Could the "possessed" Hulk from Age of Ultron defeat Thanos at the beginning of Infinity War?

Watched the Hulkbuster vs Hulk scene so many times now. Including the short lived fight between Thanos and Hulk at the start of IW.

I have to wonder.. Hulk put on a serious fight against Hulkbuster Iron Man, and yes I realize that Hulkbuster doesn't compare to Thanos with a couple of stones. But the rage he had was next level and I feel like had we seen that version of Hulk, maybe that fight could have gone a bit differently.

Obviously I get the writers would never have allowed Hulk to win because then the movie would have ended after 5 min. But hypothetically speaking, who would have won that fight?

Commentaires

Special_Kestrels2026-01-30 07:21

It depends on whatever the writer wants.

igby12026-01-30 07:36

Church yo

DarkLordKohan2026-01-30 08:12

Wow, great contribution

AntonineWall2026-01-30 08:27

But this is the answer, plenty of comic writers have also said as much!

Ill-Kaleidoscope48252026-01-30 08:50

A direct quote from stan kee *is* a fantastic contribution. Good of you to notice

palk0n2026-01-30 08:34

i always hate this comment. lazy ass answer that kills the discussion

Ill-Kaleidoscope48252026-01-30 08:50

And yet it is the correct answer

D3PyroGS2026-01-30 09:15

feel free to speculate if you have a take

but as a _fictional_ medium, the author can write whatever they want to create a compelling story

Jon_Snow_18872026-01-30 11:59

I think we all understand that lol. If you want to make a comment like “the hulk is a tough character to work with because he just keeps getting more angry and powering up until he beats anything, so if he wasn’t nerfed in the MCU, he’d beat thanos in a fight, but the writers clearly didn’t want to go that direction,” that is at least a comment that adds to the discussion.

Simply saying “this is a fictional universe, there’s no point in having this discussion” just seems to be insulting towards the people who are enjoying the discussion. For me, this comment is almost like the saying “if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.” Rather than commenting “what would happen is whatever the writers want to happen,” (which we all clearly know to be true), you could just not comment. That comment kinda always comes across as self serving and aloof to me tbh.

And btw, I’m not directing this at you, since you seem to understand that the point of this whole thread is for people who have a take to speculate and to have fun doing so.

pickrunner182026-01-30 14:13

Yes, thank you for telling us what fiction is with spicy italics

ronaldinho_gorducho2026-01-30 11:28

hence that is why is the correct answer. this "discussion" is dumb as fuck. anyone could beat anyone, that's the whole point of the superhero genre. whoever the writer wants to win a fight, will win it.

Jon_Snow_18872026-01-30 11:53

If that’s what you believe, why are you even in this thread? The point of a thread like this is to take the evidence we have been shown about both characters, decide based on that evidence who we think would win in a fight, then present the evidence in the form of a compelling argument that supports our conclusion.

The whole point of the superhero genre is to have fun. Just saying “whoever the writer wants to win the fight would win the fight” is a completely useless comment, not because it’s factually *wrong*, but because it misses the entire point of this type of discussion.

In general, any analysis of media that is shortcut by answering a question with “because that is how the story was written” misses the point. Generally, when you are analysing a story, you should suspend disbelief and work within the world. I would say the acceptable exceptions to that are if you want to claim that the writing is bad because it’s inconsistent, or if you’re discussing how the authors life experience in the real world is informing / influencing the story.

DarkSaiyanGoku2026-01-30 07:21

No he couldn't

PepsiSheep2026-01-30 07:22

He'd have less of a chance.

tyrwlive2026-01-30 07:24

Even less so. Thanos is too skilled of a fighter who is able to counter the Hulk’s moves, and he’ll be even better at doing so if the Hulk is even dumber

DoctorJJWho2026-01-30 08:28

That doesn’t really make sense - when Wanda messes with Banner’s/Hulk’s minds, Hulk is explicitly shown to be in an angrier state. Hulk didn’t really have the time to get angry when getting beaten down by Thanos, and if he had that power boost from being in a rage state he would’ve lasted longer.

Hulk wouldn’t beat Thanos, but he’d def last longer than what we saw.

recommendasoundtrack2026-01-30 09:21

He’s raging out, but he’s not thinking straight. Thanos would tie him up

Clamsadness2026-01-30 15:57

Yes. Tony Stark beat this Hulk. Thanos is stronger than Hulkbuster Tony.

DGSmith22026-01-30 09:29

Thanos didn't win because of strength alone, he won because of his technique.

fart_fig_newton2026-01-30 14:53

I could see a scenario where drunk-rage Hulk isn't even worth Thanos's skill, so he just uses the Power Stone to end it in one blow.

Clamsadness2026-01-30 15:57

Legitimately possible. Thanos was having fun fighting against the Hulk in IW. Just a mindless beast Hulk wouldn’t be fun.

velicinanijebitna2026-01-30 07:24

No, Thanos defeated Hulk with superior tehnique, not because he was physically stronger.

Also, in Endgame, Thanos 3v1 Cap, Ironman and Thor, Hulk do that too? I don't think he can.

magpye19832026-01-30 07:28

Not the MCU one, from what we’ve seen.

At certain points in the comic story, Hulk could do that (might even have done it with some more added in).

erilicfartman2026-01-30 10:17

Only one who could put up a fight there is thor. So I think he could.

velicinanijebitna2026-01-30 10:30

Ironman drew blood from Thanos, which is more than Hulk could.

erilicfartman2026-01-30 10:32

True, but that's mostly the writing.

GeneralKenobi_212th2026-01-30 07:25

Ffs no. Who beat possessed hulk? Tony basically just in a big iron man suit. Thanos would take the W again no issue. Same as he’d stomp Hulkbuster Tony

perfectpencil2026-01-30 09:22

It's kinda depressing how powered down MCU hulk is. Comic hulk has been powering up to cosmic entity level and MCU hulk is just a green guy in a lab coat making jokes.

PhatNoob_692026-01-30 09:39

Yes, I'm sure "cosmic entity level" Hulk in the MCU would make for such great storytelling when he mashes every villain into a pulp with his pinky toe.

Ayan_Choudhury2026-01-30 09:50

'Skadoosh'

-Hulk

AdmiralCharleston2026-01-30 10:13

I dont know if you know this, but good stories can be told even if hulk isn't smashing a strong opponent. Immortal hulk is basically a psychological cosmic horror character study and its the best marvel run of the century so far

oneguynocup2026-01-30 09:47

Hulk out...Dab

arian_ezequiel2026-01-30 09:51

The Incredible Hulk is my favorite comic book characters and we have to be fair, his strength is not the most consistently written.

He is supposed to be immortal/never lose a fight, even if you are physically stronger than him he is supposed to keep ragging up until h's stronger than you.

But even in the comics he gets disrespected by turning back into Banner for no reason or Banner getting killed by a "surprise" shot.

Thanos in the comics tries to avoid fighting him and it's never as easy as it was in the movie. Even Tony knocking out the closes we ever see to a mindless Hulk doesn't make sense.

Jon_Snow_18872026-01-30 11:39

I mean it’s kinda hard to have a character who can never lose. Really tough for writers to write a compelling story around that, which is probably why he kinda has to take a backseat in the MCU.

Elvarien22026-01-30 11:59

Whilst difficult, sure. Superman has been doing essentially this since well, the history of comics.

overpowered characters are a trope, a difficult one to pull off correctly but you should expect marvel of all franchises has the talent to be able to pull it off.

joesb2026-01-30 12:15

DC superman got his ass beaten by a human (Batman). And died in his second movie.

I don’t think he is a good standard if you want to talk about character that never lose or immortal.

Elvarien22026-01-30 12:17

Are there some stories where he suffers a loss, yes.

But if we look at the main body of work we can agree that generally he is never under any real danger, right?

The stories told in superman are thus dealing with other kinds of conflict. He has other people he wants to protect, or there is a moral dilemma or other problems for him to solve that don't involve just punching things hard enough.

Those are harder stories to write and it's what you face with an op MC. Because that's what superman essentially is. An OP MC who needs different storytelling.

joesb2026-01-30 12:26

Which ZS plots did Supe win without punching hard enough? He won in MoS all through punching hard. He nearly died in MoS and Louis was the one who saved him. He didn’t even have a brain to talk and deescalate fight with Batman. And what brain did he use in JL?

Gold-Mikeboy2026-01-30 17:18

Batman beating Superman is more about the story they wanted to tell than a reflection of power levels. It's all about context in these superhero narratives. hulk vs

Thanos is similar; it depends on the situation and character development.

Jon_Snow_18872026-01-30 12:46

I mean honestly alluding to superman kinda strengthens my argument. I love Henry Cavill, but there’s a reason all of the superman and justice league movies have been flops … it’s because the OP character trope is really hard to create meaningful tension around, so the writing in those movies has been sub-par. Sometimes, it’s just better to just make the decision to not have to deal with the OP character in the first place, which is essentially what Marvel has decided to do with Smart Hulk.

dallenid2026-01-30 12:31

He takes a back seat because Disney wants their stars and princesses to sit in front. Hulk is used to show how powerful the opposition is, so he jobs.

FearLeadsToAnger2026-01-30 13:53

One Punch Man disagrees.

acerbus7172026-01-30 15:45

That’s because one punch man is an absurdist comedy manga completely different sort of story.

FearLeadsToAnger2026-01-30 16:19

It being a different kind of story doesn't make its ability to maintain a tense narrative despite knowing the MC can theoretically win any fight any less relevant. You dont need the same themes to achieve the same thing.

See also:

Mob Psycho 100.
Alucard.
Doctor Manhattan.
Silver Surfer.
Corwin of Amber.
Paul Atreides.

JDeegs2026-01-30 12:58

He didnt knock out a mindless hulk though.
After crashing through the building, hulk is starting to snap out of it and realizes all the destruction he's caused and people he's hurt; his guard is down completely when Tony knocks him out

kalen24352026-01-30 16:06

Which happens because he gets beat up by hulk buster armor

JDeegs2026-01-30 16:36

he's not beaten up though. coming out of wanda's influence left him vulnerable.
meaning, if it were just a normally enraged hulk, he would have (or should have) come out of that rubble even angrier and kept going.
the biggest clue to this is that it's not even a particularly hard punch; certainly not more damaging than falling through a few dozen storeys of a building. so the only reason it knocked him out was because of his moment of vulnerability.

brian_hogg2026-01-30 14:05

The Hulkbuster armor in the MCU was designed by Tony *and* Bruce, though. Because Bruce knew the Hulk’s weaknesses.

GBuster492026-01-30 10:15

Well tbf mcu has nerfed pretty much every character.

Substantial_Rich_7782026-01-30 10:41

The point is Hulk has been nerfed more than every other character

Endgam2026-01-30 11:04

Wrong. Thanos was nerfed even harder.

*Comic Thanos who Comic Hulk jobs to all the time.*

Substantial_Rich_7782026-01-30 11:20

Wrong. Hulk straight up beat Thanos last time they fought in the comics.

thegreatnick2026-01-30 10:54

I don't mind this - comics have been going on for so long with constant power creep, comic accurate of every character would be a horrible mess of world busting powers. Hawkeye delaying Vision in CW is satisfying because you know that their power levels are vastly different and Hawkeye is trying to get in and out asap.

dogsfurhire2026-01-30 15:05

Every jackass and their dog is an omega level mutant these days

Arkanderous2026-01-30 11:47

Natasha?

swagonflyyyy2026-01-30 10:42

Fucking breaker-apart shit.

Uzmonkey2026-01-30 13:55

Professor Hulk (or Smart Hulk as we're calling him in the MCU) was always one of the worst versions of the character. I want my real Hulk back.

elpajaroquemamais2026-01-30 14:05

He is also as strong or as weak as he needs to be in the comics.

kashmir19742026-01-30 14:20

The Russos have said they don't like the Hulk as a character because he'd too one dimensional. It explains the reduced screen time/impact.

OldSpur762026-01-30 14:57

Yeah, but Thanos beats him the only way you beat Hulk. Knock him out fast before he can enrage. That was kinda the point of the Thanos fight to show he was as Strong as non-enraged hulk and a much more skilled fighter.

Elnino382026-01-30 15:11

Thanos has beaten both Hulk and Thor in the comics simultaneously without even needing the gauntlet. People dont seem to realize that Thanos has always been capable of beating typical comic heral characters so him beating hulk in infinity war was accurate(the actual issue is Carol suddenly being stronger than everyone for no reason).

Sahaal_172026-01-30 15:31

>MCU hulk is just a green guy in a lab coat making jokes.

Only for 2 projects.

I know that's been his current state for a long time IRL, but in terms of MCU appearances he was angry hulk in his own movie, thor ragnarok and 3 avengers films, and smart hulk in 1 avenger film and she-hulk.

His ratio of of being angry to smart is 5 - 2

RagnarokWolves2026-01-30 20:02

Hulk needed his "okay NOW I'm pissed" revenge on Thanos. He has only gotten buried more and more since Avengers 1 for the sake of showing off how badass other characters are.

erilicfartman2026-01-30 10:11

No iron man didn't beat the hulk. Did we watch the same film???

siestarrific2026-01-30 10:23

Iron Man beat the Hulk in AoU with the Hulkbuster

erilicfartman2026-01-30 10:26

No he didn't

BoTamByloCiemno2026-01-30 10:48

Must have been the wind

Adipay2026-01-30 12:10

It's incredible how confidently incorrect you are

The_Orgin2026-01-30 10:30

Well Tony couldn't overpower the Hulk with Veronica, hence the *"How quickly can we buy this building?"*

CostDry41012026-01-30 13:44

Didn't Tony have to drop a building on him though?

ButWereFriends2026-01-30 13:45

This dumb question has 400 upvotes somehow

PezDiSpencersGifts2026-01-30 13:53

I would argue that Tony didn’t defeat possessed Hulk. If anything it was a sucker punch while Hulk was coming out of the possession and focused on the fear and hatred that he was causing the public

Fares265972026-01-30 14:12

I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong in your final verdict, but let's not downplay the power of the Hulkbuster. Beating a rabid Hulk must count for something. I wouldn't be so sure that Thanos takes the Hulkbuster out in a hand to hand (+ the tricks that Hulkbuster has up its sleeve) fight. I mean hell, Tony made Thanos bleed with his MK 50 armor while Thanos had 4 Stones on the gauntlet, and I'd say the MK 50 can be fairly compared to a slimmed down version of Hulkbuster with weaker defenses given the nature of the nano tech.

NegotiationAble17612026-01-30 15:24

I don't agree with the last part. If Hulk beats the Hulkbuster then what exactly is its purpose? To lose gracefully?

The MCU Hulkbuster is done well. Hulk is not.

repalec2026-01-30 07:26

The only chance that bewitched Hulk would have is through sheer unhinged, brain-compromised ferocity, the same way that a drunken fratboy theoretically could knock out a trained fighter on sheer luck.

ricardo510682026-01-30 07:26

No he can't, and Edward Norton Hulk can't.

HankSteakfist2026-01-30 07:36

Eric Bana's Hulk however actually seemed more comic accurate where the angrier he got the more powerful he became.

He might have a chance.

sir_seductive2026-01-30 07:42

lol might have a chance that hulk would destroy just about any non magic user in the mcu

erilicfartman2026-01-30 10:18

and he didn't get dumber like at the end when he was fighting abomination

Eclipsiical2026-01-30 07:26

Thanos has 1,000+ years of experience in comparison to Hulk who basically had the mental capability of a toddler. Every move Thanos made on Hulk was calculated to bring him down as fast as possible, I don’t see how that changes even if Hulk was bewitched because he’d be in even less control of himself then he was in their actual fight because he’d be rampaging without thought. And Thanos didn’t even need to use the Power Stone he already had when he fought Hulk.

Creative-Improvement2026-01-30 09:01

“Let him have his fun” - as per the movie. The fight was over before it started.

Also, my headcanon at least, there was the arc where Banner was becoming more like Hulk, and Hulk more like banner (Thor Ragnarok) , so Hulks rage wasn’t there to up his power level.

WildMongoose62062026-01-30 07:29

thanos without stones beats any version of hulk.

erilicfartman2026-01-30 10:19

False, your talking base thanos? Against world breaker hulk? The immortal hulk? Against heart of the monster hulk?

BudgetRequirement1432026-01-30 07:29

Maybe would have put up more of a fight but thanos has the power stone at the beginning of infinity war so if he did start losing he wouldn't for long. Hulk isn't stopping that.

I_d-_-b_l2026-01-30 07:29

It's a good question.

As long as Thanos can get his hits in, Hulk is toast, but perhaps possessed Hulk is too erratic for Thanos to handle quickly and efficiently when possessed.

I like to imagine that Hulk fairly quickly overwhelms Thanos if Hulk starts off that disturbed and rage induced.

If this was the comics and not the MCU, I would feel even more strongly.

Dunge0nMast0r2026-01-30 08:15

With that argument, drunk pissed off guys should win against bouncers?

FantasticFingers-5432026-01-30 07:32

If Thanos doesn't use the power stone, then yes. Only reason Hulk lost was becuase he couldn't go all put in an enclosed space as such. Any kind of destructive attack would destroy the ship and kill all surviving asguardians.

If Thanos uses the power stone, then Hulk can go back to sleep.

DeadDrDoom2026-01-30 07:36

Ironman beat him lmao

thefrumpiest2026-01-30 07:49

He lost to Iron Man, who lost to Thanos.

Clinday2026-01-30 07:53

I mean he seems to be at least as strong as hulk but far more skilled in hand to hand, so probably not.

MrRandom102026-01-30 08:03

1. Depends on what the writers want
2. Possibly. Hulk gets stronger the more angry he gets. The best way to defeat the hulk is to defeat him quickly and in totality, which is exactly what Thanos did. In a possessed state like in AoU, he was already super pissed off. That could have given him enough of an edge to prolong the fight with Thanos, allowing him to grow in strength and possibly overcome him.

thealaskanmike2026-01-30 08:05

So here is my take on MCU Hulk vs Thanos.

Hulk just spent years thinking he was the best fighter out there. The champion of Sakaar. Literally beat the crap out of a giant wolf and was about to fight Surtur. He felt unstoppable. When he caught Thanos, he thought he had it. Until Thanos started fighting back. Hulk never got the chance to get angrier, because he was just so shocked about what was happening. Fear almost…

That being said, possessed Hulk would have probably had a better bout with Thanos. As possessed Hulk was already angry and his anger would have compounded more. Thanos would have still won but damn to have watched that fight.

aydonmill2026-01-31 00:39

I think if you also factor in the possibility that the grandmaster may have been stunning competitors (like he did to Thor), to keep Hulk the undefeated champion.

Maybe hulk wasn’t actually straight up beating every opponent, and that added to the inflated confidence when going after Thanos.

asscop992026-01-30 08:06

He couldn’t even defeat phase 2 Iron Man.

Smooth-Mix-43572026-01-30 08:06

No, this Hulk couldn't beat Hulkbuster. Also he's weaker than the Hulk from Thor Ragnarok who went toe on toe with Fenrir and knocked a full power Surtur significantly back. Only Professor Hulk from Endgame matches those feats. Thanos had him floored in 20 seconds. This one would be put to sleep in much lesser time.

Scarxyz2026-01-30 08:19

the one that got defeated by hulk buster? do you guys even watch the movies before asking these genius questions

_Hypocritee2026-01-30 08:21

You mean a titan with thousands years of combat experience vs an even-dumber hulk?

Abides19482026-01-30 08:24

Thanos bested Hulk out of skill and experience. Having Hulk be far more disorientated won't change that.

2reeEyedG2026-01-30 08:26

I’m glad you posted this pic. Been a while since I’ve seen AoU and I loved how well they made Hulk look

Manofthebog882026-01-30 08:37

Hulk would absolutely crush him into oblivion.

Sorry_Lifeguard27362026-01-30 08:38

Nah.

Wialyatedris2026-01-30 08:43

Well, to be honest, Hulk only managed to knock him out when he was released from Wanda's control. Before that, Hulk had been repeatedly punched in the jaw, gassed, locked in a cage with electric shocks, had a tooth knocked out, had it cut through thick asphalt, and smashed a huge building against it. After that, he was ready to continue the fight before breaking free from Wanda's control. The point is, the Hulkbuster was much bigger and heavier than Hulk, and I'm not sure that technical blows to the jaw from a roughly equal opponent would knock him out when the Hulkbuster couldn't, even though it knocked out his tooth. More likely, the Power Stone would have been used.

dswartze2026-01-30 08:51

Yes. Anyone can beat anyone no matter how lopsided the fight should seem. In Infinity War Thanos easily takes down the Hulk and every surviving asgardian at the same time at the beginning then has trouble when Steve wants to hold his hand open near the end. There's no world where Iron Man loses a fight to Steve and Bucky who have no weapons except Cap's shield and I guess Bucky's arm, yet somehow he does.

HeilfireAndBrimstone2026-01-30 09:06

He lost to Hulkbuster who lost to Cull, Thanos' minion.

Gasparde2026-01-30 09:17

Possessed Hulk couldn't even beat pre-nanotech Iron Man.

The MCU Hulk is an absolut wimp who has just about nothing to do with his comic book source. At this point, I'm pretty sure that they'd rather make Hawkeye win against the Hulk in a serious fight than giving Hulk anything even just remotely cool.

Dark-soul-70852026-01-30 09:30

Do you guys remember the incredible Hulk ?
I kind of think he might have some chance

erilicfartman2026-01-30 10:14

Reading these comments made me realise how much the mcu has ruined the hulks' reputation

cowpool202026-01-30 10:21

I think he’d get his ass kicked even more by Thanos.

The reason Thanos beat Hulk was because Hulk just throws haymakers, he’s got no technique. Whereas Thanos has hundreds/thousands of years of fighting experience, dude was hitting combos like crazy lmao. So imagine possessed Hulk 😅

Cysia2026-01-30 10:37

no it wasnt issue fo strenght, thanos had simelair or greater strenght, but a much betetr fighter

its SKILL/technique that was issue

a crazy hulk makes it worse if anything

Endgam2026-01-30 11:07

Hulk never beats Thanos outside of video games which are designed to let the player win against Thanos.

Mind controlled Hulk would do even worse because he was even more reckless while hexed and the whole point of the scene was that Hulk is very much fucked against someone that is both physically stronger AND smarter than him.

Furthermore mind controlled Hulk was beaten by Tony in a suit that Bruce barely won against Cull Obsidian with. Cull Obsidian, needless to say, beneath Thanos.

Mufti_Menk2026-01-30 11:28

This only makes sense if you think Hulkbuster could beat Thanos, which is obviously not true.

Bleyenix2026-01-30 11:37

Not at all, Thanos has much more skill in addition to strength.

ComicBookLover692026-01-30 11:48

No. Thanos already had the Power Stone at the beginning of IW, so I don't think so

SamXTeck2026-01-30 12:25

No, infinity stone and Thanos himself are a double whammy that Hulk couldn’t overcome

Lord_Phoenix952026-01-30 12:43

No. Possessed Hulk didn't want to fight.

AdaptedInfiltrator2026-01-30 12:59

AdaptedInfiltrator2026-01-30 13:00

Hulk lost to hulkbuster which is weaker than nanotech iron man who lost to thanos. Thanos stomps

juances192026-01-30 13:10

The moment Thanos notices Hulk has a chance to win, he'll whip out the power stone and blast his head off. I don't think the outcome of the fight can change no matter how many power ups Hulk gets.

Cookie-Dunker2026-01-30 13:27

I still wish that scene would’ve ended with reverting back to Banner rather than a silly knock out punch. I think the originally concept art showed Hulk midway into transformation back too Bruce before the knockout punch came.

Lower_Ad_13172026-01-30 13:31

I don’t understand how anyone is able to knock hulk out. I didn’t think this could be done. But gruffalo has no clue how to fight so he’s always gonna lose.

draugyr2026-01-30 13:32

No, there’s no mcu hulk we’ve seen that’s capable of overpowering Thanos

12thLevelHumanWizard2026-01-30 13:34

Thor had already been beaten by that point. Thanos already had the Power stone so I don’t think he could be overpowered physically.

ProfessorEscanor2026-01-30 13:39

If the Hulk that spent 40 years in gladiatorial combat can't beat Thanos. What chance does the one who hasn't have? Hell this is arguably weaker than normal AoU Hulk. Tony beat him with a Hulkbuster.

brian_hogg2026-01-30 14:04

You answered your own question: “ yes I realize that Hulkbuster doesn't compare to Thanos”

keithstonee2026-01-30 14:06

If ironman can subdue hulk in that state Thanos wipes the floor with him.

factualopinion22026-01-30 14:22

No one should defeat thanos in infinity war

No_Camel51832026-01-30 14:25

Any version of MCU Hulk can't defeat Thanos

Shoddy-Book63532026-01-30 14:28

No, I don't think so

bakhesh2026-01-30 14:36

I have a theory that the reason they set up Banner and Nat in AoU was because Thanos was going to kill Nat in Endgame, and Banner was going to go absolutely apeshit and rip him to pieces.

I'm guessing they swerved that, because they didn't want any accusations of "fridging"

mrpanicy2026-01-30 14:38

The reason Thanos won was because Hulk beats people with pure rage and strength. He isn't a good technical fighter, and Thanos has the strength AND experience plus knowledge of how to fight.

So you just put an even worse version of Hulk against Thanos. So no. He doesn't win.

RoyDonk03132026-01-30 15:01

We will see this idea play out in the future MCU. God of Stories Loki will use pieces of alternate timeline branches called "cuttings." These cuttings will essentially supercharge the being with whatever potential power or essence they possess from said timeline. This would normally immediately kill a being but Loki knows that Hulk is the only being across the multiverse capable of handling the immense power. This was hinted at by Kevin Fiege in a now deleted Instagram post and confirmed in the end credit scene of Melania.

dpittnet2026-01-30 15:14

Lol, no

CbaooseBLC2026-01-30 15:25

Anyone who legitimately thinks this watched infinity war with their eyes closed

Separatedarkness812026-01-30 15:31

Writing for Hulk would be that difficult he has the mind of a child when hes enraged, its not who can beat him it would be keeping his focus on the fight at hand the best way to deal with Hulk is pointing his rage away from you, so now the question would be will he make it back in time to help

Clamsadness2026-01-30 15:51

No. Ragnarok Hulk would beat Age of Ultron rampaging Hulk. They have the same strength, but Ragnarok/Infinity War Hulk is smarter and has been fighting in the gladiator pits for years.

Forsaken-Ad41812026-01-30 16:13

Some people need to rewatch this fight before saying Thanos wins. Scaling wise Hulk is a mess in the MCU as a whole. A fight between Thanos and Hulk would have destroyed the ship they were on and it would be long and difficult.

Iron man put hulk down several times in the hulk buster fight. Hulk was drilled in the head, sucker punched he had to spit out a tooth, and of course dropped through a building.

Meanwhile Thanos fights Hulk and the fight last 15 seconds. And Thanos’s punches just make hulk stagger a few inches away.

Hulk has taken way more abuse and still gotten up. In many previous fights this dude is launched through buildings like his fight with abomination. Abomination who like Thanos. Is on par with the hulk (sometimes greater in comics) and had the mind of an experienced military soldier.

This all doesn’t even matter when current canon in the official MCU timeline book approved by Kevin feige, stated that Thanos used the infinity stone against Hulk in infinity war. Also not to mention. The Russo brothers have stated they essentially wrote hulk out of the film since they didn’t know what to do with such a powerful character.

This fuck up is so apparent. When in Thor Ragranok, Hulk jumps at surtur no hesitation. While after fighting Thanos, he suddenly is tired of fighting? While the original intention was that thanos didn’t use the stone. When looking at all of Hulks feat’s it makes no sense how he lost so easily to Thanos and it’s easy to see why after fan outcry that they retconned this.

Thanos in the comics always usually fights the hulk with some type of advantage, backup, or leaves him distracted and never gets in a direct fist fight with him. The one time Hulk and Thanos really duked it out in the comics. Hulk broke Thanos’s back like Bane did to Batman.

max10012026-01-30 16:27

Thanos had the power stone already so no.

Maleficent_Cap22402026-01-30 17:22

Really wish people would understand the Hulk is damn near unbeatable. It’s hard to write yourself out of narrative situations without running into the fact that Hulk is so OP

BrownBoognish2026-01-30 17:32

he lost to tony— he would get stomped faster than regular hulk did.

MrFiendish2026-01-30 17:36

Hulk should have ripped out of the Hulkbuster armor to hold down Thanos while Thor delivered the final, yet useless, blow before the snap. Seriously, the scene writes itself.

dick-penis2026-01-30 17:47

Regular Hulk could have beat Thanos. It would have been a short movie. If thanos was stronger then he would have stoned the trio in endgame in 2 seconds.

FutureAardvark82102026-01-30 18:16

Even if Hulk manages to overpower Thanos, he'll just use the power stone like he did against Captain Marvel in Endgame.

MarcSpector17012026-01-30 18:25

Possessed Hulk still doesn't know how to fight, and that's why Thanos beat Hulk in Infinity War. Hulks is prodigiously strong but he literally doesn't know how to correctly throw a punch or dodge one.

WarlockProdigy2026-01-30 18:28

No. Hulk was never meant to beat Thanos. On the ship Hulk was a distraction to Thanos while Loki utilized his enchantment on Valkyrie (Thor Ragnarock scene between Loki and Valkyrie viewing memories of Hela)

to swap places and identities and get away eith the Asgardian refugees to Earth. He still is there. Also Hulks involvement in Ragnarock suggests Loki is using Hulk to divert Ragnarock. Loki planned everything utilizing the continous knowledge he gained tineslipping to create the Endgame timeline and phase shift. All prior to destroying the Loom. This is the secret Marvel doesn't want anyone to know.

Even the devils anus on Sakaar was created from the fight between Thor and Loki in the first Thor movie. It all connects and loops. The Infinity Saga are two mirrored timelines. One deterministic. The other multiversal with timetravel continously making branches as Loki utilized the butterfly effect to make changes in numerical and sequential order. Crafting the endgame.

So no I dont think Hulk could've beat Thanos. Even after the phase shift. Unless Loki changes his past and therefore the outcome. Ehich would make him a variant of the one shown.