There are plenty of foes that have challenged the Hulk physically, but his true psychological rival might actually be found in DC’s Doom Patrol. Evidence for this can be found throughout the Immortal Hulk series from Al Ewing and Joe Bennett.

A big reoccurring question in the saga of the Hulk is who he really is. Some wonder if the Hulk is the true persona and Bruce Banner merely some identity the Hulk hides inside of. The Immortal Hulk takes this idea and pushes it to its limit. Throughout the series, the Hulk and Bruce Banner take on many different forms, not just physically but psychologically as well. Bruce Banner essentially suffers from what could be called dissociative identity disorder. There are many versions of the Hulk within him and each can have control at different times regardless of the physical form the being known as Bruce Banner has taken.

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Because of this, the perfect adversary for the Hulk is not some big, muscle-bound mutant. Instead, the Hulk would be perfectly challenged by Crazy Jane of the Doom Patrol. Jane, who is inhabited by dozens of split personalities, constantly struggles with different personas taking over her body. Even Jane herself is a fabricated persona. What makes her even more dangerous is the fact that each persona has its own superpower. So if Hulk and Crazy Jane were ever to face off, it’s possible that each of them could be shifting back and forth between their different identities while battling one another in a fight that is just as psychological as it would be physical.

The similarities between the two characters also go a little deeper. Although her origins are slightly different in the Doom Patrol HBOMax show, in the comics Crazy Jane gets her powers from a “gene bomb,” a detail that is strikingly similar to the gamma bomb that created the Hulk. Also, Crazy Jane was abused by her father as a child, similar to how Bruce was abused by his. In fact, Bruce Banner’s dad plays a heavy psychological role in the Immortal Hulk series, something that could be utilized if the two characters ever met.

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Of course, there are other characters within the Marvel Universe that suffer from mental illness. Notably, the Sentry is a character who actually has a connection to Bruce Banner and who can calm the Hulk down with his presence. Moon Knight also suffers from a form of dissociative identity disorder. Seeing him interact with Hulk would certainly be interesting on a psychological level. But for these characters, their mental illness is a trait that plays off their roles as super beings. With Doom Patrol’s Crazy Jane, her mental illness is a core of her being, making her the perfect DC rival for the Hulk’s fractured psyche in Marvel Comics.

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About The Author


Frank Martin
(176 Articles Published)

Frank Martin is a comic writer and author who is not as crazy as his work makes him out to be. He’s written the one-shot comics Macabre Motel and Grimm Space as well as the 2-part stories Polar Paradox, Pipe Creepers, and The Last Homicide. Frank’s novels include the YA sci-fi thriller Predestiny published by Crossroads Press, the lake monster tale Oscawana published by Severed Press, among others. His work on Screen Rant primarily focuses on comics. Frank currently lives in New York with his wife and three kids.

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