The endless debate of who is stronger between Thor and Hulk had a clear answer in one of their darkest battles. During the Fear Itself event, Thor bravely faced two of the strongest Marvel characters, Hulk and the Thing, while they were possessed by the evil spirits of the Worthy, and the outcome of the fight was a surprising one.
Marvel fans love to pitch their favorite characters against each other and speculate who would come out on top. Entire websites and forums are dedicated to these epic mock battles, and one of the most popular pairings is Thor vs Hulk. Both are founding members of the Avengers (even if Hulk stayed on the team for the briefest of times) and usually rank in the top stop of the "most powerful superheroes" charts. Hulk's gamma-powered physiology means that his strength has essentially no limit, and he might as well be completely unkillable (as shown in the Immortal Hulk series). Thor, on the other hand, possesses all the amazing traits of the extra-dimensional race of the Asgardians, plus his own unique set of abilities, granted by the mighty enchanted hammer Mjolnir and by his status as the son of Odin. Of all the many times these two titans clashed, however, one proves without a doubt who is the strongest.
During the Fear Itself event, Odin's brother Cul, the Serpent, escapes from his prison and unleashes the Worthy, his elite warriors who take the form of magical hammers that possess the superhuman beings who touch them. Two of these hammers "call out" to Hulk and the Thing, who are transformed into Nul, Breaker of Words, and Angrir, Breaker of Souls. In Fear Itself #5 (by Matt Fraction, Stuart Immonen, Laura Martin, Matt Milla, and Lare Molinar), Thor faces both mighty opponents at the same time. While he initially seems outmatched, Thor finally has enough. He takes out the Thing/Angrir in one brutal hit, having Mjolnir fly through his chest. Hulk/Nul, however, is a whole other matter. After a violent exchange of blows, Thor does the unthinkable he admits that he cannot beat Hulk and that he never could.
Hulk Is Stronger Than Thor, But He Still Loses
While this declaration may come as a shock for Thor fans, what he does after is even wilder: the blond-haired god charges himself with the power of thunder, and he strikes Nul so hard that he sends him into space, essentially ending the battle. "To be continued, Banner" Thor says, before collapsing from his wounds and exertion. This move proves that, while Hulk can be stronger than Thor in absolute terms, the God of Thunder has many more advantages. He has centuries of battle experience, the hones skills of a warrior, and one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. Putting it all together, Thor can win against the Hulk, even if he can't kill the Jade Giant. Hulk is practically immortal and has unlimited reserves of strength and stamina, so he can keep fighting forever. Thor's endurance, while godly, is not limitless, so he will eventually lose a prolonged battle.
Thor's feat during Fear Itself was absolutely epic, as he defeated two of Marvel's strongest characters while they were further empowered by the Serpent's magic. Fear Itself also proved that Thor knows Hulk is stronger than him, and it must have caused the proud god a great pain to admit it. However, this clash of titans also showed that, if Thor fights smartly and uses all of his power and abilities, he can defeat Hulk in battle, even if he will never be able to get rid of him permanently.