‘What If…’ Season 2: Who Is Purple Hulk & How Strong Is He?

‘What If…?’ Episode 3 just aired, and we’ve got a true taste of a heartwarming Christmas tale when Happy Hogan saved Christmas from Justin Hammer, and he managed to do just that by turning into a purple Hulk. This version is not exactly new, but it proved to be extremely menacing and managed to go toe-to-toe with Hulkbuster. Let’s see who the purple Hulk is and how strong he is.

How did Happy Hogan become Purple Hulk?

At the beginning of the episode, we could see Happy Hogan stressing over the Avengers Christmas Gala and the fact that Jarvis was down for defragging; as it turns out, he was right since Justin Hammer managed to infiltrate the building in the stupidest way possible and managed to hijack the Avengers Tower and every piece of machinery inside including the Iron Man Sentries. Justin Hammer wanted two things: to get revenge on his rival, Tony Stark, and to rebrand himself into a superhero by stealing a vial of Hulk’s blood and turning himself into a different version of Hulk by using the gamma-radiated sample of blood.

He left his goons to crack into the safe that was holding the blood, but unfortunately, Happy Hogan got to it first and accidentally stabbed himself in the leg with it; the transformation started from his legs, and every time a piece of his body was injured, it would turn purple and grew additional muscles. After being attacked by Hammer’s men with guns and crashing through the window, Happy Hogan turns into a purple Hulk completely.

How powerful is Purple Hulk

There’s not a reason to think that Purple Hulk has all the same powers and abilities as regular Hulk since rarely are the versions of Hulk like that, but what’s interesting is that Happy Hogan Hulk was capable of fighting Hulkbuster armor with ease and It’s not exactly that Justin is not a skilled fighter as he mentioned several times over the course of the episode he is skilled in several martial arts.

Happy Hogan was strong enough to break concrete and steel to survive falling from heights, crashing concrete on him. He was also durable enough to survive being shot at.

It also appears that the Purple Hulk’s transformation is not permanent, as it was implied that Tony Stark perhaps has a cure for it.

In the comics, the purple Hulk is Norman Osborn

We know that ‘What If…?’ Isn’t exactly a part of the main continuity either in the comics or in the MCU, but we already did see a purple Hulk in the comics.

In the Marvel comics, the Purple Hulk is revealed to be Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin the main villain of Spider-Man. Introduced in 2012’s ‘Avengers’ #24, Osborn assumes the role of the Purple Hulk after a series of events involving Secret Invasion and the subsequent collapse of trust in existing institutions. Seizing the opportunity, Osborn replaces Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D. with his own organization called H.A.M.M.E.R.

After Osborn’s despotic actions are exposed during the Siege of Asgard, he goes into hiding but retains significant support from his former regime. Upon his return, Osborn allies with terrorist organizations A.I.M., Hydra, and the Hand, as well as disgraced S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Carolina Washington. Washington had collected genetic information from key Avengers, enabling Osborn to create an army of super-powered soldiers, including Spider-Hulks and Invisible Giant-Men.

Osborn’s abilities are further enhanced by A.I.M.’s Dr. Monica Rappaccini, who equips him with a version of Super-Adaptoid technology. This grants Osborn the power to absorb and replicate the abilities of anyone he touches. After absorbing the powers of his Dark Avengers and the Vision, Osborn is confronted by the Red Hulk, triggering his transformation into the Purple Hulk. The Purple Hulk possesses vast musculature, density control, and the ability to replicate the powers of those who attack him.

To defeat him, the Avengers attempt to overload Osborn’s powers by exposing him to multiple abilities simultaneously. Despite efforts from genetically volatile characters like Spider-Woman and Kree alien Protector, it is the New Avengers who ultimately succeed in causing Osborn’s body to crumble, and he ends up in a coma.

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