What will happen if we pit a (metal) man against a (green) beast?
The Incredible Hulk is one hard Super-being to beat. Because of this, it almost *always* takes more than one opponent to take him down. Knowing this makes any fight scenes between the Hulk and anyone even more thrilling to watch. Tony Stark as Iron Man, as the self-pronounced star of the heroes, is almost always front and center in trying to “calm” the Hulk down and bring Bruce Banner back into the realm. Read on to find the five best Iron Man vs. Hulk fights in the Marvel multiverse.
5. Iron Man (1994-1996) TV Series
Season 2, Episode 11: “Hulk Blaster”
Showing up in the much-more-powerful-than-usual suit created just for these occasions, Iron Man must try to get the Hulk to calm down. This is easier said than done. When Hulk wants to be angry, not much can stop that.
The Hulk-buster suit is a better match for the almost-invincible Hulk than Tony’s regular suit, though. Iron Man is able to put Hulk on the ground quite quickly. Iron Man leads Hulk on a chase. He doesn’t get very far before Hulk tackles him. Only the threat of an imminent bomb convinces Iron Man to change tactics, grabbing Hulk and the bystander Julie before flying them away to safety.
4. Ultimate Avengers (2006) Movie
After beating back an alien invasion while teamed up with the rest of the Avengers, he just can’t calm back down and become the relatively mellow Bruce Banner again.
Thus it falls to the Hulk’s friends to take him down. The after-battle starts with the Hulk tossing Captain America and Iron Man to the side like flies, only to quickly overpower Antman in his giant form. Thor, like the gleaming God he is, takes his weapon (in this universe, he doesn’t have Mjolnir anymore, instead, a technologically advanced ax) and holds his own for… well, longer than the others so far.
The Hulk can wield Thor’s weapon, and Thor seems doomed. Captain America, the wasp, and Antman manage to just barely keep each other alive while the fight continues.
Finally, Iron Man wakes up. The battle rages and Iron Man’s suit is pounded in by the Hulk like he was a toddler beating up play dough. Still, with help from the other Avengers, Iron Man musters up the suit-energy to employ his uni-beam, helping to slow the Hulk down enough to be injected with a Banner-made sedative.
3. The Incredible Hulk (1996-1998) TV Series
Season 1, Episode 4: “Helping Hands, Iron Fist”
After an accident causes Bruce Banner to forget who he is, his friend tries to help him remember in time to stop a different accident from happening. Bruce, not knowing who the boy is, gets angry and becomes the Hulk. The boy is barely rescued in time when Iron Man appears.
Punches are thrown, cars are thrown, the “metal man” is weakened. Barely able to climb out of the explosion caused by more thrown cars, Iron Man again saves the kid just in time. Still more cars are thrown, and Iron Man’s suit is almost broken too much to come back from. Can they convince the Hulk not to kill them?
2. Iron Man: Armored Adventures (2008-2012) TV Series
Season 1, Episode 23: “Uncontrollable”
After the Hulk is coerced into trying to take revenge on A.I.M., Iron Man is called to come as fast as he can. Of course, bullets do nothing to the Hulk in the meantime. Tony Stark isn’t even convinced that the Hulk exists in this universe.
For a myth, the Hulk can sure pack a punch. Iron Man gets out a bigger-than-normal suit (created for another use in this universe) to combat his new larger-than-life foe, which has since been dubbed the “Hulk-buster.” It seems even Tony’s strongest Iron Man isn’t nearly strong enough this time. When the human backup (armed with projectiles) runs away, Iron Man is left to fight the most powerful foe yet all on his own.
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Movie
Finally, the fight we’ve been waiting for. When the Hulk’s mind is taken over by Scarlet Witch’s powers, it is up to Iron Man and Veronica to stop him. Veronica, in this case, being the MCU’s version of the Hulk-buster suit, which Iron Man calls down from a satellite orbiting the earth, mixed with an iron-man type box meant to hold the Hulk. Although an incredibly strong piece of technology, Veronica’s builder, Tony Stark, very obviously underestimated the brute.
The Incredible Hulk may well be the strongest thing from Earth, and it’s almost never Iron Man (or anyone else) overcoming him with power that brings him back to humanity. It’s seeing his friends, or the fear he has caused. In Age of Ultron, Iron Man is smart enough to punch him one last time while the Hulk is contemplating the damage he has just caused. One last time before it angers him again and all is lost. The suit and Veronica are certainly lost.
