Defeating The Hulk Has A Secret Meaning in Marvel's Universe
Throughout the history of Marvel Comics, the Hulk has stood as one of the strongest Avengers in the universe. Characters in every corner of Earth-616, from the Fantastic Four to the X-Men, often confront Bruce Banner's monstrous alter-ego in epic and lengthy battles. Fights with Hulk not only cause extreme damage to his opponents; they also obliterate much of their overall environment. To this day, Marvel uses the Green Goliath's destructive warfares to satisfy a secret objective.
During the early 2000s, a rag-tag group of multiversal heroes known as the Exiles encountered the Incredible Hulk. The team goes through various changes in order to fix anomalies throughout the multiverse.When the Exiles first go up against Hulk in Judd Winick and Jim Calafiore's Exiles #5, they all lose quickly, except for Thunderbird, an Apache X-Man. However, this version of John Proudstar is not the one from Earth-616; this Thunderbird became Apocalypse's Horseman of War on Earth-1100, stacked with barrier-breaking strength levels and durability. Winick and Calafiore's run introduces this version of Thunderbird, and a match against the Hulk quickly reveals everything someone needs to know about the variant.
Related: Hulk Reminds Fans Captain America's MCU Title is a Lie
Earth-1100's Thunderbird is one of the few characters who can say he's defeated the Hulk. While Banner's monstrous persona triumphs at first, Thunderbird claims a victory in Winick and Calafiore's very next issue. Like Hulk, this version of Thunderbird gets stronger as he gets angrier, but his strength grows exponentially faster. Thunderbird's victory reminds fans that the «strongest Avenger» isn't completely invulnerable, and the Apache mutant breaks the boundary of "being
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