This Iconic MCU Line Has a Deep Connection to Hulk Lore I Never Would Have Guessed

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Incredible Hulk #16! The Hulk has been a prominent hero in the MCU since the very start of the established universe, meaning he’s had no shortage of iconic moments throughout. However, one line of dialogue uttered by the Jade Giant definitely stands out as perhaps the most quotable, and as it turns out, that line has a deep-cut connection to Hulk lore in Marvel Comics that fans would never expect.

In The Incredible Hulk #16 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Danny Earls, readers are thrown into the ancient past of 3600 BCE, when the first Hulk called Enkidu tracks down the Eldest to challenge the eldritch monster to battle. Like the modern day Hulk, Enkidu is the champion of the One Below All, who is the source of every Hulk’s power. The One Below All and the Mother of Horrors (essentially the god of all monsters) are ancient rivals, making the fight between Enkidu and the Eldest even more epic.

While the Eldest initially gets the upper hand by possessing Enkidu, the first Hulk calls upon the raw power of the One Below All himself to defeat the Eldest seemingly once and for all. After receiving a massive power upgrade, Enkidu smashes the Eldest into the ground. At this point in the eldritch monster’s history, the Eldest is revered as a god, though Enkidu proves her worshipers were misguided, as after he defeats her, Enkidu looks down at the Eldest and says, “Puny god”.

MCU’s Hulk ‘Stole’ His “Puny God” Line from Enkidu

Hulk Calls Loki a “Puny God” After Defeating Him in the MCU’s Avengers (2012)

Even though the Hulk technically said “Puny god” to Loki in the MCU before Enkidu said it to the Eldest in the comics (in terms of release date), the MCU’s Hulk represents the modern day iteration of the character, while Enkidu is the first-ever Hulk in Marvel history, meaning the MCU’s Hulk ‘stole’ the line from his Marvel Comics ancestor. However, regardless of who said it first, the most significant thing about this is the fact that both Hulks said the line at all.

In the MCU, Hulk calls Loki a “Puny god” after he so easily took him down at the end of the movie, which is essentially what happened between Enkidu and the Eldest. It’s as if the MCU’s Hulk, through some mystical sense of gamma memory from a past life, remembers being in a similar situation with a nearly identical outcome, and because of that, he says the exact same thing upon achieving victory. It’s a cool little detail, giving this line striking significance in Hulk lore.

Hulk has a History of Smashing ‘Puny Gods’ in Marvel Lore

The Eldest and Loki are far from the only ‘puny gods’ Hulk has taken down in his Marvel career (comics or otherwise). The Hulk has won many battles against Marvel gods, including the likes of Thor, Hercules, and even the One Below All himself after Thunder Clapping the deity into oblivion. Hulk has also beaten other characters with the strength of cosmic gods, like Gladiator and Sentry, which only further proves how immensely strong the Hulk really is. However, he never seems as strong as when he stands over the beaten body of a literal god.

Hulk’s many victories over Marvel gods are easily his most impressive, and they become even more so when the Hulk knows how much better he is than these supposedly divine beings, which he makes clear by calling them a “puny god” after beating them. And now, Hulk has done that exactly twice, once in the MCU and once in the form of Enkidu, giving this iconic MCU line a deep-cut connection to Hulk’s Marvel Comics lore.

The Incredible Hulk #16 by Marvel Comics is available now.