Marvel Comics is brimming with powerhouses that could arguably be the strongest forces on the planet, though one would be hard-pressed to find two heroes more powerful than Nova and the Hulk. So, between the two of them, who would claim the title of Earth’s strongest? Well, one battle actually settles that debate, and it does so in truly terrifying fashion.

In 2014’s Nova #23 by Gerry Duggan and David Baldeon, what’s left of the Avengers – Captain America, Spider-Man, and Nova – are assessing a potentially world-ending threat. The Red Skull has weaponized Charles Xavier’s telepathy, turning himself into a being known as Red Onslaught. With this power, Red Onslaught has corrupted most of the Earth’s heroes, including and especially the Hulk.

The version of Hulk fans are seeing in this storyline is called Kluh, who is described as ‘Hulk’s Hulk’. The Hulk only exists because of Bruce Banner’s repressed rage and trauma, with the gamma radiation simply bringing that compacted rage to life in a terrifyingly literal sense. And Kluh is the repressed rage within the Hulk that he has to keep at bay, because if he allowed himself to unleash his full anger, Hulk would become an actual villain. In other words, Kluh is Hulk without his proverbial leash, making him immensely powerful – and that’s who Nova was up against.

The Hulk’s Most Brutal Form Cannot Be Stopped – Not Even By Nova

When Kluh is on a rampage across the United States, Nova flies to stop him, and unleashes the full might of his cosmic power against the rage-filled monster. One attack in particular stands out from the rest, where Nova shoots a blast of energy up Kluh’s nose and directly into his brain. The evil Hulk’s head all but explodes upon taking the attack, and while it took everything Nova had to deliver it, Kluh was barely phased by it moments later.

After surviving what should have been Nova’s ultimate finisher move, Kluh still has enough strength surging through his body that he’s able to deliver a punch with so much force that Nova is launched from Arizona to Paris, France. Then, after Nova recovers and challenges Kluh to a rematch, the cosmic hero is able to launch Kluh into space, technically earning him the victory. However, Captain America makes it clear that this is just a temporary measure, meaning even the vacuum of space isn’t enough to put the Hulk down for good.

When the Hulk Doesn’t Hold Back, He’s the Strongest Force on the Planet

Nova might be a cosmic warrior capable of saving entire worlds from attacking invaders across the galaxy, but this comic makes it clear that all his power still isn’t enough to even make a dent in the Hulk – let alone permanently defeat him. Hulk survived a point-blank blast of cosmic energy directly to the brain before being stranded in the cold emptiness of space, and he still wasn’t defeated. That means every hero with the same level of power as Nova wouldn’t be able to stop the Hulk either when the Jade Giant decides he’s not going to hold back.

This storyline is certainly not the first time the Hulk has proven himself to be arguably the strongest force on the planet (indeed, the entirety of World War Hulk does an excellent job arguing that point), but it is the perfect ‘versus’ battle to point at to back up that assertion. Nova is a cosmic-level hero wielding power that has become legendary throughout the cosmos, and the Hulk (in his Kluh form) made him look like he was nothing, which effectively settles who the strongest force on the planet truly is.