Here’s Why Thanos Managed To Beat Hulk in ‘Infinity War’

MCU’s ‘Infinity War’ was a testament to Thanos‘ might. Although we did know that the Mad Titan packed some serious power even without Infinity Gauntlet, all of us were surprised to see him owning Hulk in a fight. Hulk, as we all know, has almost infinite amounts of strength at his disposal, and not only that, he gets stronger the angrier he gets. Yet, Thanos managed to overtake him after a brief fight, which is something that aligns with their comic history, but considering that Thanos doesn’t have half of his powers and abilities in the MCU, how on Earth did he manage to beat Hulk in ‘Infinity War’? 

Thanos managed to beat Hulk in ‘Infinity War’ because he is simply a better fighter. He didn’t have to rely on Power Stone to overtake the Jade Giant because Hulk, in that form, doesn’t really have some sophisticated moves or battle strategy; he merely leaps at his enemies and hopes that his physical power is enough to defeat them. With Thanos, it backfired. Not only is Thanos incredibly physically powerful, but he is also much smarter than Hulk, and this is what basically allowed him to exploit Hulk’s weaknesses and ultimately defeat him.

Now that we’ve covered how Thanos rag-dolled the Hulk, it’s time to explore it in more detail and likewise to see what the Directors of the movie have to say about it. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!

Did Thanos defeat Hulk with the Power Stone in ‘Infinity War’? 

Much of ‘Infinity War’ focused on Thanos’ hunt for Infinity Gems. We know he never really planned to use the Gems to amass power. Instead, he wanted to use them to cull half of the Universe’s population to stop resource depletion. 

But even though he didn’t plan on using the Gems for personal vendettas, he still relied on their powers in some crucial moments. For example, he used the Reality Gem several times. We also know that Thanos had the Power Stone even before the movie, as he collected that Stone off-screen when he completely annihilated Xandar when the Stone was safeguarded.

Still, Thanos didn’t actively use the Power Stone in his brief fight with the Hulk. It was all Thanos and his physical strength and skills, so how did he do it? 

Thanos is not stronger than Hulk, but he is a better fighter 

Hulk has basically uncapped strength; the angrier he gets, the stronger and more durable he becomes. This is why we don’t see him losing often. Thanos was among the most powerful individuals in the Universe even before he got his hands on the Stones, and there are several reasons why, even though he received quite a noticeable nerf in the MCU when compared to his comics variant. 

Thanos is among the best fighters in the MCU and the most intelligent fighter. He spent much of his life conquering planets and thinking of strategies to conquer and cull planets. Even though he primarily utilizes his Chitauri and other servants to do his bidding, Thanos has been known to get his hands bloody from time to time. Due to his mastery of tactics, Thanos conquered countless planets.

He also has Titan physiology, meaning that he is far above your average human and even your average superhuman. He is extremely durable and can lift possibly 100 tons without breaking a sweat. 

Thanos also enhanced himself with various implants to additionally supplement his superior physiology, something that Nebula was a victim of as well. But still, we’re talking about Hulk here. 

No matter how strong Hulk is, the fact remains that he is not exactly the brightest in the bunch, and he is basically a one-trick pony. He will try to subdue his targets by using his raw strength, not taking into account their weaknesses and various strategies that he can employ. 

Hulk leaps and flays around until the target is broken, but that’s pretty much it. He isn’t capable of some complex evaluation or situational awareness. 

So basically, Thanos managed to beat Hulk in ‘Infinity War’ because he is smarter and a superior fighter. 

Thanos was dubbed as Genghis Khan of the Universe

This fight is something that fans have been obsessing about for quite a while, and following the premiere of ‘Infinity War, ‘ Joe and Anthony Russo addressed the situation and the outcome of the fight in a pretty straightforward way. 

I would say that he’s just that powerful,” said Joe Russo. “You didn’t see him actively use the Power Stone in the fight. I think ultimately the way we looked at that fight and the way we talked about it with our stunt team when we were executing it was Hulk is obviously very powerful but he’s a little mindless in his fighting style. It’s aggressive. It’s pummeling. Thanos is the Genghis Khan of the universe. He’s a very skilled fighter and equally as strong. So when you put those two up against each other, the more skilled fighter is going to win. Which is why Hulk has a moment where he overpowers Thanos, but ultimately Thanos is smarter.

Interview with Russo Brothers

Is Thanos really stronger than the Hulk? 

Thanos is not stronger than Hulk, but even in the comics, he generally has the upper hand. Thanos won 7 out of 9 fights with the Hulk, with the most extreme case of Thanos’ supremacy being the story in which he turned Hulk into his pet and fed him Captain America.

Mind over matter always prevails when it comes to Thanos vs. Hulk, and the chances are, the Mad Titan always wins.

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