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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay #2! The Hulk has a reputation for being the strongest hero in the Marvel Universe (in terms of physical strength), especially when considering those that have been introduced in the MCU. However, during the latest world-ending threat the Avengers are facing in Marvel Comics, the Hulk is overpowered by another MCU hero – one who takes the Hulk down like it’s nothing.
In Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay #2 by Thomas Krajewski and Jason Muhr, New York City is facing a zombie outbreak unlike anything Marvel fans have seen before. In the previous issue, Groot comes down with an alien illness that seems like a common cold. However, the ‘mucus’ he was producing is laced with a bizarre ‘zombie virus’, which is revealed after Groot sneezes on Captain America. Groot accidentally turns Cap into a plant-like zombie (akin to the zombies featured in The Last of Us), and before long, that single infection spreads across the entire city.
The only ones that aren’t infected are Bruce Banner and Groot himself (as he’s the asymptomatic ‘patient zero’). Banner has a plan to use Groot to create a cure, but he has to get to his lab in Avengers Tower. So, to keep himself from getting infected, Bruce transforms into the Hulk after telling Groot that he has to make sure to get the Hulk to Avengers Tower, even against his will. On the way, Hulk gets distracted by fighting zombies, forcing Groot to wrap his vine tendrils around the Hulk’s throat, cutting off his oxygen, and rendering him unconscious.
Groot Proving to be Stronger than the Hulk Isn’t Surprising
Groot was Labeled a Hulk-Strength Hero in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 7 #7
While it is certainly shocking to see the Hulk get taken down that easily, the fact that Groot is strong enough to do it isn’t that surprising. Indeed, in Guardians of the Galaxy #7, Wiccan actually labels Groot a ‘Hulk-strength hero’ after casually saying that he’s always been strong enough to tangle with the Hulk one-v-one.
In the same issue (and throughout that entire Guardians of the Galaxy storyline), Groot proves as much by achieving a new gargantuan planet-consuming form called Grootspace. As Grootspace, Groot could easily defeat the likes of the Hulk, so easily, in fact, that it’s likely Groot wouldn’t even be aware he was fighting the Green Goliath before Hulk was defeated.
Marvel’s Original Groot Fought Hulk in The Incredible Hulk Annual #5
Before becoming an A-list Guardian of the Galaxy, Groot was a fairly obscure Marvel character who first appeared in Tales to Astonish #13. That version of Groot wasn’t a hero, but a horrific monster from another world – and his fight against Hulk in The Incredible Hulk Annual #5 proves how terrifyingly powerful Groot was, even back then. While the Hulk eventually comes out on top (given that he’s the hero and Groot was the villain in this story), he does so by outmaneuvering Groot, not overpowering him, which all but confirms Groot’s superior strength.
“You Lack the Strength to Harm Me”: Hulk Finally Meets an Enemy Who’s Immune to His Strength
The Hulk is one of the strongest beings in the Marvel Universe, but he’s finally met someone he can’t smash, as one villain is immune to his strength.
From their first battle in The Incredible Hulk Annual #5 to Groot’s cosmic upgrade in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 7, it’s clear that Groot is more than a match for the Hulk. And now, with Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay, it’s become a simple fact that this MCU hero can overpower the Hulk without breaking a sweat.
Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay #2 by Marvel Comics is available now.
Hulk
The Hulk, a Marvel Comics superhero created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, is physicist Bruce Banner transformed by gamma radiation. He morphs into a giant, green-skinned creature of immense strength and invulnerability when angered. Struggling with his transformations, Hulk allies with other heroes, battling villains while balancing his intellect with uncontrollable rage, making him a central figure in Marvel’s universe.
“}]] 1 MCU hero can easily overpower the Hulk. Read More