HULK versus FANTASTIC FOUR
Part 4: The Hulk At Last! (Marvel)
Where: Fantastic Four #12 When: March 1963
Why: Stan Lee How: Jack Kirby
The Story So Far...
Project 34 is the latest invention by Dr. Bruce Banner: a state-of-the-art device able to blanket cities in protective electro-magnetic rays that repel any modern attack! It's the ultimate defensive technology, but its drawn the destructive interest of the mysterious Wrecker!
General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross suspects Banner's secret alter-ego of the monstrous Hulk is responsible, and recruits the Fantastic Four to deal with the menace!
The heroes accept their mission, with the powerful Thing particularly eager to prove his superiority against the rampaging powerhouse. Little do they realize the Hulk is innocent, and on his own desperate mission to rescue teenage friend Rick Jones from the clutches of the true Wrecker!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Invisible Woman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Hulk 6 (Generator)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting: Hulk 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Human Torch 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Hulk 26 (Metahuman)
The year is 1963. The Marvel Universe is now in full swing, and for roughly ten months there have co-existed two monstrous powerhouses: The incredible Hulk and the ever lovin' blue-eyed Thing! They are unstoppable force and immovable object - destined to meet in the middle to determine who is strongest one of all!
Hulk was mild-mannered scientist Dr. Bruce Banner until bathed in gamma radiation from an experimental bomb! This accident of science unleashed the monster within - first triggered by nightfall, but eventually sparked by Banner's own inner turmoil! The greater his rage - the more powerful the Hulk!
Here on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths we subscribe to an understanding that Hulk may become more powerful with the intensity of his rage -- but he's still an organic being with limits. Not that those limits make him any less impressive!
At this early stage of his career, Hulk was best known for tearing through the military might of the United States Army - as was still the case many decades later in World War Hulk #3! He would go on to overwhelm super-powered heavyweights like: Thor [Avengers #5], Silver Surfer [Incredible Hulk #95], Juggernaut [Marvel Adventure #12], Hercules [Tales to Astonish #79], The Sentry [World War Hulk #5], and Red Hulk [Hulk #6]!
Thing is no slouch himself! Our above stats controversially advantage the Hulk, particularly in the realms of stamina and fighting ability. Strength is numerically equal in the "Invincible" bracket, but Thing's renowned brawling couldn't transcend skill-based finesse to match Hulk's "Warrior" Fighting stat.
An even greater question mark may lie with Stamina, given Thing is famed for rising to the occasion with heart & determination! It was best encapsulated when he went the distance with Champion of the Universe in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7! The reason for the low stat lies in a record of running out of gas against: Thundra & Sandman [Fantastic Four #129], Gladiator [Fantastic Four #249], Captain Marvel [Captain Marvel #26], The Sentry [Mighty Avengers #10], Wolverine [Wolverine #22], and Black Panther [Fantastic Four #52].
These defeats have weighted Thing's ranking, but he is famous for gutting it out against overwhelming odds! He's done it against Doctor Doom [Fantastic Four #350], The Adaptoid [Fantastic Four: Unplugged #1], his evil Doppelganger [Fantastic Four #367], and in the Ultimate Universe - a Zombie Hulk!
Thing also has something Hulk almost never does - powerful friends to help him in a pinch! The Fantastic Four are: Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch and Thing.
Over the years they've combined to defeat powerful adversaries, such as: Ego The Living Planet [Fantastic Four #235], Super-Skrull [Fantastic Four #6], Paibok the Power Skrull [Fantastic Four #358], Gomdulla [Spider-Man Family #3], and The Sinister Twelve [Marvel Knights: Spider-man #11]! With Mister Fantastic's stretching, Invisible Woman's force-fields, and Human Torch's flame - coordinated tactics could prove to be the difference!
Of course, Hulk has taken down the Thunderbolts [Incredible Hulk #449] and Avengers [Avengers (Vol.2) #4], so all we can really do is get on with the fight!
History: Thing (1-0-0)
The Tape: Fantastic Four Ranking: Hulk (#6)
What Went Down...
Lurking within catacombs beneath a secret New Mexico military test-site: The Hulk hears voices echo through the subterranean chambers as he searches for his prey! The Fantastic Four now stalk the tunnels, led by the Thing, who's itching for a showdown with their "overrated" target. His wish is soon granted!
The incredible Hulk steps into view right as the Human Torch glides by and Thing's path meets his own! The notorious monster threatens to crush the surprised hero like a flea and launches a devastating left!
Despite its devastating power - the awesome blow serves only to temporarily knock Thing off balance! Hulk remarks that it's like hitting rock, realizing the Thing is far tougher than he expected.
Human Torch doubles back to attack, but the Hulk moves swiftly to launch a counter-attack of dirt and sand. His massive hands scoop untold rubble, blanketing the airborne Torch in a smothering layer of Earth!
In the chaos, the green behemoth apparently lost sight of the remaining half of the quartet. Believing they may've headed for the surface, he rips a tunnel towards the light and fills it tightly to keep Thing and Human Torch down below!
The deviation almost keeps the entire Fantastic Four buried, but Mister Fantastic is able to stretch his arms through tiny crevices in the dirt. Hearing Hulk's heavy feet thundering through the earth - he successfully ensnares the beast!
Though his rubbery arm easily loops around Hulk's waist, Mister Fantastic cannot endure his beastly rage! Like a furious bucking bronco, Hulk breaks the lasso hold and charges through a nearby abandoned desert town!
Where: Fantastic Four #12 When: March 1963
Why: Stan Lee How: Jack Kirby
The Story So Far...
Project 34 is the latest invention by Dr. Bruce Banner: a state-of-the-art device able to blanket cities in protective electro-magnetic rays that repel any modern attack! It's the ultimate defensive technology, but its drawn the destructive interest of the mysterious Wrecker!
General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross suspects Banner's secret alter-ego of the monstrous Hulk is responsible, and recruits the Fantastic Four to deal with the menace!
The heroes accept their mission, with the powerful Thing particularly eager to prove his superiority against the rampaging powerhouse. Little do they realize the Hulk is innocent, and on his own desperate mission to rescue teenage friend Rick Jones from the clutches of the true Wrecker!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Invisible Woman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Hulk 6 (Generator)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting: Hulk 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Human Torch 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Hulk 26 (Metahuman)
The year is 1963. The Marvel Universe is now in full swing, and for roughly ten months there have co-existed two monstrous powerhouses: The incredible Hulk and the ever lovin' blue-eyed Thing! They are unstoppable force and immovable object - destined to meet in the middle to determine who is strongest one of all!
Hulk was mild-mannered scientist Dr. Bruce Banner until bathed in gamma radiation from an experimental bomb! This accident of science unleashed the monster within - first triggered by nightfall, but eventually sparked by Banner's own inner turmoil! The greater his rage - the more powerful the Hulk!
Here on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths we subscribe to an understanding that Hulk may become more powerful with the intensity of his rage -- but he's still an organic being with limits. Not that those limits make him any less impressive!
At this early stage of his career, Hulk was best known for tearing through the military might of the United States Army - as was still the case many decades later in World War Hulk #3! He would go on to overwhelm super-powered heavyweights like: Thor [Avengers #5], Silver Surfer [Incredible Hulk #95], Juggernaut [Marvel Adventure #12], Hercules [Tales to Astonish #79], The Sentry [World War Hulk #5], and Red Hulk [Hulk #6]!
Thing is no slouch himself! Our above stats controversially advantage the Hulk, particularly in the realms of stamina and fighting ability. Strength is numerically equal in the "Invincible" bracket, but Thing's renowned brawling couldn't transcend skill-based finesse to match Hulk's "Warrior" Fighting stat.
An even greater question mark may lie with Stamina, given Thing is famed for rising to the occasion with heart & determination! It was best encapsulated when he went the distance with Champion of the Universe in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7! The reason for the low stat lies in a record of running out of gas against: Thundra & Sandman [Fantastic Four #129], Gladiator [Fantastic Four #249], Captain Marvel [Captain Marvel #26], The Sentry [Mighty Avengers #10], Wolverine [Wolverine #22], and Black Panther [Fantastic Four #52].
These defeats have weighted Thing's ranking, but he is famous for gutting it out against overwhelming odds! He's done it against Doctor Doom [Fantastic Four #350], The Adaptoid [Fantastic Four: Unplugged #1], his evil Doppelganger [Fantastic Four #367], and in the Ultimate Universe - a Zombie Hulk!
Thing also has something Hulk almost never does - powerful friends to help him in a pinch! The Fantastic Four are: Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch and Thing.
Over the years they've combined to defeat powerful adversaries, such as: Ego The Living Planet [Fantastic Four #235], Super-Skrull [Fantastic Four #6], Paibok the Power Skrull [Fantastic Four #358], Gomdulla [Spider-Man Family #3], and The Sinister Twelve [Marvel Knights: Spider-man #11]! With Mister Fantastic's stretching, Invisible Woman's force-fields, and Human Torch's flame - coordinated tactics could prove to be the difference!
Of course, Hulk has taken down the Thunderbolts [Incredible Hulk #449] and Avengers [Avengers (Vol.2) #4], so all we can really do is get on with the fight!
History: Thing (1-0-0)
The Tape: Fantastic Four Ranking: Hulk (#6)
What Went Down...
Lurking within catacombs beneath a secret New Mexico military test-site: The Hulk hears voices echo through the subterranean chambers as he searches for his prey! The Fantastic Four now stalk the tunnels, led by the Thing, who's itching for a showdown with their "overrated" target. His wish is soon granted!
The incredible Hulk steps into view right as the Human Torch glides by and Thing's path meets his own! The notorious monster threatens to crush the surprised hero like a flea and launches a devastating left!
Despite its devastating power - the awesome blow serves only to temporarily knock Thing off balance! Hulk remarks that it's like hitting rock, realizing the Thing is far tougher than he expected.
Human Torch doubles back to attack, but the Hulk moves swiftly to launch a counter-attack of dirt and sand. His massive hands scoop untold rubble, blanketing the airborne Torch in a smothering layer of Earth!
In the chaos, the green behemoth apparently lost sight of the remaining half of the quartet. Believing they may've headed for the surface, he rips a tunnel towards the light and fills it tightly to keep Thing and Human Torch down below!
The deviation almost keeps the entire Fantastic Four buried, but Mister Fantastic is able to stretch his arms through tiny crevices in the dirt. Hearing Hulk's heavy feet thundering through the earth - he successfully ensnares the beast!
Though his rubbery arm easily loops around Hulk's waist, Mister Fantastic cannot endure his beastly rage! Like a furious bucking bronco, Hulk breaks the lasso hold and charges through a nearby abandoned desert town!
As Thing digs the remaining members of the Fantastic Four out of the ground -- Hulk hoists a wooden frame building above his head and dumps it on his rocky opponent. Remarkably - the emerging Thing effortlessly swats it aside!
Desperate to defeat the foursome, Hulk plots to mitigate their impressive powers by separating them. He leaps into the air, first planning to power-dive the Thing -- but Mister Fantastic stretches skyward to cut his trajectory off!
This time the brilliant hero wraps his entire elastic body around the Hulk, entombing him in a jacket of constricting rubber! It waylays the behemoth for a moment, but he soon spins his powerful body like a top -- flinging Mister Fantastic uncontrollably from his body!
The Human Torch flies in for another shot at the powerhouse, but the open-air strike won't do him any good. This time Hulk is ready to level him with a clap so powerful it unleashes a sonic boom shockwave!
The impossible blast grounds the Human Torch, and keeps the Invisible Girl and Mister Fantastic out of the fight, as well! Yet still one remains!
Unaffected by the sound or force of the sonic assault -- Thing wastes no time answering Hulk's queries, delivering a right hook that knocks Hulk off his feet and through a nearby brick wall!
Hulk retaliates by launching a massive cart, but the toss is easily avoided by the mocking Thing! His jibes only provoke Hulk's further rage. At last - they collide!
Like two raging bulls the powerhouses collide! The ground trembles beneath their massive feet as each jockeys for position in a grapple tie! Thing relishes his chance to finally go one-on-one with the famed super-heavyweight, while Hulk simply insists he's finally got him!
The flexing of mighty muscle is slow and grueling, but eventually Hulk is able to leverage his height to begin lifting the Thing! It seems the advantage may be going Hulk's way, but Thing maneuvers to prepare a devastating pile-driver punch when suddenly -- an unseen attacker strikes from beneath the ground!
The mysterious atom-powered beam brings Hulk to a complete standstill - knocking him out cold! Thing can only be dazed and confused, uncertain of how his powerful foe was suddenly vanquished. When the Invisible Girl alerts him to the stolen victory -- an enraged Thing sets his sights on the unseen assailant!
The Hammer...One of the biggest super-heavyweight showdowns of the early Marvel Universe -- and it ends in interference!
Hulk was clearly defeated, but it wasn't by the powerful pounding fists of the rocky Thing! No! That dubious distinction went to the dastardly Wrecker, whose victory comes from a dirty sneak attack!
In professional wrestling terms this was a result that kept both powerhouses strong. They each got their licks in, but Hulk had the visual advantage at the end - before suffering underhanded defeat! Who would win a fight between Thing and the Hulk? Fans could still find valid arguments in favor of both!
Don't confuse ol' Karl Kort [pictured] with the enchanted crowbar-wielding Wrecker. This guy was a one-and-done villain in the classic mold of other communist spies and saboteurs. He was similar to several early Hulk villains, dubbed "The Wrecker" for destroying prototype weaponry and devices.
Karl Kort would be all but forgotten after Fantastic Four #12, but the potential for a rematch showdown between Thing and Hulk continued to have all the orchestrated drama of a Madison Square Garden main event!
There was more than a touch of the New York promoter about Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Many of their finest early stories built the emerging threat of a new villain, before putting the hero over in the end. Each victory: another notch in the belt of would-be challengers to the unspoken title of Marvel's toughest!
These kinds of staple fantasy fights in Marvel's early years were vital to building the inter-connected reality of the modern shared Marvel Universe.
The Hulk solo series ended after Incredible Hulk #6 (published the same month as FF #12), but Editor-in-Chief Stan Lee would send his star on a tour of other series, growing his legend as he mixed it up with The Avengers, Iron Man, Spider-man, and a circulating attraction from the Golden Age: Sub-Mariner!
It comes as no surprise that I would have a strong affection for this approach. I enjoy a good superhero fight, and love the way these stories helped build the legend of each character, and their inter-personal relationships.
Thing & Hulk are still two of Marvel's toughest, and still have a pretty healthy rivalry! In fact, the fight from Fantastic Four #12 was specifically revisited in 2005's Hulk and Thing: Hard Knocks, where Bruce Jones wrote a new brawl between them as they argued over who won that fateful first encounter!
Marvel Comics were really given a strong start, and Stan Lee deserves a lot of credit for cultivating that.
There were a lot of classic confrontations we could've revisited, but when I think Stan Lee, I think Fantastic Four, so this seemed like a fitting way to pay tribute to "The Man", who sadly left us earlier this week, aged 95.
Many people around the world have said wonderful words about the writer, editor, publisher, and personality, who had such a huge impact on us all. I'm not sure I can add much more of value. With so many famous faces leaving us in recent years, that's one of the nice aspects of the Stan Lee story. He had the chance to know how much he meant to us all. More should be so lucky.
If you'd like to check out more famous fights from Stan Lee, be sure to browse the Cover to Cover: Remembering Stan Lee selection. You'll also be able to find more from "The Man" by following links, and browsing the Secret Archive.
You can read today's featured story and more for yourself by checking out collected editions from Amazon! Purchasing via the links provided helps support the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths at no extra cost to you! Excelsior!
Get daily links to featured fights inspired by the topics of the day by liking, sharing, and following on Twitter and Facebook. You can also connect with more fans celebrating the life of Stan Lee with tributes and stories by following the #StanLeeForever hashtag.
Winner: "Wrecker" Karl Kort (w/ Fantastic Four)
#317 (new) Karl Kort (Wrecker)
#11 (--) Thing [+1 assist]
#10 (--) Mister Fantastic [+1 assist]
#14 (--) Human Torch [+1 assist]
#12 (--) Invisible Woman [+1 assist]
#6 (--) Hulk
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