In a fight like Hulk vs Juggernaut, who would win? It’s the true battle of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Bruce Banner’s gamma-powered strength meeting Cain Marko’s mystical abilities drawn from the Gem of Cyttorak. Easily two of the strongest sluggers Earth-616 has to offer, but the results of their fights confirms one powerhouse reigns supreme over the other.
The two titans first collided back in in The Incredible Hulk #172 by Roy Thomas, Tony Isabella, Steve Englehart, and Herb Trimpe. Although Hulk removed Juggernaut’s helmet in the ensuing fight, Juggernaut isn’t beaten. Just as an angry and helmetless Juggernaut gets up to charge at Hulk, and contest this first fight between Marvel’s strongest… the X-Men show up and mentally incapacitate the charging brute. Starting a tradition of ‘Hulk vs Juggernaut’ comic battles stretching across comics history. And the results tell a surprising story:
Comic Fight | Winner | Method | The Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
Incredible Hulk #174 (1973) | Hulk/Draw | Thrown into cliff without helmet | X-Men interrupt and subdue Juggernaut. |
Incredible Hulk #402 (1993) | Juggernaut | Knockout | Hulk didn’t know he was fighting Juggernaut in street clothes. |
Incredible Hulk #457 (1997) | Hulk/Draw | Thrown into building | Hulk given Celestial upgrade, fight interrupted. |
World War Hulk: X-Men #3 (2007) | Draw | Juggernaut momentum directed into lake | Worldbreaker Hulk, strongest form to date. |
Marvel Adventures Hulk #10 (2008) | Hulk/Draw | Juggernaut’s momentum directed into collapsing tomb | Non-canonical. |
Juggernaut #2 (2020) | Juggernaut | Knockout | Hulk decelerated and power siphoned. |
The actual fights show that Hulk has beaten Juggernaut the most, even if the larger story meant stopping short of beating him for good. But the real question isn’t just who would win, or who proved to be the strongest, but what these comic book fights reveal about the true difference between Hulk and Juggernaut.
Hulk is Stronger Than Juggernaut, But Still Can’t Beat Him
When it comes to physical strength, Hulk has succeeded in demonstrating, time and again, that he might actually be the “strongest one there is” in the entire Marvel universe. As mentioned before, Hulk and Juggernaut’s first fight beginning in Incredible Hulk #172 doesn’t technically finish with a declared or obvious winner. But with Hulk coming out of the fight unharmed by Juggernaut, and Cain Marko de-helmeted, humiliated, and pulled out of the battle, only one man had something to prove in a rematch. Little did Juggernaut realize that nearly every time Hulk defeated him in the future, the result would be just as unsatisfying.
Preferring to toss Juggernaut hundreds of feet, or leave him downed and de-helmeted for someone else to deal with, Hulk deprived his magic-boosted rival any dignity of a complete defeat. Both Incredible Hulk #457 and World War Hulk: X-Men #3 mark major milestones for Hulk, as he succeeds in stopping a charging Juggernaut. This feat means that even though Juggernaut’s magic makes him unstoppable, Hulk has the overwhelming power to thwart Juggernaut’s supernatural rules. But he still can’t force him to surrender, or destroy him as he would need to for a true ‘win.’
Juggernaut Has Beaten Hulk, But Never in A Fair Fight
The first Hulk vs Juggernaut title fight bruised Cain Marko’s ego, and instilled a lust for revenge. Unfortunately, that first fight was also the last one a reader could call fair. Cosmic upgrades, new power levels being locked and unlocked, and both characters crossing the line between hero and villain have made each fight its own beast. Juggernaut has shown he can win against the Hulk, pummeling him unconscious with his own super-strong punches and strikes. But it comes with a catch.
Juggernaut’s first win was due to facing Hulk’s weaker “Professor Hulk” persona during their fight in The Incredible Hulk #402 (meaning Juggernaut is indeed stronger than Professor Hulk). But he did so in civilian clothes, and without warning, leaving Hulk confused and hesitant to unleash his full power against a non-super opponent. More recently, Cain Marko stopped the green monster with a vicious uppercut in Juggernaut #2 by Fabian Nicieza and Ron Garney. But before the interference of Damage Control, making the win possible by sapping Hulk’s power, the jade giant is actually about to defeat Juggernaut as usual.
The end results suggest their power levels are nearly even, at least in terms of the beatings they can take. With Hulk having technically triumphed more times, and being limited in his losses, he enjoys the advantage typically given to the heroes of Marvel’s universe. But one thing is clear: in the history of Hulk vs Juggernaut, the Hulk has not truly been ‘beaten’… but neither has Juggernaut.
