Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man is holding his hands to his face and closing his eyes next to green blurry comic panels.Custom image created by Evan D. Mullicane
By
Evan D. Mullicane
Published 3 hours ago
Evan Mullicane is the senior editor and founder of Screen Rant's anime section. Having started as a writer for the Comics Team at the beginning of the Pandemic, Evan was swiftly promoted from writer to editor, and then from editor to lead of Screen Rant's newly established anime vertical.
Throughout his time with Screen Rant, Evan has made a handful of appearances at conventions such as Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Anime and Comics history.
In addition to editing anime and manga articles for Screen Rant, Evan is also a science fiction and fantasy author. In 2018 and 2019, his short story "The Demon's Mother" won honorable mentions from the Writers of the Future contest.
You can find Evan on Twitter @EvanDM and BlueSky @evandmu.bsky.socia
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How many Hulks could a Hulkbuster bust if a Hulkbuster could bust Hulks? Canonically, zero.
Outside his main line of armor, no special suit in Iron Man's repertoire is more iconic than the Hulkbuster. This is why it's ironic that despite all of Tony Stark's bravado and the armor's ambitious naming scheme, the armor specifically designed to put down Hulks has consistently failed to put up results.
Tony Stark's Hulkbuster Armor Is Hilariously Mislabeled
Iron Man reveals his Celestial Hulkbuster Armor in Thor comics
First debuting in 1994's Iron Man #304, the Hulkbuster armor is a bulky set of armor specifically designed to withstand the impact of Hulk's attacks.
In the armor's first fight, Iron Man #305, Tony is faced with Professor Hulk. As a result, the fight ultimately fizzles out when Tony realizes that his opponent doesn't want to fight. It's unclear if Iron Man would have won the fight had it dragged on. While the armored hero does land a few solid blows against Hulk, the jade giant seems to take them relatively well.
Unfortunately, a "tie" is about as good as it gets for the Hulkbuster armor in Marvel comics. Every other time Iron Man rolls up with a Hulkbuster to face a Hulk, it is only Tony's armor and ego that get busted.
Even when Tony literally used the corpse of a Celestial to make the ridiculously powerful Celestial Hulkbuster, Hulk still managed to come out on top.
The only time a Hulkbuster has succeeded in busting a Hulk is in the MCU, but that's obviously a much different reality than the one featured in Marvel Comics.
There's a great irony in the objective failure of every single Hulkbuster armor, too, as Iron Man is one of the many Marvel heroes who has beaten Hulk before... Just never with a Hulkbuster.
Tony Stark's Hulkbuster Armor Is a Perfect Example Of Iron Man's biggest Flaw
Tony Stark merges with his Iron Man suit of armor in Marvel Comics cover
Iron Man's first victory against Hulk came in 1979's Iron Man #132. That issue saw Tony try to drown Hulk. While Hulk does manage to escape a watery grave, Tony delivers a punch so explosive that it not only knocks Hulk out, it also completely overtaxes his armor and breaks it.
While this fight was from when Hulk was far less powerful than his current Marvel Comics iteration, it does show Tony's biggest problem with facing Hulk: overthinking things.
The Hulkbuster tries to out-brawn the Hulk, and that's just never going to work.
Iron Man in his base armor has many advantages against Marvel's many Hulk variations. Most Iron Man suits are going to be far more nimble than the Hulk, giving him a significant speed and flight advantage.
While a direct hit is almost certainly more devastating against a typical Iron Man armor than a Hulkbuster armor, that's mitigated by Tony's greater ability to dodge. The Hulkbuster might be able to take more punishment, but it's a bigger target that's easier to hit, giving Hulk a better opportunity to get an edge.
In the never-ending world of Marvel Comics, Iron Man and Hulk are destined to clash again. If Tony Stark is smart, however, he'll leave the Hulkbuster armor at home.
Iron Man (2008) Movie Poster
Iron Man
Created by
Kevin Feige, Jon Favreau
First Film
Iron Man
Latest Film
Iron Man 3
Cast
Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Jeff Bridges, Mickey Rourke, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce
Movie(s)
Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3
Character(s)
Iron Man, Pepper Potts, War Machine, Iron Monger, Whiplash, Aldrich Killian
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Iron Man
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