How Fantastic Four’s Thing Finally Beat Hulk in Marvel Lore

Fantastic Four‘s the Thing and the Hulk have been rivals for decades in Marvel Comics lore, even if their rivalry has pretty much always been more akin to a friendly ‘who’s stronger’ contest. Throughout that time, most fans have widely accepted that the Hulk is easily way stronger than the Thing – and, for the most part, they’re right. However, that shouldn’t suggest that the Thing has never defeated the Hulk in a fight, as Ben Grimm has actually pulled the victory on a number of separate occasions. One of the most recent victories the Thing won over the Hulk stands as the truest testament to the Thing’s Hulk-level strength, even in his base form.

In Fantastic Four #13 by Dan Slott and Sean Izaakse, the Thing is trying to enjoy his honeymoon with Alicia Masters when the Hulk comes out of nowhere and tries to kill him. The Hulk is being mind-controlled by Puppet Master, throwing the Jade Giant into a murderous rage that most would be powerless to stop. But, the Thing proves to be an exception.

At the start of the fight, Hulk has a clear advantage over the Thing, as Hulk’s fighting with a fierce and unwavering determination to kill him, while the Thing is holding back in an effort to reason with Hulk, mostly just confused as to why he’s attacking him. However, when it becomes clear the Hulk isn’t slowing down (and with only seconds until Ben Grimm temporarily reverts to his human form), the Thing delivers a mighty punch that shatters his own arm, knocking the Hulk out cold, marking this as the first time the Thing legitimately beat the Hulk.

The Thing Also Beat the Hulk After Receiving a Cosmic Upgrade

Fantastic Four #320 by Steve Englehart and Keith Pollard

While 2019’s Fantastic Four #13 was the first time the Thing beat the Hulk without any upgrades or downgrades at play (and even when the Hulk was arguably at his most ferocious, making the victory even more impressive), it’s certainly not the first time the Thing has ever defeated the Hulk.

In Fantastic Four #320, the Thing reaches his maximum power when he’s hit with a second dose of cosmic rays during a space mission with Ms. Marvel to take down the villain, Fasaud. Fearing the Thing’s newfound strength, Doctor Doom goads the Hulk (whose prime personality was Joe Fixit aka Grey Hulk at the time) to challenge the Thing to a fight, hoping that the Hulk’s strength will be enough to take Ben Grimm down for good. It wasn’t.

When Grey Hulk launched a surprise attack against the Thing, he momentarily held an advantage, as the Thing was taken aback by the fact that he was being assaulted at all. Once the Thing got his bearings, however, Hulk was done for. The Thing beat the Hulk to a bloody pulp in the streets of New York, and even nearly ripped Hulk’s head clean off his body. The Thing has his cosmic upgrade to thank for this sound victory over the Hulk (who was admittedly in one of his weaker forms as Joe Fixit), but a win is still a win.

The Thing Pulled Another Victory After the Hulk Got a Massive Downgrade

The Immortal Hulk #41 by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett

During another recent ‘versus’ battle between the Thing and the Hulk, the Thing pulls yet another victory, though this one is decidedly hollow. In The Immortal Hulk #41, the Hulk has broken free from a government-backed facility that was running cruel experiments on him. This, after Bruce Banner and Devil Hulk were ripped from their shared consciousness by the Leader (wielding the power of the One Below All). All of this amounted to the Hulk being severely depowered, reduced to an emaciated version of his former self with the mind of a child.

The Hulk was also a wanted fugitive at this time, meaning every superhero on Earth had standing orders to engage him on-sight – and the Thing did just that. Unaware of everything the Hulk had been through, the Thing simply launches an attack against the Hulk, even mocking him for his weakened state as he did so. The Thing defeats the Hulk with ease, marking yet another victory under his belt (even if it is a hollow one). However, once the Thing realizes that the Hulk is really the victim here, he quickly stops pummeling him and offers his immediate assistance.

This fight is noteworthy beyond simply being a ‘Hulk vs Thing’ matchup, as it highlights another important aspect of their relationship. The two are rivals, to be sure, but they are also fellow heroes who will have each other’s backs when things get tough. The Thing will happily fight Hulk to test his strength, especially if Hulk is in a position where he needs to be stopped. However, at the end of the day, the two are allies with a rivalry that’s based more on friendship than disdain, which is honestly why their ‘versus’ battles are so much fun.

Even Alternate Versions of the Thing have Beaten the Hulk

Ultimate Fantastic Four #23 by Mark Millar and Greg Land

While the Hulk and the Thing have had no shortage of battles in Earth-616, their rivalry is far from unique when taking into account the entire Marvel Multiverse. In Ultimate Fantastic Four #23, the Fantastic Four of Earth-1610 travel to Earth-2149 aka the world of Marvel Zombies. Almost immediately after the Thing steps foot into this new reality, he finds himself face-to-face with a zombified Hulk, resulting in yet another ‘Hulk vs Thing’ matchup.

As Marvel fans know, the zombies in Marvel Zombies all retained their superpowers even after infection. While they were certainly weaker as a result of the zombie virus, each character was still pretty much at the same power-level as their non-zombie counterparts, and that includes the Hulk. But, even so, the Ultimate Universe’s Thing is able to defeat the zombified Hulk with a single punch. In fact, this was Ultimate Thing’s first encounter with any Hulk, and Ben Grimm even has a meta-moment when he says, “Guess that answers that question…” after one-shotting the Green Goliath, confirming his ‘Hulk-level’ strength.

While every fight between the Thing and Hulk is exciting, it’s always a bit more exhilarating when the Thing beats Hulk, just because the consensus in the Marvel fandom is that the Thing doesn’t compare to Hulk in the slightest. Every one of these examples stands as firm reminders that the Thing can absolutely stand his ground against the Hulk, and even come out on top. However, the one that stands out the most is Ben Grimm’s victory in 2019’s Fantastic Four #13, as that was the Thing’s most legitimate victory over the Hulk in Marvel Comics history.