The Incredible Hulk

Two mammoth beasts with little remorse for anyone or anything to cross their paths, that’s what the Incredible Hulk and Bane are. However, even in his gloriously green state of rage, there’s a hint of innocence, and the desire to do right by the world’s standards within the Hulk. Sure, he loses his cool on a regular basis, and sure, he might crush your new Chevy Malibu just to do so, but there’s heart in there.

Another interesting thing about the Hulk is, he knows he’s one of the good guys. Regardless of how brutal he can be, he isn’t out to wreak havoc on the world. He isn’t out to rip open commercial size vaults and flee with the contents. He generally has no interest in feuding with superheroes.

Deep down, the Incredible Hulk is one of the good guys, especially when he isn’t angry and he’s just the nerdy little scientific bookworm known as Bruce Banner.

Bane

Once a dominant luchador, Bane eventually became the subject of study. Could it be possible to produce a radically enhanced human being by utilizing a super serum known as Venom? And if so, what other side effects might that serum produce? The strength of 10 men? The kind of rage only a wronged husband could know (for the record, Bane wasn’t wronged by his wife, but he’s got the anger of a man in such a position)? An actual desire to end lives? A determination to crush every bone in Batman’s body?

Bane fits those bills.

His longtime desire to be the unquestioned alpha male already makes the man a threat. With that juice coursing through his veins, his intensity is only amplified. And unlike the Hulk, Bane knows damn well he’s a villain. Although the man is hyper-intelligent, you’d never guess it when staring at the destruction he leaves in his path.

Make no mistake, Bane is a villain to the core.

The Battle

This could actually prove to be one of the most intriguing collisions between a Marvel character and a DC character. The variables that must be factored into the equation are numerous.

On one hand the strength of each character must be quite close, with a slight edge going to the Incredible Hulk, who’s fully capable of hauling a full-size school bus above his head before chucking it 100 yards. We haven’t seen that kind of action from Bane, but when he’s on the juice, he could certainly hurl an economy car… that’s still impressive, right?

Strength – The Incredible Hulk

When evaluating speed, it must be noted that Hulk can be a bit on the lumbering side. He’s massive, and it isn’t easy to speed around when you’re tipping the scales at about a half-ton. That’s a problem in this particular match-up.

You can bet your undies that Bane is the faster of the two, which also enables him to move with a bit more agility. Speed is not on Hulk’s side, plain and simple.

Speed – Bane

Unfortunately for our lovable green giant, fighting smarts are a true issue. Banner becomes extremely animalistic when transformed into the giant monster. He’s basically game to follow simple instructions and obliterate whatever may impede in his path or interrupt his personal goal. He’s no Brainiac, so if he’s hoping to pick up a W over any rival of similar size, he’d better hope that meeting is nothing more intricate than a close-quarters slugfest.

Bane is a different story. His intelligence takes a hit when his brain is swimming with Venom, but we cannot forget that he is a genius. So, even with dulled senses, he’s likely to see far more viable options in a showdown with the Incredible Hulk. Brute force versus brute force only goes so far – smarts could change the dynamics of the fight dramatically.

Intangibles

We never know when the unthinkable might happen, and the Hulk shrinks down to the puny frame of Bruce Banner.

But something very similar could be said for Bane. If the Hulk can get a hold on those tubes that keep the juice flowing into Bane’s system, he’ll see Bane deflate into a scared, slim fellow with virtually no courage and no ability to overcome the odds and take the Hulk out.

The Victor

A meeting here all comes down to one thing: Bane’s intelligence. If Bane can get his massive paws on the Hulk and pummel him into a different area code. But in order to do that he’s going to have to be smart enough to be wary of the Hulk and keep the Jolly Green Giant from getting his hands on those Venom tubes.

We know that both of these characters have unbelievable resolve. Neither man will quit, but I’m inclined to believe that as the war grows in violence and devastation, the Hulk will find a way to get to those tubes, and if that is indeed the case, it’s all over.

The Incredible Hulk defeats Bane via – ironically – smarts. Bane may be the genius here, but the Hulk is known to adapt, and getting his hands on Bane’s drug supply seems all but inevitable!