Last year’s Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics compilation notwithstanding, there hasn’t been a new Marvel fighting game since 2017’s Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. That distinction is coming to an end with the upcoming fighting game Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, developed by Arc Systems Works and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2026 for […]
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Things never go right for poor Peter Parker. If anyone thought that the title of the upcoming Spider-Man movie Brand New Day promised things would be looking up for ol’ Pete, the latest casting announcement suggests otherwise. Mark Ruffalo has joined the cast of Brand New Day and, according to rumors, his character Bruce Banner will Hulk out and fight Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man…. I mean, they kind of have to, right?
Of course Hulk throwing down with fellow heroes is nothing new. He’s battled with Thor and the Avengers several times onscreen. Still, he’s never battled the ol’ Web-Head. Well, not on screen anyway. Yet in the pages of Marvel Comics, Spider-Man and Hulk have clashed—and teamed up—more than a few times. Here are some of the best stories that put Spider-Man and Hulk together, some of which will surely inspire Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
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Amazing Spider-Man #14 (1964)
Here’s the thing about Spider-Man and the Hulk: they don’t fight that often. Usually the two get along with each other pretty well. Sadly their first meeting was one of the exceptions, and what a weird meeting it was. Most of Amazing Spider-Man #14 follows Spider-Man as he tangles with a new baddie called Green Goblin and a trio of goons who call themselves the Enforcers. Late in the story, the Goblin traps Spidey in a cave. While Spider-Man has no problem defeating the Enforcers, Gobby disappears after throwing a smoke bomb. When the smoke dissipates, the Hulk is in his place.
Given that we don’t know anything about the Green Goblin, who also debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #14, it feels like the Hulk is a phantom or a mirage. But no, this is the actual Hulk, who apparently went into the cave to get some peace and thinks that Spider-Man has come to capture him. The two spar for a few issues until Spider-Man tricks Hulk into smashing through a wall, giving him room to escape both green assailants. Haphazard as the plot may be—by this point, penciller Steve Ditko had largely taken over writing duties as well, but one feels Stan Lee‘s editorial thumb forcing a superhero battle to happen—Amazing Spider-Man #14 lays out the stakes for each of the duo’s later interactions. Nothing Spider-Man does stops the Hulk. Green Genes shrugs off Spidey’s best punch and rips his webbing with ease. If the two ever had to fight for real, Spider-Man would certainly lose… or so it seemed.
Amazing Spider-Man #328 (1989)
Even though they don’t fight often, Hulk and Spidey have one epic clash that most people on the internet know. That fight occurs in Amazing Spider-Man #358, aka “the one where Spidey punches Hulk into space.” People often share moments from Amazing Spider-Man #358, written by David Michelinie and drawn by superstar Todd McFarlane, usually to “prove” that Spider-Man is stronger than the Hulk. But the actual story puts so many asterisks on that statement that it actually proves the opposite.
First of all, it’s important to keep in mind that neither assailant has their heart in the battle. As part of the Acts of Vengeance crossover, in which supervillains swapped their nemeses with one another to throw off their enemies, Hulk only seeks out Spider-Man because X-Men antagonist Sebastian Shaw pays him money to do it. Let’s just say that Hulk was in a weird place in the ’90s, hence a dialogue exchange like Spidey asking, “You came here just to fight me? Why?!” To which Hulk responds, “The best reason in the world, Web-Head: bucks!” Additionally Shaw only hired Hulk because some shadowy guys said they would destroy his rival Magneto if he in turn can kill Spider-Man. So, basically, everyone gets involved in this story by shrugging their shoulders and saying, “Eh, it’s worth a shot?”
Furthermore, Hulk is currently in his “Mr. Fixit” persona, the gray version that takes over from Banner at night (and, in the pages of his own comic, became a mob enforcer in Las Vegas—the type of guy who would be motivated by Shaw’s money). Although smarter than the usual Hulk, Mr. Fixit was notably weaker, and reverted back to Banner in the daytime. For his part, Spider-Man had just been given the power cosmic, essentially making him Superman.
So when Hulk senses Banner taking over as the sun rises, he tries to throw off Spider-Man by pretending to attack some kids. Spidey freaks out and wallops Hulk, sending the gray beast into space… and then realizing what he’s done and flies out to space to bring his frenemy back to Earth. It’s a cool moment for sure, but the entire thing ends with all involved deciding this isn’t fun and just walking away, which only underscores how out-of-character the whole thing is. Spider-Man punching Hulk into space an amusing gimmick, but a gimmick nonetheless.
Peter Parker: Spider-Man #14 (1999)
Although The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduced the power cosmic to the MCU, we’re probably not going to see an adaptation of Amazing Spider-Man #358 in Brand New Day. And although Jon Bernthal‘s Punisher is slated to appear in Brand New Day, that PG-13 movie probably won’t adapt the decidedly R-rated Punisher story “Confederacy of Dunces” (written by The Boys co-creator Garth Ennis), even though it involves Spidey, Punisher, and Hulk. Nor will Marvel want to replace its classic Fantastic Four with the one-off version of the team in which Hulk and Spidey joined Wolverine and Ghost Rider as the new FF in Fantastic Four #347-348.
However, it won’t be too surprising to see the movie adapt something like 1999’s Peter Parker: Spider-Man #14. And that’s a good thing, because Peter Parker: Spider-Man, written by Howard Mackie and penciled by John Romita Jr., is easily the best of the Spider-Man/Hulk fights.
The issue begins with Spider-Man convinced that his wife Mary Jane has died. While regular people prepare for her funeral, Spider-Man goes looking for a fight and he finds one in with the Hulk. As usual, the Hulk just wants to be left alone. But Spidey wants a tussle, and keeps badgering Green Genes until the Hulk hits back. Most of the issue feels like standard fare for the two, with Hulk plainly outmatching Spidey, and Spidey refusing to give up. However, Hulk starts to notice that Spidey is ranting about his wife’s death in the middle of their battle. That’s when Hulk stands over the bloodied Spider-Man and sets aside his rage. “Bug Man’s wife dead?” asks the sullen Jade Giant. “Hulk’s wife dead too. Hulk sorry.”
Given that Brand New Day takes place after the death of Aunt May and loss of MJ and Ned in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter will probably have a lot of anger to work out. Moreover, the 2020 one-shot Immortal Hulk: Great Power, by Tom Taylor and Jorge Molina, established that the spell Doctor Strange cast to make everyone forget about Peter doesn’t affect the Hulk, giving the two reason to bond (even though Spider-Man and Hulk haven’t shared a scene in the MCU).
Will Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton follow the comics and make Spider-Man and Hulk a pair of misunderstood buddies? Or will it try to impress viewers instead with a big battle between the two heroes? We’ll find out when Brand New Day hits theaters next year.
The post The Best Spider-Man and Hulk Stories to Inspire Brand New Day appeared first on Den of Geek.
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