Marvel Proves Black Panther Could Easily Beat the Hulk

Warning: Major Spoilers for The Immortal Hulk #47!

Before wrapping their Eisner Award-nominated run on Marvel Comics’ The Immortal Hulk, writer Al Ewing (Gamma Flight, Guardians of the Galaxy) and artist Joe Bennett (Secret Empire, The Crew) deliver the fans an impressive comics matchup between Hulk and Black Panther. Black Panther seems to believe that he has what it takes to defeat the Hulk, and the latest issue of the series proves he is right.

The Immortal Hulk #47, entitled “Chaotic Terrain,” sees the titular green goliath face his former teammates the Avengers in the heart of New York City’s Manhattan. As a result of past actions in Iowa, Hulk and a transformed Betty Ross a.k.a. Harpy find themselves squaring off against current Avengers Captain America, Iron Man, Blade, Thor, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Bruce Banner’s very own cousin Jennifer Walters a.k.a. She-Hulk. After Hulk swiftly tosses aside Avengers Blade and Thor with relative ease, Black Panther takes his turn to get in the ring with the raging beast. While T’Challa may have sought to reason with the monster in the past to avoid a bloody confrontation, Panther’s patience with Hulk has reached its climax.

When the Hulk turns his damaged arm into tentacles and attacks rival Avenger Thor, Black Panther uses the opportunity to slice off the Hulk’s arm. Lacking an appendage, Hulk finds himself at a momentary disadvantage, which is all T’Challa needs. Rather than matching the Hulk with brute strength, Panther relies mainly on his speed and timing in order to prove a worthy match against the green goliath. Before the monster can even regain his footing for a moment, T’Challa proceeds to pummel the Hulk with absolute ferocity and aggression in order to keep away from his heroic comrades. In a surprising move, Black Panther employs a Kimoyo energy dagger that manages to takes down Bruce for the time being. However, before T’Challa has the opportunity to finish off his adversary for good, Black Panther’s fellow teammate She-Hulk has a change of conscience. Jennifer intervenes and allows for the Hulk and his companions to escape to a secure location in Brooklyn, out of Black Panther and the Avengers’ jurisdiction.

The Immortal Hulk is surprisingly not a comic book series with a misleading title aimed to sell books. Nearly every issue of the comic run features Hulk on the brink of death, whether it is fighting Fantastic Four member The Thing or the Gamma-powered U-Foes, before evolving into a new state of being. Even if the Hulk may temporarily perish, the creature will live on and return possibly even stronger in the next issue.  There should not be a threat in existence capable of defeating this incarnation of the Hulk, but T’Challa is not any ordinary foe.

During the climactic New York City battle, there is no other Avenger who gives Hulk more of a hard time than Black Panther. Though he may lack the cosmic power of Thor or the raw strength of She-Hulk, T’Challa’s ability to calculate events and read the moves of his opponents is unmatched, even for the Hulk. This is the same Black Panther who recently conceived a device capable of ending the Phoenix Force, while also ruling his own galactic empire. The fact that Black Panther only brings his suit and a dagger to the battle proves he is confident that he needs nothing more to take down the Hulk. And without the intervention of Jennifer that allows the Immortal Hulk to escape, the Black Panther would be right.

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