Off My Mind: Is Hulk The Strongest There Is?

Hulk is known for saying two things, "Hulk smash puny humans" and "Hulk is strongest there is." The angrier Hulk gets, the stronger he gets. Is his claim of being the strongest there is true? My answer is yes. Despite the various incarnations of the Hulk at different power levels, he has been in and won several intense battles that will show that he is the strongest.  
 
One recent example was in 2007's World War Hulk: X-Men # 1-3. Hulk was pretty ticked off after being exiled out in space by the Illuminati. When he sought out Professor X (who actually wasn't part of that decision), Hulk ended up fighting the X-Men, the new X-Men, X-Factor and even Juggernaut. 
 

While we're on the topic of World War Hulk, what about the events in issue #2. Hulk utterly defeated Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the New and Mighty Avengers, Doc Samson, She-Hulk and a bunch of other heroes in no time at all. This was Hulk Smashing at its finest. 
 
Another epic battle involved Hulk and several powerhouses in the Avengers. This took place in 1986's Incredible Hulk #321-322. Hulk may have had a slight advantage since this was when Samson was able to separate Hulk and Banner. Without Banner's psyche, Hulk was simply pure rage. The East and West Coast Avengers were called in and Hulk easily plowed through Iron Man, Namor, Hercules,  Captain America, Captain Marvel and many others. Even though being pure rage could have given him more strength, the fact is he always has the potential to tap into it. Hulk is only limited to how angry he can get. 
 == TEASER == 

When I mentioned Hulk being the strongest there is in the Comic Vine office, Norm was quick to point out that Silver Surfer could be stronger. They were both in the gladiator arena on Sakaar. Even though Silver Surfer had a restraining device to keep him from escaping, I still say Hulk was the winner. Also, what would Silver Surfer be without the Power Cosmic?
 
When the Illuminati banished Hulk into space, that wasn't the first time the "heroes" realized Hulk was too much for them. There was also the time in Incredible Hulk #300 where Hulk fought against the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Daredevil and even Thor. When they realized that even their combined strength couldn't stop Hulk, Doctor Strange sent him to another dimension.  
 
Other impressive battles include withstanding Black Bolt's full sonic powers in World War Hulk #1, fighting Wolverine and Wendigo in Incredible Hulk #180-181 and even managed to survive fighting his older, more experienced self (the Maestro) in Hulk: Future Imperfect #1-2. Many of these battles display not only Hulk's impressive strength but also the fact that he has battle tactics, even when not in possession of Banner's intellect.  
 

One of the earliest and most impressive displays of Hulk's strength I witnessed was in 1984's Secret Wars #4. In a battle of good vs. evil, the heroes ended up with a mountain thrown on top of them. According to the cover, it weighed one hundred and fifty billion tons. Guess who was underneath holding it up in order to save the heroes? What makes this more impressive is Hulk wasn't even at his angriest at this time. Reed Richards did his best to insult Hulk in order to make him angrier. To me, one hundred and fifty billion tons is quite a bit. I'd like to see other characters lift that without any sort of cosmic powers to assist them.  
 
While it may not count, there was also the DC Comics Vs. Marvel where Hulk went toe to toe with Superman.
 
Hulk is the strongest one there is. What makes him even more fierce is even when he's in "Hulk Smash" mode, he still has a brain. He's managed to defeat nearly everyone in the Marvel Universe. It's something you should always remember, especially if you ever cross paths with him.