The Hulk Once Lifted BILLIONS of Tons in Marvel Comics

The Hulk‘s name is practically synonymous with strength, but just how much can the angry green giant bench? Believe it or not, there is actually an answer: 150 billion tons (at least).

Marvel’s Secret Wars – the original version published in 1984, that is – saw the Beyonder, a practically omnipotent cosmic entity, pit some of Marvel’s most popular heroes and villains against one another on an isolated planet. In issue #4, Molecule Man has a foolproof way to take out a large number of the heroes. What’s the plan? Just drop a mountain range on them. Simple, but effective. Spider-Man’s spider-sense warns him of the incoming danger, but the heroes fail to get away in time, and are crushed under the mountain….

At least, it seems that way, until a few pages later, when it’s revealed that The Hulk managed to catch the enormous mass of rock – which is said to weigh over 150 billion tons and span over two miles – and hold it over his head. Thanks to Hulk’s strength, the heroes avoided their demise, but are still trapped underneath the mountain. Hulk continues to hold the mountain aloft for several pages while Mr. Fantastic devises a way for the heroes to escape. Much like Atlas shouldering the weight of the world, Hulk does this entirely alone (even though the other heroes weren’t exactly very busy). Fortunately, Hulk doesn’t have to hold it for long. Mr. Fantastic uses the resources they have to modify Iron Man’s repulsors, making them powerful enough to blow a hole in the side of the mountain for the heroes to escape through.

This was a pretty legendary moment for The Hulk, as it gave an exact (and ridiculously high) number for how much he could lift – and nowhere does it say that that was even his limit. This feat was actually retold in Spider-Man & The Secret Wars in 2010 and is very reminiscent of that part in Avengers: Endgame where Smart Hulk holds up the Avengers Facility after it gets attacked by Thanos.

As impressive as catching an entire mountain is, it may not even be Hulk’s craziest feat. There’s also that time he destroyed an asteroid twice the size of Earth with a single punch (Marvel Comics Presents #52), the time he nearly obliterated a continent just by taking a step (World War Hulk), and the time he clapped an entire dimension out of existence (Hulk #126). If it seems like Hulk’s strength is simply limitless, that’s because it is. In Incredible Hulk #228, Doc Samson tries to measure the limit of Hulk’s strength, only to discover that…well, there isn’t one. Seems like the only thing Hulk is vulnerable to is Black Widow talking about the sun. If only Molecule Man had thought of that.

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