Sub-Atomica? (Same year our hero decided to start beating up the bad guys as Giant-Man after sneaking up on 'em as Ant-Man?) ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/22 "2012-12-19T05:07:19Z")
…except that he can’t catch someone who can fly fast and high enough (say, 350mph level at 10,000 feet?) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/23 "2012-12-19T05:08:43Z")
I was wondering during The Avengers, can anything beat the Hulk? ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/24 "2012-12-19T05:10:02Z")
Thor. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/25 "2012-12-19T05:13:33Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I was wondering during The Avengers, can anything beat the Hulk? Sure, he’s The Strongest One There Is, not Unbeatable. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/26 "2012-12-19T05:16:05Z")
A number of stuff stymied him (in the old animated cartoons and comics.) Usually a highly adhesive and elastic substance, similar to the one used to catch Mr. Incredible. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/27 "2012-12-19T05:24:20Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > The Atom first did that in '63, right? Same year Ant-Man first journeyed to the micro-world of Sub-Atomica? (Same year our hero decided to start beating up the bad guys as Giant-Man after sneaking up on 'em as Ant-Man?) The first one I saw is the one I remember most clearly. Lying in a hospital bed, paralyzed, his girl friend twists his wrist and he begins to shrink uncontrollably. At some small size he regains physical control and manages to land on a sub-atomic planet. I think it was in a special Giant Atom issue. It could have been 63, I would have been 7 or 8 then. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/28 "2012-12-19T05:35:40Z")
The Hulk is a walking plot device to be sure but so long as you take him out early he is quite beatable. Thor, unhindered by plot induced stupidity, levels the Hulk as does Superman. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/29 "2012-12-19T06:30:48Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I was wondering during The Avengers, can anything beat the Hulk? Iron Man once knocked out the Hulk by diverting all his suit’s power into a single blow. It was sort of a draw - the Hulk was unconscious and Iron Man was trapped inside his shorted out armor. Black Bolt was probably the most impressive defeat of the Hulk. He once knocked out the Hulk with just a partial use of his power. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/30 "2012-12-19T06:52:10Z")
I can suspend disbelief about the Hulk being a gamma-radiated superhuman. But why does rage make him stronger? How does emotion tie into gamma powers? ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/31 "2012-12-19T07:56:56Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I can suspend disbelief about the Hulk being a gamma-radiated superhuman. But why does rage make him stronger? How does emotion tie into gamma powers? His repressed psychological issues from an abusive childhood manifested into the Hulk persona which allowed him to survive the gamma bomb accident somehow by unleashing the Hulk within Banner. He should have died from absorbing so much radiation. ---
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/32 "2012-12-19T08:14:31Z")
Banner doesn’t have full access to the Hulk’s full abilities. During the “Secret Wars,” a Banner-controlled Hulk had his leg broken by Ultron and walked around with a leg brace and crutch for several issues. During a fight with another gamma creature, Banner let the normal Hulk persona emerge and the leg was instantly healed. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/33 "2012-12-19T08:16:19Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > The premise of the Hulk is that he is a rage machine. He is not thought, not planning, just unchained rage. Stan Lee would disagree. In his first appearance, the Hulk was actually quite intelligent (also grey) - he also changed at night, not when angry. The familiar green Savage Hulk showed up soon after, his anger-based transformation sometime after that. But the intelligent Grey Hulk was there first. The premise of the Hulk was a Jekyll and Hyde story - at night, Banner would change into the Hulk, who was an incarnation of all his dark thoughts. This was replaced by the rage-fuelled monster, but made a comeback as Joe Fixit, later on. Hulk is actually a far more complex character than his appearances in non-comics media suggests. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/34 "2012-12-19T09:11:36Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I can suspend disbelief about the Hulk being a gamma-radiated superhuman. But why does rage make him stronger? How does emotion tie into gamma powers? Well to be fair extreme emotions like fear and rage and adrenaline can make even normal humans do things outside what you’d normally consider possible. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/35 "2012-12-19T14:20:30Z")
My understanding is that in the current handwaving Hulk’s rage allows him to draw on the universal gamma force, in much the same way that the Flash’s speed is explained by having him tap into the speed force. If you have the whole universe’s power behind you, you can do stuff. The Red Hulk jumped from the Moon to the Earth. Yes, I wrote those words and in that order. It happened. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/36 "2012-12-19T15:43:28Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > My understanding is that in the current handwaving Hulk’s rage allows him to draw on the universal gamma force, in much the same way that the Flash’s speed is explained by having him tap into the speed force. If you have the whole universe’s power behind you, you can do stuff. > > The Red Hulk jumped from the Moon to the Earth. > > Yes, I wrote those words and in that order. It happened. Bah, Red Hulk. :rolleyes: Yes, I always figured it was emotion=energy, and since he’s infinitely angry… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/37 "2012-12-19T16:01:52Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The Red Hulk jumped from the Moon to the Earth. > > Yes, I wrote those words and in that order. It happened. Superman’s great-great…great-great-grandson once jumped from the [Earth](http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4184/sm6cg7.jpg) to the [Moon](http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/8634/sm11eh9.jpg); his actual power of flight was off-line (since he was visiting us primitives, with our feeble sunlight), but he retained enough superstrength to [punch](http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/3766/sm14xj5.jpg) his way through the time barrier and back to the [future](http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/4680/sm15jz8.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/38 "2012-12-19T18:26:23Z")
Wouldn’t jumping from the moon to the earth or vice versa create an opposite reaction that would knock the source off its orbit or something? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/39 "2012-12-19T19:04:41Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Wouldn’t jumping from the moon to the earth or vice versa create an opposite reaction that would knock the source off its orbit or something? The Hulk isn’t that massive. If you throw a ball to a friend, you don’t go flying off in the other direction. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454/40 "2012-12-19T19:33:44Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > The Hulk isn’t that massive. If you throw a ball to a friend, you don’t go flying off in the other direction. You do on a near-frictionless surface. Okay, not “flying”, but you do move back. I think you’re trying to say that the Sun’s gravity would be strong enough to act in the same way friction does in throwing the ball, but I’m not sure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-intelligent-hulk-is-grossly-overpowered/644454.md?page=3)