TITANIA versus FANTASTIC FOUR

Tempest Without, Crisis Within! (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #3 When: July 1984 Why: Jim Shooter How: Mike Zeck

The Story So Far...
In the cold vacuum of distant space -- the sudden emergence of a space station filled with some of the mightiest heroes and villains of Earth!

Gathered together by some awesome, unknown force, they are issued a simple decree: "I am from beyond! Slay your enemies and all your desires shall be yours! Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish!"

Deposited to a planet created by this mysterious Beyonder from pieces of other worlds -- forces align to fight a war of good & evil unseen by human eyes. Leading a rabble of the disagreeable and devious: Doctor Doom seeks to enhance his forces with the creation of two new super-villains to join an attack at dawn!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thing 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Human Torch 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Thing 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting: Thing 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Human Torch 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Human Torch 23 (Champion)

Plucked from the obscurity of a Denver town during The Beyonder's construction of Battleworld; Mary MacPherran was discovered by Doctor Doom and granted super-human powers using alien technology found on the composite planet.

As Titania she gratefully received super-human strength, durability, and stamina, further bolstering Doom's forces in the Secret Wars against Earth's mightiest heroes -- and a few of his conspiring contemporaries as well!

The Fantastic Four are: Mister Fantastic, Human Torch, and Thing.

The foursome is actually a trio -- unaccompanied by the Invisible Woman, who stays safe at home, heavily pregnant.

Further depleting the ranks is the unexpected transformation of The Thing into his human alter-ego of Benjamin Grimm. It marks a noted loss of strength for the seasoned threesome as they find themselves under surprise attack from an unfamiliar adversary!

Ordinarily Thing would probably go head-to-head with Titania without too much issue, but it'll be up to Mister Fantastic and Human Torch to fend for themselves and their powerless friend. A rare, but not unheard of predicament.

Though generally known for his smarts, Reed Richards can stretch his abilities to combat - particularly when the family's involved.

We saw Reed rough up the Sub-Mariner during a jealous grudge match in FF #412, and outfight the Super-Apes in a dramatic lone stand during FF (Vol.3) #3. Of course, he also found himself twisted and tossed aside by the likes of Hulk in FF #12 and FF #374, and the impossibly powerful Gladiator in FF #249.

In her first outing it remains to be seen if Titania is as strong or durable as those high-level competitors. She's certainly highly motivated and eager to test her strength. So let's see what happened...

The Tape: Fantastic Four Ranking: Mister Fantastic (#11)

What Went Down...

There are no obstacles awaiting Doctor Doom as he pilots a flying ship filled with an army of villains towards the heroes' headquarters. Unchallenged -- he prepares them for ramming speed and crashes directly into the undefended complex!

From the heart of the sprawling facility Doom strikes -- directing The Wrecker to his mission to free Kang, Enchantress, and The Wrecking Crew from imprisonment -- while the other villains spill outward to cause maximum mayhem!

The first heroes alerted to the assault are the Fantastic Four -- now a threesome, with the powerless human form of Ben Grimm standing to his feet as Human Torch and Mister Fantastic spot the disturbance outside.

The very window they're peering through betrays them as Titania comes calling.

Her newfound super-human strength gets its first test drive as she smashes the exterior wall into the large table seating the FF!

Only the Human Torch remains conscious, nursing a broken arm and ribs as he points his right hand toward the attacker and douses her in flames!

The blazing fire engulfs Titania, deterring her just long enough for the Human Torch to blast his way through the floor, allowing he and his fellows to drop to the safety of the lower levels.

Titania stands ready at the hole's edge -- a job well done.

The Hammer...

I suppose I should take a moment to bask in the collective sigh of relief now that Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is finally on the record!

In the age of SEO you might've presumed it would be one of the first things featured on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths, but life online wasn't always about being so damn obvious, and I've always preferred to go where whim takes me.

Once we finally crossed off Crisis on Infinite Earths, Secret Wars obviously started burning up the To Do list -- and let's be honest: It has always been a point of interest that I've wanted to get to. I just never imagined this is where we'd start!

With Titania making her live-action debut in She-Hulk on Disney+, it felt like the right time to finally dig into the famous Marvel maxi-series, which essentially came together to sell some action figures, but also introduced a few enduring ideas and new additions to the Marvel pantheon.

Titania's first official fight in print wasn't exactly a barn burner, but she makes a heckuva strong impression with her total bamboozling of the Fantastic Four!

Today we might think of her as more of a She-Hulk villain, but it makes sense that her first conflict might be with the FF. After all, she was granted her super-human strength by Doctor Doom, and was itching to prove herself with worthy combat.

It's actually one of several small skirmishes breaking out, by happenstance, as Doom deploys his villainous troops to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting heroes while The Wrecker recovers prisoners.

That element of tactical deployment and human-resource management is one of the things that makes Secret Wars appealing. It won't quite achieve the status of a true war story with super-heroes, but it at least flirts with the concept beyond a clumsy series of indistinguishable fights transparently advertising a toy line.

She-Hulk happens to be the next target featured after today's fight, surprised by another Secret Wars debutante - Volcana. Proximity that perhaps subconsciously alludes to the characters' future associations, including She-Hulk's admission to the Fantastic Four as a stand-in for The Thing, who'd already subbed out in the pages of Fantastic Four #265.

A lot of what makes Titania enduring is here right from the start.

As soon as she receives her powers -- a painful process that requires whole-heartedly embracing them at risk of destruction -- she has a costume ready, and  comes up with an alias on the spot. Truth be told it's probably my favourite Titania look. Leather pro wrestling chic with thorny spikes up & down the sleeves.

A quick flex lifting & throwing a few tonnes of slag melted by Volcana, and she's ready to rumble. Doctor Doom introduces his new recruits to the rest of the squad, and Titania makes a beeline for a lazily lounging Absorbing Man looking for a rumble: "I'm going to do anything I want to you! Everything I always wanted to do to everybody who used to be bigger and stronger than me! Maybe I'll just play with you... or maybe I'll make you eat dirt..."

The vaguely flirtatious threat is met with indifference as Absorbing Man blows off the challenge from "a dame" at least until tomorrow. A dynamic that might be seen as dismissive, but feels more like the playful preview of a lasting relationship that will be forged between the couple as super-human equals.

That's a combination I look forward to exploring further in future updates. For now: we need to make a call about this result.

Although the Fantastic Four look in pretty bad shape, Human Torch ensures they slink away quickly before the fight really takes off. In the next issue Hulk will still be carrying an unconscious Mister Fantastic and Ben Grimm, with the Torch nursing his injuries. I'm inclined to take this compelling outcome into account and deem this a debut win for Titania. Agree or disagree? Hit the comments below.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured almost 700 battles and ranked well over 1000 characters! You can find more from your favourite characters & topics by following links throughout each entry, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights by publisher, series, and issue number.

If you like what we're all about and want to help the site continue to grow become a supporter on Patreon! You'll get warm kudos and respect from your peers for being such a fine, discerning patron, and also unlock access to additional updates, sponsored article options, and various other things.

Get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing via Twitter and Facebook. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday!

Winner: Titania
#352 (new) Titania
#14 (--) Human Torch
#11 (--) Mister Fantastic
#13 (--) Thing

SECRET DEFENDERS versus FANTASTIC FOUR

Suddenly... The Secret Defenders (Marvel)
Where: Fantastic Four #374 When: March 1993
Why: Tom DeFalco How: Paul Ryan

The Story So Far...
When Johnny Storm was caught alone in a surprise ambush by Paibok the Power Skrull, Lyja, and Devos The Destroyer -- he unleashed the full force of his nova blast in a last ditch effort to survive!

The desperate tactic left nearby Empire State University in scorched ruins, earning the ire of a public who believes Human Torch's flaming assault was a reckless act of endangerment.

With the rest of the Fantastic Four preoccupied -- and mercenaries taking to the streets to hunt The Torch down -- his old friend Spider-Man seeks the aide of Doctor Strange to assemble a familiar team to bring him in peacefully. With a simple astral projection the erstwhile New Fantastic Four are reunited!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Spider-Man 4 (???)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Human Torch 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Spider-Man 29 (Metahuman)

The Secret Defenders are: Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, with Doctor Strange.

The concept of the original "non-team" was taken to its ultimate conclusion when Doctor Strange began recruiting disparate heroes for missions as the Secret Defenders. Spider-Man seeks his assistance to re-assemble a quartet once gathered to operate as the avenging "New Fantastic Four".

The Fantastic Four are: Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and Thing, with Ms. Marvel.

The long running relationship between Spider-Man and the classic FF has seen him play friend and "frenemy" to the Human Torch. We saw them fight side-by-side in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #4, Spider-Man Family #3, and Amazing Spider-Man #600, but rivalry got the better of them in Fantastic Four #543!

The FF also has a legendary history with the Hulk, starting with their first face-off in Fantastic Four #12! Much of the rivalry boils down to testing Hulk's strength against the Thing, who's also developed tensions with Wolverine.

Today's issue is where the true bad blood developed between them, but Thing & Wolverine also shared an earlier exchange in Contest of Champions #3, and extended their battles with an all-out war in Wolverine #22!

The overlapping dynamics between all the players on both teams are almost as intriguing as the general parallels between two versions of the FF.

Hulk and Thing are obvious strongmen, but this is a time when Bruce Banner's brilliant mind controls Hulk. His genius rivals Mister Fantastic within his field, while Spider-Man's webs and Ghost Rider's chains loosely approximate his elasticated reach. Ghost Rider's hellfire draws obvious parallel to Human Torch, but as we saw in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #6, its properties are very different.

Spider-Man and Ghost Rider can also roughly approximate the defensive projections of Invisible Woman, but it may be Wolverine who best inverts her role, providing penetrating blades in place of invisible force fields. He can also sniff out any invisibility with his keen senses.

In Wolverine #22 she stopped him cold by blocking his airways, but the same trick didn't work in the alternate reality rematch of What If? Wolverine: Enemy of the State. Sue Storm is on the edge of her Malice personality at this time, so the gloves certainly could come off. We saw her cause a lot of problem for the X-Men as one of Ahab's Hounds in X-Men Annual #14. She was pushed to lethal extremes when defending her family in Fantastic Four (Vol.3) #2, too.

Doctor Strange is here as an astral projection as in Strange Tales #111 and Marvel Adventures #14, but has no magical foe to interact with. That makes Ms. Marvel a bit of an x-factor, adding a second heavyweight to the FF.

Sharon Ventura is a former stuntwoman and Thing's ex-girlfriend who received super-human strength enhancements during her career with Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation. She later mutated into the erstwhile "She-Thing", but was cured of her rocky affliction in Fantastic Four #350. She left the group after they encountered Justice Peace in Fanatstic Four #354, but returned as a mole indebted to Doctor Doom for her cure.

Ms. Marvel is double tough, but will that be enough to tip the scales in favour of the classic Fantastic Four? It's about time we just dived in to find out!

The Tape: Secret Defenders Ranking: Spider-Man (#2)

What Went Down...
Pursued by Skrull adversaries and angry bounty hunters: Johnny Storm has had little time to refresh himself. The scent of the chase betrays him as the keen senses of Wolverine detect the young hero hidden within a decrepit building.

The Secret Defenders don't quite share Spider-Man's understanding. Hulk gives the young hero an ultimatum: walk out with them - or be carried out!

Incensed, but knowing he's clearly outgunned, the Human Torch sends a flare out the window to draw the rest of the searching Fantastic Four to his location. He then bursts into flames, leaping into the air to avoid the lashing chain of Ghost Rider, and stray webs slung by Spider-Man!

The evasive maneuvers give Human Torch a chance to return fire. Shocked that his old friend Spider-Man would betray him, he hurls his flame in the web-slinger's direction. Spidey leaps clear and pleads his case for wanting to help.

Hulk is much less concerned, slamming his hands together to send a shockwave that smothers Johnny's flame and knocks him clean out of the air!

The green goliath looms over a smoldering Johnny Storm, wanting to avoid more mindless fisticuffs. The decision is taken out of his hands as a rocky finger taps his shoulder -- followed with the fist of The Thing against his jade jaw!

The Fantastic Four file into the urban space ready to defend their comrade!

Spider-Man again hopes to talk it out, but Wolverine insists the time for diplomacy has passed. His hostility is met with the pliable, bending body of Mister Fantastic, who stretches around him and vows that Johnny will surrender himself peacefully to the appropriate authorities.

Ghost Rider sees Invisible Woman raising her hands and attempts to intervene, but his shuriken flinging chain hits only the force field she was conjuring up.

Her invisible bubbles also form around Wolverine's clawed fists, defending the malleable body of her husband from any unlikely punctures. The married couple share terse gratitude, their own turmoil simmering behind their teamwork.

Leaping to defend his sister: Human Torch ignites again -- and bathes Ghost Rider in an unrelenting stream of flame!

The mortal burning proves ineffective against one who is already engulfed with the unearthly inferno of hellfire. Ghost Rider explains his non-lethal attack as he stares coldly with the permanent grin of his exposed skull.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man does his best to keep one step ahead of the super-strong fists of Ms. Marvel. She swings wildly, smashing through a support pillar as Spidey pinballs from surface to surface -- and catches her with webs!

Thing ducks a wild left from Hulk, and questions how the former rampaging brute could be anything but understanding of Johnny's current predicament.

Hulk retorts that it's his extensive experiences with collateral damage that drives him to prevent anyone else from repeating his unthinking past!

The Thing connects with a right hand deep in the mid-section, but his low stance leaves him vulnerable to an overhead hammer fist! Hulk's powerful blow knocks Thing clean through the floor and sends him plummeting down multiple levels!

Hulk then sets his sights on Mister Fantastic, who's proven capable of stretching around Wolverine's probing adamantium claws. Hulk's massive hand grips Mister Fantastic by the vest and whips him off like a loose sheet from a bed!

The X-Man is quickly besieged by Invisible Woman, who smashes him with an invisible force field that sends him hurtling backwards through the air. It provokes a rapid response as he rushes back with claws at the ready to test the impenetrability of her famous defenses.

Adamantium barely connects with invisible projection as Thing returns to the battle and grabs Wolverine from behind! He uses his incredible strength to powerslam Wolverine into the ground with a single hand. The mutant reacts!

Animal instinct takes over as Wolverine savagely slashes his adamantium claws towards his attacker! The unrestrained assault sickeningly carves through Thing's rocky face. It's like nothing the travelled hero has ever experienced!

The Thing howls in agony -- clutching at his wounded cheek as his body lurches in shock. The chilling scene snaps Wolverine back to his senses. He searches for reason, knowing he's gone too far. Thing responds with an uncaring fist!

The power of Thing's furious blow sends Wolverine smashing through untold walls as his airborne body careens into another neighbouring building.

Invisible Woman, Ms. Marvel, and Mister Fantastic rush to their teammate's side. Reed ensnares Hulk with his elastic body while desperately declaring Thing needs immediate medical attention.

Only Human Torch continues fighting --  caught in Ghost Rider's otherworldly chain!

The Spirit of Vengeance blames the young hero for the burning of Empire State University -- and the subsequent grim fate that has now befallen The Thing.

The chain squeezes The Torch's throat until his flame subsides. Ghost Rider swats him to the ground with the backhand of his fist, and prepares to unleash the torment of Johnny's own sins with the dreaded penance stare.

Suddenly a blast of energy forces the demonic hero away from his target!

Lyja The Lazerfist arrives just in time to defend her ex-husband -- even though she was one of the Skrulls who started his troubles!

She joins the Fantastic Four as they huddle together, standing back to five other backs, with the Secret Defenders closing in to surround them.

It seems battle is about to begin anew when a blinding light suddenly engulfs the Fantastic Four and their allies!

In the blink of an eye the sextet vanishes! Wolverine's sense of smell confirms they haven't been made invisible by Susan Storm. The sudden disappearance leaves Doctor Strange to contemplate their uncertain fate. An end, of sorts.

The Hammer...
Another famous fight goes on the record! It's reputation is largely built on the face-off between the "New Fantastic Four" and their classic counterparts, and the far reaching consequence of Wolverine's savage lapse of care.

His slash will scar Thing for the next few years, but I wonder how many readers know that the fight actually ended with an inconclusive result. Thing is injured, but still standing at the ready with his team, when the issue comes to an end.

If that wasn't tenacious enough: The next issue reveals the Fantastic Four were transported to the moon base of Uatu, The Watcher. There, Thing almost immediately engages in yet another brawl -- taking a face full of metal fist before he clobbers a rampaging alien robot! That's before he even finds the protective metal helmet he'll be wearing for the next year or so!

Fantastic Four #375 is also where we first witness the gruesome disfigurement of his face. The wound is significant, exposing fleshy tissue along his brow and cheek. It isn't stomach churning on the page, but the reality would seem much more shocking. His helmet was unpopular, but at least protects him.

On the one hand, it's an interesting milestone for the characters involved. On the other, it's surprising that such a consequential event would come from an otherwise typical case of superheroes fighting over a misunderstanding.

The reader certainly knows Johnny Storm hasn't gone rogue. Unlike the catalytic event of Civil War; the Empire State University compound wasn't destroyed by negligence. Johnny wrestled with his actions, fighting as long as he could to give students and faculty a chance to clear the area, before he went nova.

Human Torch's predicament came about as a result of long running plotlines involving Lyja and Paibok. FF #374 is the third issue to deal with the fallout, which highlights a general crisis of conscience that won't plague Wolverine.

I have to think Wolverine expressed a sense of responsibility, if not guilt, at some point in his solo series, or another X-title. I just don't remember it happening. I think it might've been absorbed into more general struggles with his animalistic urges and rage, which became a central plot years later.

The most significant follow-up I can recall is Fantastic Four #395: a 1995 issue that promises "payback" and an epic rematch on the cover, but actually delivers a team-up with Ant-Man, and a burying of the hatchet for Thing and Wolverine.

My best guess is that it remained a one-sided issue because of editorial lines at the time. It seems like an idea initiated by the Fantastic Four office with the intent to tell Fantastic Four stories. The X-offices might've given their blessing, but probably had their hands full with other on-going storylines at the time.

1993 was a pretty big year for Wolverine and the X-Men.

The animated series was on a fast track to becoming a global multimedia phenomenon, and in comics you had long and winding storylines happening every month in Wolverine, X-Men, and Uncanny X-Men. Half a year after this, Fatal Attractions begins, and Wolverine has his own wounds to heal when Magneto strips the adamantium from his skeleton in X-Men #25.

It might've been interesting if Thing got his rematch while Wolverine had bone claws, but the brutality of hero-on-hero violence has already been a little weird.

Keep in mind: this is all happening a decade before Marvel heroes were routinely maiming and killing each other. Breaking Wolverine's claws was a moment reserved instead for an uber-nineties arch-nemesis: the metallic Cyber.

Of course, lets not overlook the 90s saturation of the assembly we have before us. The entire concept of the "New Fantastic Four" feels very much of that time, frivolously throwing together popular characters with almost no natural ties.

I'm actually a fan of the restraint they showed by only featuring this quarter a total of four issues, including this one. That always managed to keep the legend of the "New Fantastic Four" special. Going to that well too many times could've been a little tacky. As it stands, their reunion in Fantastic Four #374 would feel completely perfunctory if it wasn't for the on-going story of Thing's injury.

Sue Storm's extensively derided swimsuit costume also glows with the ills of the era, far more offensively than Mister Fantastic's dubious fishing vest.

There's something to be said for the logic of the outfit being rooted in the encroaching persona of Malice, but I was never the biggest fan of frequenting that idea, either. Not to be confused with the other Malice persona that turns Polaris into a screaming she-devil. We get it, guys... Menstruation!

It doesn't look like this issue is currently available in any collected formats, but you can find the first team-up of Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, and Ghost Rider in the Epic Collection: Fantastic Four - The New Fantastic Four. Use the Amazon link provided for all your shopping and you'll not only get yourself a great deal -- but also support the site at no extra cost!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 600 fights and ranked more than 950 characters! If you like what its all about and want to make it a little easier to keep the fight going you can get involved with Patreon. The lowest tier unlocks extra updates, poll options, and my eternal gratitude!

You can also follow on Twitter and Facebook to get daily links to battles inspired by the topics of the day. Or deep dive into the Secret Archive to discover every previous featured fight indexed by publisher, series, and issue number! Be sure to like & share your favourite battles on social media!

Winners: Inconclusive (Draw)
#2 (--) Spider-Man
#4 (--) Wolverine
#6 (--) Hulk
#10 (--) Mister Fantastic
#12 (--) Thing
#13 (--) Human Torch
#14 (--) Invisible Woman
#151 (+16) Ms. Marvel (Sharon Ventura)
#399 (+2) Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch)
#161 (+5) Lyja [+1 assist]

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!

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

FANTASTIC FOUR versus GLADIATOR

Man and Super-Man! (Marvel)
Where: Fantastic Four #249 When: December 1982
Why: John Byrne How: John Byrne

The Story So Far...
On the outskirts of the Milky Way galaxy, a rickety Skrull space ship desperately flees a furious foe! The Gladiator navigates the cold of deep space on a mission to bring them to justice on the Shi'ar Empire's behalf!

In their desperation to escape, the Skrulls activate an explosive weapon that blows Gladiator across the solar system! His trajectory is monitored on Earth by the brilliant Reed Richards, concerned the celestial projectile is a piece of space debris hurtling towards the city!

Richards sounds the alarm, signaling to Thing and Human Torch to return to the Baxter Building to brace for emergency! Little does he realise, the debris is an unbeatable super-man who is about to encounter Thing on his way home!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Gladiator 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Gladiator 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Gladiator 6 (Generator)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting: Gladiator 4 (Gymnast)
Energy: Human Torch 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Gladiator 33 (Super)

The Fantastic Four are: Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing.

Marvel's first family are cosmic adventurers facing the deadliest perils from deep space and beyond our spectrum of reality! Together, or as individuals, we've witnessed their battles with the likes of: Ego The Living Planet [Fantastic Four #235], Paibok & The Skrull Empire [Fantastic Four #358], Iconoclast [Fantastic Four #2], Super-Skrull [Fantastic Four #6], Annihilus & Defile [Fantastic Four #13], Ahab [X-Men Annual #14], and more!

With every impossible challenge, the FF achieved the fantastic, but today they face an opponent whose phenomenal strength is unlike any they've encountered before! He is both unstoppable force and immovable object, with an unwavering confidence and determination to complete his objective!

Gladiator is Kallark of the planet Strontia. His earliest history is shrouded in mystery, but it's known he earned the title of Gladiator in a contest with nine others. In doing so, he became Praetor of the Imperial Guard to the Shi'ar Empire - sworn to serve whomever reigns as Emperor or Empress.

It was in this capacity he came to Earth in New X-Men #124, battling the X-Men amid the misdirection cast by insidious Cassandra Nova. During the struggle he effortlessly dealt with Beast and Wolverine. His march against the X-Men was only stopped by evidence of Nova's deception.

Gladiator's loyalty to the Shi'ar Empire is matched only by his impossible strength, stamina, speed, endurance, and unique powers. He can project laser-like heat rays from his eyes, blow gusts of air, resist psionic assault, survive the vacuum of space, and endure the most hostile of elemental onslaughts!

If these powers sound familiar, it's because Gladiator is very much analogous to DC Comics' Superman! He's even susceptible to a rare wavelength of radiation, but his powers can also be undermined if his confidence wavers. Rare is it that Kallark doubts himself, but if he does, his powers may begin to wane drastically!

Thing's boxed everyone from Doctor Doom [Fantastic Four #350], Captain Marvel [Captain Marvel #26], Ego [Fantastic Four #235], The Sentry [Mighty Avengers #10], The Adaptoid [Fantastic Four: Unplugged #1], and an Agamotto powered Luke Cage [New Avengers #2] -- but Gladiator is in a class of his own!

Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman could probably conspired to convince Gladiator his powers are waning, but they'd need to be aware of the benefits of such a tactic to actually pursue it. Which spells trouble for the FF! Let's go!

The Tape: Fantastic Four Ranking: Mister Fantastic (#9)

What Went Down...
Touching down in Manhattan gridlock, the being known as Gladiator lets cry a frustrated roar! His Skrull target is lost, but the emergence of The Thing from a nearby New York cab inspires a classic case of mistaken identity!

Focused solely on his objective, Gladiator hoists a couple's car out of traffic and tosses it at Thing! It's all that he can do to catch the vehicle and return them to safety. A temporary condition as long as Gladiator believes Thing an opponent!

Thing readies for the Shi'ar Imperial Guardsman's next attack, but nothing could've prepared him for the unnatural strength of the spaceman's punch!

The force of the incredible blow sends Thing hurtling through seven cars before he comes to a crashing stop in the eighth! Both the nature of the impact, and the shock of his foe's power, leave him stunned and groggy!

Not yet satisfied; Gladiator snatches the rocky hero by the tatters of his clothes and surveys the surrounding cityscape. His penetrative x-ray gaze soon finds the Fantastic Four huddled in the Baxter Building. With a mighty toss -- he reunites Thing with the rest of his team!

The FF scramble as Thing makes an unannounced crash landing into Mister Fantastic's celestial scanning lab! He does his best to return to his feet, but falls dramatically face down! Invisible Woman barely has time to process the shocking sight before the entire team is shaken from their bearings!

Invisible Woman fills the impact hole with a force-field as the Baxter Building begins to tip. Even the brilliant Reed Richards cannot conceive of the tower being lifted from its foundation, but gazing to the street below - he believes!

The Human Torch springs into action - leaping into the void with a cry of "Flame On!" He sends spears of fire to surround Gladiator, creating a cage of fire as he reaches the street. Gladiator is not amused.

The alien powerhouse joins The Torch in the air -- colliding with him at super-human speed! The impact rocks Johnny Storm's body and launches it high above the New York City skyline! Somehow, he escapes injury!

Determined to test the limits of his foe's resilience, he turns up the heat and launches a nova-blast! It surrounds Gladiator in blistering fire, but he remains totally unfazed! He laughs and then expels the air from his alien lungs with the force of a hurricane! The gale snuffs out The Torch's flame! He plummets!

Fortunately, Mister Fantastic arrives just in time to catch his falling teammate!

With a universal translator gizmo in hand, Reed Richards attempts to understand and reason with Gladiator. For a moment, the Fantastic Four's shared grievances with the Skrulls tempt calm - but Gladiator is unconvinced!

Believing the Fantastic Four to merely be contrivances of the shape-shifting Skrulls -- he grabs the stretchy mid-section of Mister Fantastic and starts pulling! Unfortunately, the same tactics intended to expose a contorting Skrull are just as deadly to the cosmically empowered body of Reed Richards!

Desperate to save her husband before he's stretched beyond his limit - Sue Storm springs to action! She encases Gladiator in an invisible force-field bubble, but immediately feels the pressure of his phenomenal strength!

Every kick and punch strains the Invisible Woman with psychic feedback! The Gladiator senses her plight and presses his advantage! The pummeling of his impossible power finally overcomes her. She relents - falling to the ground!

The innocent eyes of young Franklin Richards witness his mother's plight. Naïve, yet not so long ago possessing powers to reshape his reality - he strikes at the alien's calf! Gladiator swats the small child aside with the back of his hand!

Still groggy, but regaining consciousness - Thing sees his nephew in danger. Now his protection instincts kick-in. He defies all expectation, rising to his feet to charge at the unsuspecting Gladiator! He tackles him out of the building!

Sadly, the battlecry of "it's clobberin' time" is just bravado. Gladiator takes control of their fall with the power of flight - and sends Thing on an accelerated plunge to the streets below!

In an instant - Gladiator joins Thing on the street. A passing bus provides the finishing weapon! Gladiator effortlessly lifts it into the air - only to bring it crashing down atop the already battered Thing!

The Hammer...
It's another combat classic from the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths as Gladiator delivers an alarmingly decisive defeat to the Fantastic Four!

Not even the indomitable Thing could defend against the sudden impact of Kallark's impossible strength! That's a particularly big deal when you consider 1982 was also the year he stood toe-to-toe with Champion of the Universe, in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7!

The battle of Fantastic Four #249 has been a popular request for The Comic Book Fight Club in years gone by. Even my good old pal Pedro Cruz suggested I take a look at the titanic tussle, many moons ago!

With the recent announcement that Fantastic Four is finally coming back to the Marvel Comics publishing schedule; I figured it was the perfect time to dig through the back issues to take in a famous fight with a cosmic connection!

It seems like the superhero space-ways are becoming the next big frontier sweeping through pop culture. Thanos takes the big screen next month in Avengers: Infinity War, with Gladiator now re-scheduled to arrive in FOX's X-Men: Dark Phoenix some time in the first-half of 2019.

I've been a Fantastic Four fan for about as long as I can remember, but I wasn't always so hip to the X-Men. The odd issue, like Uncanny X-Men #143, made an impression, but I wasn't consistently invested until the 1990s. By then, their earthbound adventures battling Magneto, Apocalypse, Ahab and bigots made a great deal more sense than seemingly ill-fitted travels into space.

Jean Grey's turn as The Phoenix had an obvious appeal, and the Dark Phoenix saga's terrestrial moments are legendary, but alien characters like Gladiator and the Shi'ar Imperial Guard were a tougher sell away from the FF's space origins.

The Mohawk, color palette, and generic triangle symbol made Gladiator feel less Star Trek meets Marvel, more 'indistinct dollar store knock-off'.

On the surface, his beat-anyone super-strength only feeds into the impression he's a less legitimate Marvel character than, say, Silver Surfer or Annihilus. He sure looks like something a kid would scrawl with a box of crayons, and a little too much sugar. The portmanteau of "Kal" and "Clark" for Kallark (from Superman's Kal-El and Clark Kent) doesn't help, either. Yet, there was one undeniable thing the character had going for him: genuine mystique!

Much like Juggernaut; there was a consistent indulgence in Gladiator's strength and character that built a more substantial whole than the sum of parts. Issues like FF #249 made the unbeatable Gladiator a school yard legend. He became a character worth paying attention to -- especially when he showed up in unexpected places!

The addition of a confidence-based weakness was a novel way of layering a so-called Marvel weakness into the character. Heroes with problems, has always been the theory of Marvel. Psychological flaws a favourite when transposing the archetype of Superman to the House of Ideas [see also; The Sentry].

We'll inevitably find our way to the Dark Phoenix Saga sometime in the future, but there's a short story by Len Kaminski and Don Heck I hope to get the chance to share in the future. It's a forgotten curio from 1990, but it just had a certain something that added to that sense of mystique, as a younger reader.

As for the work of John Byrne? We just looked at Action Comics #586 last week, where he was having the chance to redefine the real Superman for a modern, post-Crisis audience. Both issues are a little wordy, and a tad inconsistent with their layouts. There's no denying the man knows how to draw a fight scene! He can sure deliver the definitive rendering of a superhero, too!

In FF #249, I was particularly taken with Byrne's Thing. [All right, all right. Stop giggling!]. Pencillers approach the character different ways, and some of these Byrne panels really look right. The size of plates and depth of crevices looks real good in some of these panels.

I'll bet it was inspiration for Mark Bagley's flashback scenes in Mighty Avengers #10. More good Thing, with a few swings and blows that recall the fight with Gladiator. I suspect that's also Byrne's influence on Bendis being referenced.

If you want to see more of this issue and fight for yourself, I recommend you check it out via collected edition! Shopping via Amazon links provided [right] will not only get you a solid deal -- but helps support the site at no cost!

Want to find more famous fights like this one? Journey into mystery by following the various links found throughout this post, or in the labels below. Or dive straight into the Secret Archive to find past battles indexed via publisher, series, and issue number!

You can also follow and subscribe on Twitter and Facebook for daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! A like, retweet, or share is another fantastic way to show your support so the wars remain infinite!

Winner: Gladiator
#162 (+281) Gladiator (Kallark)
#9 (--) Mister Fantastic
#10 (--) Thing
#11 (--) Invisible Woman
#13 (--) Human Torch (Johnny Storm)
#325 (-111) Franklin Richards