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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Incredible Hulk #17! Fans would be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn’t be hurt by a punch from the Hulk, as the Green Goliath has regularly proven he has the strength to take on practically every hero or villain in the Marvel Universe. However, the Hulk’s current ‘big-bad’ is an entity that seems to be a bit beyond his reach. In fact, this villain is so powerful that they are literally immune to the Hulk’s strength (with one very important exception).
In The Incredible Hulk #17 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein, the Hulk is trying to save the life of his friend and sidekick, Charlie, after her soul became trapped in a figurine by an evil Hulk villain known as Frozen Charlotte. After exhausting every other resource, Hulk learns that the only way to save Charlie is with the help of his ancient enemy: the Eldest – and the Hulk seeks to get Eldest’s help by force (if he can).
The Eldest is the leader of every monster on Earth, and has been since the dawn of human civilization. The Eldest is the first creation of the Mother of Horrors, who’s currently trapped in a mystical prison, put there by the One Below All. As this Hulk series recently confirmed, the Hulk and the Eldest are ancient enemies, as Eldest has been battling avatars of the One Below All for thousands of years. And there is no one better equipped for that task, since the Eldest proved in this issue that she is immune to the Hulk’s strength.
The Hulk Can’t Hurt the Eldest No Matter How Hard He Hits
Hulk May Not Come Out on Top in His Battle Against the Eldest
Even with a full-strength punch, the Hulk doesn’t even leave a mark on the Eldest. Then, when the Eldest launches an attack of her own, the Hulk is utterly powerless to counter it. The Eldest tears the Hulk to shreds, eviscerating him with her monstrous tendrils like it’s nothing. In the end, the Hulk succumbs to the Eldest’s strength, and it doesn’t seem like there’s anything he can do to defeat this ultra-powerful foe. Well, except one thing, but that would quite literally open the door to something far worse.
The Hulk has 1 Sure-Fire Way to Defeat the Eldest: the One Below All
The One Below All Helped the Original Hulk Beat the Eldest in The Incredible Hulk #16
The reason Hulk is the ancient enemy of the Eldest is that the One Below All is the cosmic rival of the Mother of Horrors. Hulk is the One Below All’s avatar on Earth (as is every ‘Hulk’ that came before him), while the Eldest is the first child of the Mother of Horrors, making them lifelong foes. This rivalry began in the ancient past, as the One Below All’s power is the only thing that can stop the Mother of Horrors and her monsters.
This was put on full display in The Incredible Hulk #16, when the One Below All channeled their power through the Green Door into the mortal plane to help the first Hulk, Enkidu, defeat the Eldest. However, in The Immortal Hulk, the Hulk closed the Green Door to prevent the One Below All from taking over the planet by turning everyone into supernatural gamma mutates, and ruling the world as their god. But, if he wants to defeat the Eldest, Hulk may have no choice but to open the Green Door once again.
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Opening the Green Door to unleash the One Below All is a sure-fire way to defeat the Eldest and ensure the Mother of Horrors remains imprisoned, but that would only put Hulk in the same predicament he was in during The Immortal Hulk, meaning he’s pretty much caught between a rock and a hard place. While it’s impossible to know what the Hulk will do next in his ongoing battle against the Eldest, the one thing fans do know is that this immensely powerful enemy might be the toughest Hulk’s ever faced, as she’s totally immune to his strength.
The Incredible Hulk #17 by Marvel Comics is available now.
Hulk
The Hulk, a Marvel Comics superhero created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, is physicist Bruce Banner transformed by gamma radiation. He morphs into a giant, green-skinned creature of immense strength and invulnerability when angered. Struggling with his transformations, Hulk allies with other heroes, battling villains while balancing his intellect with uncontrollable rage, making him a central figure in Marvel’s universe.
“}]] Marvel Comics villain who’s immune to Hulk’s strength. Read More