Over the years since the commencement of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a debate has taken the center stage when it comes to the subject of the strongest Avenger. The debate again was ridiculed and brought to the forefront in Taika Waitit’s first Marvel project, Thor: Ragnarok. 2 years ago, however, in the post-Endgame era, Joe Rogan, a popular talk show host participated in the intense debate as well, alongside his guest on the podcast who bore an extensive knowledge of Marvel comic books and films.
Also read: Hercules vs Thor: Who’s Physically Stronger?
Joe Rogan Settles the Debate About the Strongest Avenger
In The Joe Rogan Experience, the podcast host, Joe Rogan, and his guest Alonzo Bodden spoke at length about the MCU, its extensive shortcomings and fallacies, along with all the factors that constitute loopholes within the narrative. Among those debates were also included all the ways in which the cinematic universe digressed from the comics and unjustly nerfed down one of its strongest characters from the original comics, aka the Hulk.
On his podcast, this subject gained further introspection when the two Marvel enthusiasts spoke about the issue of the strongest Avenger at length, bringing the Thor vs. Hulk debate to light.
“The Hulk has glasses now! He has f**king glasses! It’s so ridiculous. The whole idea is supposed to be that he’s a really smart guy and then he’s basically a monster [here Bodden adds, “with unlimited strength and unlimited power”] who talks like: Hulk smash. He’s not smart.”
Bodden then goes on to speak about Ragnarok and how the plot ridiculed the Hulk’s arc and claimed: “He’s not fully dumb. He’s not the scientist Hulk but he’s smart enough to hold conversations.” Rogan adds, “What a mismatch that would be if it was real. Are you f**king kidding me, Thor? Just relax.”
The analytical examination of the MCU’s treatment of Hulk clearly puts to rest the age-old debate about the strongest Avenger, since Hulk’s current arc would never be able to match Thor’s divine strength, one that is seldom shown in the MCU but was clearly exploited when the demigod traveled to Nidavellir to forge Stormbreaker by channeling the entire power of a dying star through his own body.
The Devolution of the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
For almost half a decade now, the Marvel fandom has been immensely dissatisfied with the nerfing of Hulk, never more so than in the most recent Marvel x Disney+ show, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. However, the error with the Hulk’s narrative arc began primarily when Ragnarok explored his Gladiator Hulk arc in a manner that molded him in a manner where despite being totally Hulk-ed out, he was also able to have a legible conversation with another person.
The matter worsened further when the Russo Brothers, directors of the Infinity Saga’s climactic duology, Infinity War (2018) and Endgame (2019), metamorphosed Bruce Banner into Hulk’s form, so that the two beings co-existed simultaneously, dubbing him the Smart Hulk.
This had been a major point of contention among the fandom and comic enthusiasts who were aware of the fact that a major identity of Bruce Banner and the Hulk comes from the dichotomy of the two creatures existing and vying for control over the same body, and while one could arguably be the smartest person on the planet, the other was a feral beast who only got stronger the angrier he got.
Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame are now available for streaming on Disney+.
Source: The Joe Rogan Experience
