When it comes to the strongest heroes in Marvel and DC lore, few would argue that Superman and Hulk occupy anything but the top spot in their respective universes. But sadly for Marvel fans, when the two have clashed in the past, Superman has repeatedly walked away with the win, even on the occasion when his Marvel vs DC Hulk battle was decided by fan vote. However, there is still hope that the Green Goliath could one day score a victory against the Man of Steel, since even DC already vouched for the fact that his maximum power level is objectively mightier than even a cosmically upgraded Superman.

In The Immortal Hulk #24 (from Al Ewing and Joe Bennett), fans see the future of the Marvel Universe, where Hulk has killed every other hero and villain in order to lay in wait for Metatron, a being who imbues the last survivor of each cycle of reality with godlike powers. This is the process that originally created Galactus and, this time around, turns the Hulk into something just as powerful. In Immortal Hulk #25 (by Ewing, Bennett and German Garcia), it's revealed what Hulk becomes with this incredible upgrade, assuming his most powerful form as the Breaker of Worlds. Under the thrall of the demonic One-Below-All, this version of the Hulk destroys all life in the galaxy, and would have ended the entire cycle of cosmic creation had a message not been sent back through time to stop the One-Below-All from claiming his soul... at least for the time being.

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As the Breaker of Worlds, Hulk is even more powerful than Galactus. While drawing his might from the exact same source, Hulk is far larger and able to destroy entire planets with a single punch, rather than needing the complex machinery Galactus uses to drain planets of their life (this is likely because, unlike Galactus, the Breaker of Worlds has no plans to release the collected energy to birth the next phase of reality.) This direct connection to Galactus turns out to be vital in assessing the Breaker of Worlds' chances against Superman. This is because 1999's Superman/Fantastic Four (by Dan Jurgens and Art Thibert) - a joint venture between Marvel and DC - went out of its way to confirm that even while gifted with the Power Cosmic, Superman was still unable to compete with Galactus, assessed by Reed Richards as only the second most powerful being in existence.

Superman's galactus form vs hulk ultimate form

The Power Cosmic is the reality-warping primordial force behind the scenes of the Marvel Universe, and has spawned some of the most powerful beings ever to exist in the publisher's canon. Despite this, even adding the Power Cosmic to Superman's Kryptonian might wasn't enough to elevate him above Galactus, and as the Breaker of Worlds, Hulk is specifically empowered by the same power that created Galactus, and even appears to be more powerful.

Hulk's ultimate form overshadows Superman primarily by crossing the line into villainy. While DC rarely allows other heroes to reach Superman's power level - especially those belonging to other publishers - villains like Darkseid and Doomsday have overpowered him in the past, confirming that he does have limits, and therefore something to struggle heroically against. While Superman has admitted to needing all his strength against Marvel heroes like Thor and Hulk, his pop-culture status ensures that none of them have a genuine chance to claim his crown as the most powerful superhero. However, villains are a different story, and crossing to the dark side finally gives Hulk the loophole he needs to triumph.

Of course, as comic writers love to remind fans, power isn't the deciding factor of who wins in a fight, and heroes are often defined by their ability to creatively end threats that should by rights destroy them. A battle between Superman and Hulk's ultimate form goes to the Breaker of Worlds on sheer power, but given the One-Below-All's planet-destroying plans and Kal-El's history with Krypton, it's likely the Man of Steel would give everything he has to take down a threat that is in many ways his exact opposite.

Next: Superman Destroys Earth WITHOUT His Powers in Alan Moore's Dark Rewrite