Help solving a comic book debate

evi1r0n

evi1r0n

Baron
So I know this is about as off-topic as I can get but I have had a debate raging for years with a friend of mine. Who would win in a fight, the Incredible Hulk or Super Man.
I am on the side of the Hulk. Why? Because Super Man's hesitation to use lethal force would give the Hulk the time and rage needed to rip Super Man to pieces. Hulk's disregard for human life while in a rage would easily blindside SM. It should be noted that as part of the debate Hulk starts as Hulk.
 
Draw -

As Sup fights, the Hulk gets stronger, but neither would, ultimately, win... Unless you're talking evil Sup from the Dark Knight titles, then Hulk is in space and I don't think he can stay mad when he can't breathe ;)
 
I'm on Superman's side. I think he would suss out The Hulk quickly enough and end up flying him into space or something along those lines and choke him out. Unconscios Hulk gets tiny and spindly and is no longer a danger.
 
It's been shown that both can die just through severe physical trauma. In Hulk's case, he fell from a great height. In Superman's case, it took one of the universe's most powerful beings to kill him.

While I think it would depend on the writer of such a story, I'd have to side with Superman if given a choice, just because of the relative ease with which Hulk died versus what it took to kill Superman -- he didn't go down without a fight, and what a fight it was!

While I think that was a function of both the writers and the media through which both stories were presented (TV vs Comics), it's still a factor, and Doomsday was essentially an Incredible Hulk-like character, with Hulk not being nearly as though as Doomsday, in my opinion.

My opinion is subject to change based on future story arcs and information.
 
The problem is there has been so many incarnations of Hulk. I am basing my argument on the most powerful version of the green Hulk from Planet Hulk/World War Hulk arc. My friend is basing superman off of the most powerful good superman incarnation. I do believe evil superman would win so we took that out of the debate.
Think how many comics the doomsday saga spanned. It took Superman days to decide to use lethal force. Doomsday didn't get stronger. Hulk in recent incarnations has limitless strength. I remember Banner getting kicked out of a helicopter to force a Hulk change. I mean if you follow the more powerful Hulk arcs he is the last undying person on Earth in Hulk: the End.
Hulk has survived in space.
Superman's heroic nature is his greatest weakness in a lot of fights. That was the reason Lobo was able to work him over. That and Lobo kicks ***.
 
I, for one, believe Superman would win simply because the Hulk has nothing in his arsenal that can kill Superman outright. Superman is supposed to be nigh invincible.

I think the main flaw in this argument is that Superman was created in the 1930s as a very early action comic super hero, and because the industry wasn't very developed yet, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster just made up some godlike character to fight crime, without delving too much into his weaknesses because they wanted him to win.

Also, I would like to start a miniature side debate in this thread, who would win: a pack of wolves or a hippopotamus? The hippo has home field advantage, though. I would go with the hippo, myself. Too much brute strength, and I'm not sure a wolf could even penetrate its skin. I've argued with people on this one, however.
 
Well, Superman used to be way less powerful than his current incarnation. Originally he couldn't fly, could be wounded by artillery and didn't have a score of his current powers. The current Superman can live INSIDE THE SUN.

Quite a large leap from being layed low by a howitzer to sun-tanning inside a nuclear reactor.

But yeah, Superman would win. ;) Also I vote Hippo.
 
Hulk has no Kryptonite. Thus, I vote Superman wins. If Hulk had Kryptonite, then I would vote Hulk.

For hippo vs. wolves, how many wolves are we talking? And just one hippo? Is the hippo in the water munching on salad or on land?
 
Alavatar said:
Hulk has no Kryptonite. Thus, I vote Superman wins. If Hulk had Kryptonite, then I would vote Hulk.

For hippo vs. wolves, how many wolves are we talking? And just one hippo? Is the hippo in the water munching on salad or on land?
Click to expand...
Hulk no see purpose of puny green rock.

Thus, even with Kryptonite, Superman >> Hulk.

Also, Hippo. One simple barrel roll (The Hippo presses Z twice) and the wolves have a much more flat perspective of things.
 
For the hippo question, there would be only one hippo and he would be in his dirty African river home. There would be a hunting party of wolves, so what, five?

Usually the main arguments on this are that the wolf has much sharper teeth and is much more agile, but both of those points are null in my opinion because the hippo has much larger teeth and a mouth big enough to break a wolf's back, if not swallow it whole. Plus, agility counts for nothing when you're fighting like this:
hippo_20on_20man.jpg
 
Also, Superman Versus the Hulk already happened.

Dc-vs-marvel.png


Superman won.

And, to pre-empt other cross-over fights...

Aquaman beat Namor.
Elektra beat Catwoman.
Flash beat Quicksilver.
Robin beat Jubilee.
Silver Surfer beat Green Lantern.
Thor beat Captain Marvel.
Batman beat Captain America.
Spiderman beat Super Boy.
Storm beat Wonder Woman.
Wolverine beat Lobo.

Although, in general, Marvel received more votes in the cross-over than DC.
 
grillnick said:
For the hippo question, there would be only one hippo and he would be in his dirty African river home. There would be a hunting party of wolves, so what, five?
Click to expand...

According to wikipedia, hippos are generally in heards in the water, but are more solitary on land when grazing.

Assumptions:
1. A hippo is roughly a third of the size of an elephant.
2. It takes almost a full pride of lions to take down an calf or weak elephant (and it has to be in the dark) according to the documentary "Planet Earth". Wikipediasomewhat agrees.
3. Elephants are well know for being capable of domestication, but stories of domesticated hippos are few and far between, so I make the assumption that a hippo is more aggressive than an elephant.
4. Lions have teeth and claws to assist in hunting vs. just teeth on wolves.

With the above assumptions, against five wolves I believe the hippo would win.
 
On top of Hippos not being alone often, they do respond to eachother's call for help (Which, impressively, is heard through the air and through the water equally well) and are used to fending off Hyenas, Lions and Nile Croc's... and attack humans and boats (Since they hold humans..). There's a damned good reason many consider them among the most dangerous animals in Africa.

Also, holding their breath underwater (Say, with a wolf pinned down) makes them even better combatants against wolves that somehow found their way to Africa...
 
Brad Lewis said:
wolves that somehow found their way to Africa...
Click to expand...
And now, my next proposal: a crew of flight attendants vs. a pack of wolves attempting to hijack the plane on their way to fight a hippo in Africa?

Only kidding. Great answers to that question, I now feel much more confident in responding the next time someone tries to tell me a pack of wolves could take out a hippo.
 
On the topic of flight attendants vs. wolves, are there snakes and is Samuel L. Jackson sick and tired of them?

I will concede on the Hulk debate on the basis that Superman uses cheat codes...
 
Not necessarily. Domesticated doesn't mean not-aggressive. They're still wildly territorial, from everything I've looked at.
 
All right, here's a summer project for one of you students. Domesticate a hippo, and report back. Godspeed.
 
I am not a student but I will take that challenge. Where do hippos roam in WA??? Hmm I should check our vast jungles.
 
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