Tales to Astonish featured Hulk and Hercules' first battle that I am aware of. Hulk killed Dr. Zaxon, who was using a device to drain his strength, and then fled the scene when the military arrived. Chased down by jets, Hulk lands near some railroad tracks and rips them up to hurl at the planes. The oncoming train just happened to have Hercules as a passenger on his way to Hollywood with some jerk who believed him to be his golden ticket. Herc, angry that his journey was halted, exited the train to investigate. The two titans clashed in what could only be described as Hulk giving everything he had and Hercules shrugging off his best efforts. After the two trade blows and Hercules realizes how powerful the Hulk is, Hulk grabs him from behind in a bear hug. The dialog itself is pretty telling.
Hercules: Verily, tis beyond belief! You think to subdue Hercules with naught but a bear hug??!!
Hercules: Now, for thine insolence alone must thou be punished!
Hulk: You-- can't-- break-- free!!
With some effort, Hercules escapes the Hulk's hold and then thrashes him around before depositing him into a stony hole and sealing it up. Hulk breaks free with ease, and hurls a huge boulder. Hercules catches it with ease, but before he can decide what to do with it, the military starts blasting with giant artillery shells. Hulk suddenly becomes worried and flees the scene. Neither has triumphed over the other, but the narration following up the fight clearly shows that Marvel did not show any favoritism to Hulk back in the day.
"Strange indeed are the workings of fate! Having displayed his power before an awestruck assemblage, Hercules is hailed as the greatest of heroes... And yet, after displaying his power, we find the Hulk fleeing for his life like a beast at bay!"
"Hulk is strongest one there is!" has almost always been old Jade Jaws' battlecry, but somewhere along the lines writers started treating it like gospel. The word of a raging behemoth with the mind of an intellectually and emotionally stunted crying out at a world he deems unfair because of the persecution and bullets and endless plots to get him somehow becomes truth. I know, some of you might say that Hulk was weakened for the fight. Clearly the scientist who created the strength-draining weapon had no clue when he thinks to himself, "His eyes!! The fury in his face! It-- It isn't possible-- and yet-- he's stronger than ever!!" His weapon clearly failed. But Hulk fans take heart, he didn't lose to the world's greatest hero... he was only chased off. My point is that raging Hulk was intended to be on par with Hercules on any given day.
While the Hulk's strength feats over the years have been varied and occasionally strange, some of them are not quite what they appear. The oft-referred to 250 million ton mountain range that Hulk held aloft? He merely braced a small portion of the mountain range --not held the weight of the entire mountain range itself aloft. Meanwhile, Hercules has moved the island of Manhatten, lifted and hurled back the rampaging Godzilla, and --in what has to be the most epic feat of strength ever-- shouldered the burden of Atlas, who is strength personified, for three hours without tiring before tricking Atlas into resuming his duty.
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