When audiences think of the Hulk, usually two things come to mind. Green and angry. They wouldn’t be wrong, as these features are common with Hulk ever since his earliest depictions in the Marvel Comics. However, despite the initial appearance of Hulks wanting to smash rather than converse, they would fail to see that Marvel houses some incredible intellect in the many Hulks from the Marvel Universe.
There isn’t just one Hulk, nor Bruce Banner’s cousin, Jennifer Walters, who debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Many of the Hulks featured in the Marvel Comics are smart Hulks, with some having an intimidating level of intellect.
10 The Incredible Hulk
When Dr. Bruce Banner developed a Gamma Bomb for the US Army, he was bombarded with a massive dose of gamma rays. The banner was soon mutated into a green monster, the embodiment of rage. With nothing guiding him but pure physical strength and anger, the near mindless Banner would be known as the “Incredible Hulk.”
Bruce Banner and the Hulk are at constant odds, with Banner doing his best to keep himself calm to stop the monster from coming out. Whenever Hulk is present, his vocabulary is limited, and he seeks simple things, like smashing what bothers him and hiding in caves.
9 Skaar, Son Of Hulk
When Hulk was exiled from Earth, he found himself in a strange alien world, and with relations to an alien woman, Caiera the Oldstrong. Once Caiera died, a cocoon containing Skaar fell into the lake of fire. Skaar emerged from this cocoon and aged rapidly to be a young adult in just a year. The son of Hulk is no fool and can form coherent sentences and motives, but compared to the other Hulks, is not a shining example of intellect.
Raised by Old Sam, Skaar took months to speak, and eventually left the planet he was doomed on to find his father and his own life in the cosmos. The character has appeared many times in the Hulk mythos.
8 Mister Fixit
Bruce Banner is a rather complicated individual. Amongst the Hulk’s appearances, there’s an alternate persona, that of the Grey Hulk. This Hulk had less superior strength than the common green Hulk, but whenever Grey Hulk did win out of Banner’s subconscious, he would become a significantly different personality, and refer to himself as “Joe Fixit.”
Mr. Fixit was a morally ambiguous Las Vegas enforcer and tough guy and was known for being strong, but above all else, having smart thoughts. Fixit could think for himself and was even smart enough to drive.
7 Red Hulk
Continuing with the tradition of secret identities, Red Hulk was later confirmed to be General Thaddeus Ross. Ross was sick of being beaten by the physical power of the Hulk and became what he swore to destroy. Despite great anger, Red Hulk still regains his personality, and even sometimes his grey mustache. He can wield his licensed S.H.I.E.L.D. gun instead of just relying on fists.
Ross has more control over his Hulk than Banner and can turn back into his human form seemingly at will, with little strain. The character has been known to go on missions as the Hulk, and will perhaps be seen in Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts project.
6 Devil Hulk
Bruce Banner has truly been through a lot of horror in his life. Before even becoming bound to the curse of the Hulk, he grew up with a horrifically abusive father, Brian Banner. Bruce yearned for a father figure to protect and love him, and created a manifestation out of comfort. However, in his later years, this manifestation became a reality, as his father’s abuse had lingering effects that made him see father figures as terrifying or bad.
Devil Hulk would be freed, and take control of Bruce as his Hulk at night. Devil Hulk prioritizes the protection of Bruce Banner and children in general. It’s not a primal thought, but an intelligent and thought-out decision by Devil Hulk.
5 Red She-Hulk
Smarter than the ones before, Red She-Hulk has been seen wielding actual weapons rather than fists, and even bragging in fight banter to those she is battling against. Red She-Hulk had her identity revealed after a while as none other than Betty Ross, the daughter of Thaddeus Ross, and the romantic interest of Bruce Banner.
Red She-Hulk has limited control over her rage and can become the Red She-Hulk in anger and distress. However, despite rage being a factor of her control, she is still emotionally intelligent and aware of what she is saying and doing.
4 She-Hulk
There are perhaps no other Hulks that could successfully control their anger, whilst acting as a lawyer in a courtroom. She-Hulk is one of the most popular Hulks, and Marvel characters in general, and She-Hulk now features in her own Disney Plus series. Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law takes a lot of inspiration from the Marvel Comics version of She-Hulk.
Jennifer Walters became She-Hulk after a blood transfusion with Bruce Banner, infecting her blood with gamma radiation. As She-Hulk, Jennifer has incredible strength and stamina but remains herself, and usually remains as She-Hulk even at her job as a lawyer.
3 Maestro
The Maestro is perhaps the most dangerous of all of Bruce Banner’s futures as the Hulk. Combining intellect with the rage and malevolence of the Hulk, destruction is bound. Maestro is a version of the Hulk from what could be a possible future in the Marvel Universe. It’s a hundred years in the future, in which nuclear war devastates the Earth. Mankind is on the brink of extinction, and Maestro becomes its ruler.
The intelligence of Maestro cannot be understated, and he craves nothing but his survival. In doing so, Maestro makes sure that those that could be a threat, are swiftly eradicated. This future Hulk is entirely intimidating, and an evil future many wish to avoid.
2 Amadeus Cho
Amadeus Cho was a promising child with an incredible intellect on display from an early age. Throughout his Marvel career, he has had quite the adventures, but none as radical as his time as the Totally Awesome Hulk. This Hulk became part of the Champions superhero team and prided himself as a better and smarter Hulk than the original.
Cho exhibits super-genius intelligence. His mind operates like a supercomputer, and he is capable of rapidly performing a seemingly infinite number of unimaginably complex calculations in his mind in record time. He’s one of the most intelligent people on the planet, amongst the likes of Reed Richards and Tony Stark.
1 Professor Hulk
Professor Hulk is the idealized version of Bruce Banner, where he has all the strengths of the Savage Hulk and all the intelligence of Bruce Banner. This version of Hulk has none of the awkwardness seen in Bruce and the Hulk. Professor Hulk is the combination of the brawn and brains into one being.
The biggest conflict in Bruce’s life was accepting his mother’s death at the hands of his father. Bruce, and the personalities of green Hulk and grey Hulk, were at constant odds for control, until Bruce convinced them to merge and become an idealized incarnation of the Hulk and Banner.