How Many Hulks Are There? MCU & Comics
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There is no doubt that the Hulk is one of the most popular Marvel characters of all time and is right up there with the likes of Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Captain America in terms of popularity in Marvel Comics. As such, the entire Hulk comic book franchise revolves around the character and several other Hulk variants that have almost the same abilities. So, with that said, how many Hulks are there in the MCU and comics?
In the MCU, there are currently four different versions of Hulk introduced so far, but six are expected to appear in total. Meanwhile, in the comics, there are 12 different versions of the Hulk that exist. As such, there are a lot of people that have similar powers to the Hulk due to their similar origins.
One of the reasons why there are so many Hulks is that the cause for the character’s transformation isn’t unique. That is why there are plenty of characters that have their own versions of the Hulk. But the thing is that nothing would ever beat the original Bruce Banner version. So, with that said, let’s look at how many Hulks there are in Marvel.
How Many Hulks Are In The MCU?
The Hulk is one of the original Avengers in the MCU, as he was introduced right after the introduction of Tony Stark’s Iron Man. Of course, ever since his introduction, he has remained an important character in the continuity of the Avengers and is one of the favorites of fans of the MCU. Of course, the thing about the Hulk is that he isn’t as unique as some people would think because there are a lot of different versions of the characters introduced in the MCU already. So, how many Hulks are there in the MCU?
As of this writing, there are four versions of the Hulk that are present in the MCU. The first two of them, of course, were introduced during the 2008 Hulk movie that is yet to see a sequel nearly a decade and a half since it was released. Of course, Bruce Banner’s Hulk is the first version of the Hulk in the MCU. However, Emil Blonsky, who ended up becoming the Abomination, became his own version of the Hulk when Banner’s blood mixed with his own enhanced physiology to turn him into an entirely different type of Hulk that is monstrous and initially stronger.
Meanwhile, in 2022, two more versions of the Hulk were introduced in the MCU. They were both introduced during the She-Hulk series that was released on Disney+. As the title of the series suggests, it revolves around She-Hulk, who is actually Jennifer Walters. Jen is the cousin of Bruce Banner and was exposed to his blood during a car accident.
As such, Jen Walters became the newest Hulk to join the MCU, but the difference between her and Bruce is that she was able to immediately control her transformation, which doesn’t have its own individual personality. She is almost as strong as the Hulk but is capable of controlling her transformation.
Meanwhile, in the final scenes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Bruce Banner joined up with the Walters family during an outdoor event in their own home. Bruce introduced a new Hulk in the form of Skaar, who is actually his son. Skaar was most likely a son that the Hulk sired when he was living on the planet called Sakaar for a few years before he returned to Earth during the events of Avengers: Infinity War. It is possible that the reason why there was a Sakaarian ship that surprised Bruce at the start of the series was the fact that they wanted him to return to Sakaar to meet his son.
The announcement of new movies that are going to be part of Phase Five also opened up the possibility of two more Hulks joining the MCU. Thunderbolt Ross is, of course, the fifth Hulk that is set to appear in the MCU, as his Red Hulk transformation is likely to make a debut in the Thunderbolts movie. Meanwhile, Captain America: New World Order has been confirmed, and it is possible that Samuel Sterns is finally going to appear in his MCU role as a Hulk.
We first met Samuel Sterns in the events of the 2008 Hulk movie as the one that synthesized Bruce Banner’s blood to create a serum that allowed Blonsky to become the Abomination. While he was injured by Blonsky, Banner’s blood entered his head through an open wound on his head, as it was clear that his head had enlarged. Since then, we haven’t seen him, but it is possible that he will make a return in New World Order as the Hulk variant called the Leader.
As such, by the end of Phase Five of the MCU, we can expect to have a total of six different Hulks that are part of Marvel Studios’ live-action superhero universe. Of course, this number could still increase in the future, depending on whether or not the Hulk will become an even bigger character in the MCU’s plans.
How Many Hulks Are In The Comics?
The fact that there are many Hulks in the MCU is actually a product of the fact that there are also a lot of different versions of the character in the comics. We are not counting the different versions of the Hulk from different fictional universes. But we do know that there are at least 12 Hulks that come from the mainline comics. So, who are the different Hulks in Marvel comics?
Of course, the first Hulk is Bruce Banner’s version of the character, as he has always been the original Hulk. He was followed by Emil Blonsky’s Abomination, which was one of the first characters that became a true rival to the original Hulk. Over time, more Hulks began sprouting in the Hulk comic book franchise.
Jennifer Walters and her She-Hulk transformation have always been prominent in the world of the Hulk. But many people forget that the Hulk had a sidekick in the form of Rick Jones, who actually became the second Hulk back in the day before he was cured. However, the Leader eventually turned him into the second Abomination that retained his personality and became a hero called A-Bomb.
Thunderbolt Ross’s Marvel Comics Red Hulk is also a given because he subjected himself to gamma radiation to become a powerful version of the character with firepower that could match Bruce Banner’s Hulk. His daughter, Betty Ross, also became a Hulk due to her close proximity to Bruce. She became Harpy at one point in the past and was eventually transformed into Red Harpy, who is basically a red version of She-Hulk.
We also know that the Hulk sired a son named Skaar, who became an angry tyrant that eventually ruled the planet of Sakaar before he was exiled to Earth, where he met his father. But, other than Skaar, a young Hulk also appeared in the form of Amadeus Cho, who idolized Bruce Banner and was proud enough to take on the Hulk persona instead of seeing it as a curse. Amadeus eventually had to give up his Hulk transformation but retained enough of its strength to become Brawn.
There is also the Leader, who is a unique Hulk because it was his brain that was enhanced instead of his strength. As such, he became a smart yet evil Hulk character that used his enhanced intellect together with MODOK during a certain stretch in the comics.
The most surprising version of the Hulk is the Hulk’s own Hulk. Yes, that can be confusing, but we are talking about the Hulk here instead of Bruce Banner. That’s because there is another Hulk hiding within the Hulk, as this is the raw and angry form of the Hulk when Bruce Banner’s goodhearted nature isn’t influencing him. This version is called Kluh, who is an evil and vicious Hulk.
Finally, the 11th and 12th Hulks are Spider-Man and Deadpool, who both became versions of the Hulk during certain points in their storylines. But unlike the other Hulks on this list, they aren’t necessarily part of the Hulk family in the comics.
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