General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross’ Red Hulk is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, with the titanic strength you’d expect of anyone who uses the ‘Hulk’ name. However, Ross’ antihero isn’t simply a palette-swap version of Bruce Banner – he has an array of unique powers added to the Hulk’s classic gamma abilities.
Soon to join the MCU in Captain America: Brave New World, depicted by Harrison Ford, Ross’ Red Hulk was created by a group of Marvel’s smartest villains known as the Intelligencia. The Intelligencia siphoned off the Hulk’s power, mixing it with cosmic rays in order to create the Red Hulk. That added form of energy created a new, ‘Red’ type of gamma mutate, with his own earth-shaking abilities. Here are the 10 best we’ve seen so far.
Transformation Control
Unlike the Hulk, General Ross Only Transforms When He Wants To
One of Red Hulk’s biggest advantages over the Hulk is that he has complete control over his transformations. Bruce Banner’s curse has always been that the Hulk emerges in moments of intense rage. Indeed, other Hulks have similar emotional triggers, like Red She-Hulk losing her powers whenever she becomes scared, or Hulk’s daughter Lyra growing stronger the calmer she becomes.
Ross retains control of his transformations even when unconscious, meaning he only regains his vulnerable human form when he’s sure it’s safe to do so. This ability was key to Ross hiding his identity when the Red Hulk first appeared on the scene.
Red Hulk’s ability to absorb energy allows him to fight
way
above his already staggering weight class.
Intellect Retention
Red Hulk’s Brain Is His Biggest Advantage Over Hulk
Linked to Red Hulk’s control over his transformation, General Ross also retains his normal personality and intelligence in his Hulk form. This is incredibly rare, with most Hulks undergoing some kind of behavioral change when they transform (albeit with Bruce Banner’s Hulk being the most extreme example.) This power is crucial to what makes Red Hulk unique, since General Ross has decades of combat experience and tactical insight.
Red Hulk’s intelligence allows him to use advanced weaponry – including a SHIELD-issue gun that can injure gamma mutates – and to fight tactically. Red Hulk’s tactical experience is so pronounced, even Captain America respects it, asking for Red Hulk’s input on battle plans when Ross briefly worked with the Avengers.
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The Hell-Mark
Red Hulk Can Control Demons
Not all of Red Hulk’s powers come from gamma radiation. In the ‘Circle of Four’ arc which began in Rick Remender and Tony Moore’s Venom #13, Ross was granted a Hell-Mark by the demon Mephisto. This mark is used to identify mortals who could ascend to the position of Hell Lord, and grants powers including control over demons and the ability to wield Hellfire – albeit at the cost of gradual moral corruption.
While Red Hulk’s Hell-Mark has been dormant since he defeated Mephisto’s son Blackheart, and he’s in no hurry to reactivate it, the supernatural mark is still visible to those versed in the mystic arts.
Unlimited Stamina
The Secret Ingredient That Makes Hulks Unstoppable
While every Hulk has immense strength, speed and durability, the secret ingredient is stamina. While many of Marvel’s heroes can throw a punch capable of bringing down a building, Red Hulk can do so all day long without growing tired. Like Bruce Banner’s Hulk, Red Hulk can leap incredible distances and has a vastly reduced need for sustenance and rest. Combined with Ross’ indomitable will, Red Hulk never stops fighting until the day is won, and he can pull off feats like fighting Thor in space.
Red Hulk is famous for exuding heat, but when he’s angry enough, this turns into an atomic bomb-level explosion.
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Radiation Release
The Angrier Red Hulk Gets, the Hotter He Gets
One of Red Hulk’s most unique powers is that he releases low levels of radiation, heating the air around his body. The angrier Red Hulk becomes, the hotter he burns, and it’s possible for his skin to quickly reach temperatures that can melt metal on contact. At their basic level, Hulk’s heat powers mean that anyone who trades punches with him will be quickly set on fire, however Ross can also focus this power in different ways…
Heat Vision
Red Hulk Can Focus His Heat as a Targeted Weapon
While Red Hulk exudes heat as a basic fact of his biology, he can also focus the radiation he releases into beams emitted from his eyes. These focused beams are even hotter than his regular ‘heat aura,’ though they’re generally used at short range – as seen in The Incredible Hulk #600 from Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, where Red Hulk melts Spider-Man’s webbing with this power.
Explosive Release
The Ultimate Form of Red Hulk’s Heat Generation
When Red Hulk is truly consumed by rage (or absorbs too much energy), his heat emission can produce fiery explosions. Fans saw Red Hulk unleash his full power in Hulk #24 by Loeb and McGuiness, dealing an atomic bomb-like blow to the Green Goliath. Fans of the original Hulk will be happy to know that the original Hulk took this explosive shot to the chin, then got back up and beat his rival unconscious.
Marvel has put a number on Red Hulk’s strength, fixing the minimum amount he can lift.
Superhuman Durability and Healing
Red Hulk Can Take Inhuman Levels of Punishment – And He Knows It
Like the original Hulk, the Red Hulk has immense durability and rapid healing, with Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #3 stating he can “regenerate from serious injuries within minutes.” However, his enemies have to inflict those injuries first, which even the Sentry struggled to do when the two clashed in Fred Van Lente and Michael Avon Oeming’s Hulk Smash Avengers #3.
Red Hulk often uses his healing to his tactical advantage, tricking his enemies into getting in close to deal out damage, only to decimate them once he recovers. He’s also used this tactic in order to claim enemy weapons, knowing that even if it means being stabbed through the heart, it’s worth the pain to disarm his opponent.
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It’s possible that Red Hulk is not just super-durable and quick to heal, but may even be immortal. This is an ability possessed by many gamma mutates due to their link to the eldritch being known as the One Below All. While there was definitely a period where Red Hulk was immortal, he didn’t die during this period to prove it, and since Hulk sealed the gate to the One Below All’s domain, it’s unclear whether gamma mutates still have the ability to return from the dead.
Super Strength
Red Hulk May Not Be the Hulk, But He Can Crush 99% of Enemies
While he’s not quite on the Hulk’s level, the Red Hulk is still incredibly strong, with Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #3 stating he can easily lift 100 tons (though it’s worth noting that Marvel’s handbooks are observations of existing feats, not rulebooks that set limits on future stories.) Red Hulk has traded blows with the Sentry, Thor, the Thing and the Juggernaut, sending each of them flying, and created a 9.0 earthquake while fighting Rick Jones’ A-Bomb.
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Energy Absorption
The Power That Took Out the Silver Surfer, Watcher and Terrax
When the Red Hulk first debuted, he shocked comic fans by punching out the nigh-omnipotent Watcher, closely followed up by defeating the Silver Surfer and Terrax the Tamer – two former heralds of Galactus. This indicated that Red Hulk was on a strength level equal to Marvel’s gods, however everything wasn’t as it seemed. Red Hulk actually won these fights because he has the ability to absorb exotic energy, including both Hulk’s gamma radiation and Galactus’ power cosmic,
This ability allowed Red Hulk to weaken beings like the Watcher while adding their stolen strength to his own. Indeed, he was able to completely drain Bruce Banner of gamma energy when they fought in Incredible Hulk #600, making it impossible for him to assume his Hulk form – an instant win against the Jade Giant.
Red Hulk’s ability to absorb energy allows him to fight way above his already staggering weight class, though excess absorption does temporarily stop him from being able to return to his human form. We’re calling Red Hulk‘s energy absorption his greatest power, since it was this – not his immense strength – that handed him conclusive victories against the Hulk, the Watcher and the Silver Surfer.
Red Hulk
Created as part of a Super Soldier program by Doc Samson and criminal think tank the Intelligencia, Red Hulk was imagined as an antiheroic and more volatile adversary for the Hulk. Boasting greater strategic intelligence, his true identity was revealed to be General Thunderbolt Ross in World War Hulks. After years of speculation, Red Hulk debuts in Captain America: Brave New World, played by Harrison Ford.
