When the Hulk returned to Earth after being banished by the Illuminati, Doctor Strange stole the abilities of a powerful mystical entity to stop him before he did unspeakable damage. In the World War Hulk arc, the Sorcerer Supreme tried to stop one of the strongest versions of the Jade Giant ever by getting inside his head. However, he quickly realized to stop the Hulk, he would need to do some smashing himself.

Marvel's World War Hulk storyline directly followed the events of Planet Hulk. In the first storyline, the Illuminati decided to stop the dangerous hero from causing more damage on Earth, the best course of action was to shoot him into space and far away from their planet. However, after launching him into the Cosmos, Hulk was sucked into a wormhole and ended up on Sakaar. It's there he was forced to become a Gladiator and would later rule as king. But, when the shuttle he was sent on explodes as part of a self-destruct protocol, he watches his kingdom and new family perish. Angry and desperate for revenge against the Avengers, Hulk returns to Earth to make them suffer.

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In World War Hulk by Greg Pak, John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson, and Christina Strain, the Hulk gets immediate revenge upon returning to his home planet. He fights and beats Black Bolt, Ghost Rider, Iron Man, multiple teams of the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four, before coming face-to-face with Doctor Strange. After the Sorcerer Supreme gets inside Hulk's head and tries to convince him to stop, the gamma monster only gets angrier. Strange responds by merging with Zom - a mighty and evil mystical entity Strange had trapped - and channels his powers to fight back against the Hulk. He immediately turns to his opponent and says, "Strange smash."

The powered-up Doctor Strange manages to make a dent against the Hulk, using numerous spells and blasts of energy to knock him to the ground. However, with the evil entity powering him, Strange loses control of his powers and nearly kills innocent bystanders after leveling a building. Finally, hulk gets enough of an opening to grab the Sorcerer Supreme and slam him to the ground - winning the epic fight between the two powerhouses.

Considering World War Hulk is one of the strongest versions of the characters ever, Doctor Strange did well in nearly beating him with the powers of Zom. Unfortunately, his newfound strength and abilities were corrupted and ultimately made him vulnerable after it seemed like he would take down the Hulk for good. Still, among Marvel's best one-on-one fights, few are more epic than when Doctor Strange smashed the Hulk.

Next: Hulk Is To Blame for Turning His Son Into a Monster