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Hulk and the Thing have met in stories that range from a direct slugfest to a power-draining episode, a clash involving Immortal Hulk, and an unexpected friendship. This is a curated history of those landmark encounters—not a complete issue-by-issue record, which Marvel’s available guides do not establish.
Why Hulk and the Thing keep making compelling opponents
Ben Grimm and Bruce Banner embody different versions of the super-strong hero: the Thing is a member of a close-knit team, while Hulk’s changing state can make a confrontation unpredictable. Marvel’s selected reading material shows that their rivalry is not just a sequence of interchangeable brawls. Circumstances change what a fight means—and sometimes whether the two are fighting at all.
Three landmark stops in the rivalry
This reading path pairs early issues identified in Marvel’s collection listing with a famous standalone slugfest and a modern Immortal Hulk encounter. The order is a useful route through selected milestones, not a claim that these are the only times the characters fought.
- Fantastic Four (1961) #25–26: Marvel’s Hulk vs. the Marvel Universe trade paperback lists both issues among its contents. It is a broader Hulk collection, not a complete Hulk–Thing anthology; the listing makes these issues useful early anchors without establishing a full chronology.
- Fantastic Four (1961) #112: Marvel’s creator spotlight describes the issue as a fight between Ben Grimm and Bruce Banner. Artist Joshua Cassara calls it “Hulk’s Clobbering Time.” Stan Lee and John Buscema are credited on Marvel’s guide page.
- Fantastic Four (2018) #12–13: The modern encounter is collected in Marvel’s Fantastic Four Vol. 4: Thing vs. Immortal Hulk trade paperback. Marvel’s description frames the story as the Thing battling Immortal Hulk.
What changes from one encounter to another
Marvel’s summaries and reading guide point to different sources of tension, stakes for Ben, and outcomes beyond a simple contest of strength. The descriptions support these contrasts, though they do not provide enough issue-specific detail to reconstruct every scene.
| Story element | What Marvel’s descriptions establish | What it adds to the rivalry |
|---|---|---|
| Power imbalance | Marvel describes an encounter in which Hulk temporarily drains Ben Grimm’s powers. | The conflict threatens Ben’s defining abilities, rather than testing strength alone. |
| Relationship shift | Marvel describes a story where the Thing and Hulk form a new friendship, and the Fantastic Four must break it up. | The team dynamic—not just combat—becomes part of the conflict. |
| Hulk’s identity or state | The 2018-series collection explicitly presents the Thing versus Immortal Hulk. | The modern matchup is framed around a particular Hulk incarnation, not simply an undifferentiated Hulk. |
| Classic slugfest | Marvel’s creator spotlight describes Fantastic Four (1961) #112 as a fight between Ben Grimm and Bruce Banner. | The issue offers the most direct example in this route of the familiar face-off. |
What the famous #112 fight is known for
Marvel’s Joshua Cassara creator spotlight captures the appeal of Fantastic Four (1961) #112 in his own words: “The cover tells you all you need to know—the whole issue is just a fight between Ben Grimm and Bruce Banner.” The same Marvel page labels the issue “Hulk’s Clobbering Time” and credits Stan Lee and John Buscema. Those are the credits and description given in Marvel’s guide; readers seeking a full bibliographic record should consult the comic itself.
How to read the rivalry without mistaking a selection for a complete history
The issues and stories above are a curated route grounded in Marvel’s selected reading and collection pages. Those sources do not certify every Hulk–Thing encounter or provide an authoritative total. Treat the issue numbers as pointers to particular stories, not a count of the rivalry. Readers looking for the modern Immortal Hulk matchup can start with the collected Fantastic Four volume; those wanting the early issues can use Marvel’s broader Hulk vs. the Marvel Universe collection as a contents guide.
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Rank #4
- Written by Steve Englehart
- Illustrated by Keith Pollard
#1 Best Overall
- Used Book in Good Condition
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