The Hulk is one of Marvel’s most iconic heroes, and he has been featured multiple times on the big screen. As well as being a major player in the MCU, Hulk has starred in other prominent adaptations of his Marvel Comics stories and has been a mainstay of the comic book canon. The power of the Hulk makes him one of Marvel’s strongest characters, but there are other figures within the Marvel Universe that are often considered a match for his strength. Establishing exactly where Hulk fits within the wider hierarchy of Marvel powers in the movie has prompted long-standing debate between many fans.
According to ComicBookMovie, one of the biggest debates about Hulk’s comparative power was almost addressed in a live-action movie. While appearing at C2E2, former The Thing actor Michael Chiklis revealed that Fox once had plans to make a Hulk vs The Thing movie, which would have seen the two iconic powerhouses face one another in an adaptation of the heroes’ iconic Marvel Comics rivalry. Chiklis went on to explain that “[Fox] didn’t follow through on it, and I was bummed about that because I thought, man, that could have been so much fun.”
Who Would Win in a Hulk Vs The Thing Movie
Considering the two heroes have faced off numerous times in the comics, there are many potential inspirations for a movie adaptation. The movies have also seen many versions of the Fantastic Four and the Hulk over the years, so the hypothetical outcome would also depend largely on which iteration of the characters it would have featured. Considering Chiklis claimed the spin-off talks occurred between his first and second appearances as the Thing, the most likely outcome would be that it would have followed Chiklis’ Thing against Eric Bana’s Hulk.
Taking cues from the films in which those two characters made their respective debuts, it would seem that Hulk would likely emerge victorious from their clash. However, there are several occasions on which the Thing has managed to defeat the Hulk in the comics, so that would also certainly be within the realm of possibility. However, the most likely outcome of a Hulk vs The Thing movie would almost certainly be far more underwhelming.
Bringing two major Marvel heroes together in a crossover of those proportions could have made the hypothetical spin-off movie one of the biggest Marvel movie events of its time. Forging a connection between seemingly disconnected Marvel movies would have established a shared universe earlier than the advent of the MCU, and that likely would have led to neither hero quite managing to defeat the other. After all, bringing to major Marvel powerhouses to life on the big screen alongside one another would be a huge moment for both characters. Even though the movie almost certainly would have found a way for both heroes to save face by remaining undefeated, it’s still a shame that it never came to fruition.
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