I'm afraid that Aquaman has finally met his match in the Weekly Battle Polls. Unlike his previous opponents, Rulk is in a class all by himself and has the power, brains, and stamina to put the Sovereign of the Seven Seas down for the proverbial count.
Unlike She-Hulk or Iron Man from the previous weeks, Rulk is far more ruthless and much less willing to pull his punches. While I had no problems with believing that Aquaman's strength level is on and near She-Hulk's level and is capable of going toe-to-toe with Iron Man; Rulk is another story. With the ability to go blow for blow against the Hulk who could hurt even Superman; the King of Tides is simply out of his weight class in terms of pure strength.
Plus, Rulk has shown himself to be an incredibly brutal fighter who is willing to take a hit if it means that his opponent gets in nice and close for him to get a good grip on. Yeah, I can believe that Aquaman can land a blow, even with his Trident--but a decisive one? Probably not. Which negates Aquaman's speed and agility. Rulk is far more able to soak up damage than She-Hulk so I can imagine even with Aquaman's trident stuck in an awkward spot; Rulk is more than capable of delivering a counterattack that lowers the Lord of Atlantis to the mat.
Not to mention that Rulk has the whole super-heat "the madder Rulk gets, the hotter Rulk becomes" generation deal. Even trying to cool him down with broken fire hydrants or something is probably not going to do the trick. The whole super-heat will undoubtedly severely burn Aquaman if he tries to fight hand-to-hand and even trying to maintain a distance from the burning temperatures will weaken him, dehydrating the water-borne hero. Even dumping him in the East River or the Hudson might not be enough, Rulk would turn whatever section to a boiling cauldron and he could easily leap his way out of there.
Finally, Rulk has the strategic brains of a trained Army General behind him. Were it the regular Hulk, I'd lay odds that Aquaman might be able to outwit him, but Rulk is another story. Unlike Iron Man who could be tricked into overconfidence, Rulk has the ability to back up his confidence and the ability to withdraw when things aren't in his favor and attack from another angle.
I'm afraid that Rulk just has too many advantages for Aquaman to overcome on his own. This is perhaps one of the worst match-ups for him to have; someone with the raw strength and durability to hold up to his strength, the ability to weaken him simultaneously, and the smarts to use his assets and prevent Aquaman from outmanuevering him. Not even the Human Torch can compare! Which means ...
WINNER: RULK!
Log in to comment