When Stan Lee an Jack Kirby invented the Hulk, they imagined a heavy, big guy who was stronger than any other hero. Hulk was - so to speak - an ultimate reinforced form of an average human. At the beginning the Hulk was 6.6 ft with the muscular physique of a furniture packer. Later he changed the skin color and grew to 7 ft. Here some pictures:
Over time the image of Hulk changed. The big, strong brute became a muscular colossus:
I've looked around a lot in various forums and found different opinions:
- Hulk should be 7 ft tall, because that is his size."
- Hulk's current size in comics is 9 ft.
- Hulk must be a giant, he´s the Hulk, he must be bigger then all other people in the world.
- The tallest man in history is Robert Wadlow, he is 2,72 m. So Hulk must be taller than him.
- Hulk´s size doesn´t matter, it is his unlimited strength which makes him incredible.
- Hulk should grow.
- He´s the Incredible Hulk, not the inflatable Hulk.
- How can he throw a tank if he is only 7 ft tall?
- Who says he can not throw a tank when he is 7 ft tall?
- Superman is not a giant, yet is incredibly strong.
- What makes the Hulk incredible? If he is a giant, then throwing a tank is nothing incredible. But if he is only a little taller than other people, then his feats are really incredible.
- 8 ft
- 9 ft
- 10 ft
- 11 ft
- 12 ft
- 15 ft
Is a 7 ft Hulk really so puny? Let´s have a look:
As you can see on the pictures, 7 ft is not as small as it seems. Dirk Nowitzki e.g. is just as tall as the "giant" in the pictures. But since he is not so massive, he looks rather long than huge. Hulk is a symbol of boundless and unlimited power. He was not planned as a giant or colossus, but as a big guy who smashed everything when one make him angry. Bruce Banner is around 1.80 m tall and weighs 58 kg. He transforms into a 2.13 m tall Hulk who weighs about 471 kg. So Hulk is 34 cm taller than Bruce, but much wider and more muscular. Consequently, 7ft is much comprehensible than 10 ft or 15 ft (at least it seems so).
In one of my other forums I asked how it would be if Hulk could increase his body weight. The idea is that Hulk can adapt any situation (danger). If he wants to raise or throw an object that weighs more than him, he just increased his body weight. Thus, he would be able to handle any object. Imagine, Hulk is standing on a street and a Hummer (3559 kg) with a speed of 5o km/h wants to run over him. Hulk's weight is 7 tons. Bam! Or a tank. This gives unlimited possibilities (suspension of disbelief, please leave aside). Back to the topic ...
I think 7 ft a respectable size for the Hulk. He's big, but not gigantic. He is strong, but you can see it only when he strikes. And that's what makes him incredible.
So, what do you think? Marvel's gigantism: Adaptation or misstep?
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