Hulk’s Greatest Power Isn’t His Strength | Screen Rant
The Incredible Hulk is fond of boasting that he’s “the strongest there is.” Most fans think this refers to the strength of his gamma-powered muscles and their ability to shoulder insane amounts of weight. While this is definitely one of the Hulk’s most popular abilities, it’s far from his only skill — or his most powerful.
Remember: when Bruce Banner transforms into the Hulk, he doesn’t just turn into one gamma-powered goliath, he can change into any number of alternate personas, each with a unique skill set. And while he might not be the best-known Hulk out of Banner’s multiple personalities, the grey-skinned Joe Fixit is secretly one of the most powerful Hulks, at least when it comes to making money.
Technically the first Hulk that Bruce Banner transformed into back in the original The Incredible Hulk #1, the Grey Hulk truly came into his own decades later when writer Peter David took over the comic. David allowed this Grey Hulk to take full control over Bruce Banner and develop into the surly, hedonistic “Joe Fixit” who sold himself as hired muscle to a Las Vegas casino and quickly made a name for himself as a powerful enforcer. Although not the most physically powerful Hulk, “Joe” was more than a match for the usual thugs and criminals he needed to brutalize — and could more than hold his own if he ever came across someone with superhuman strength. His services were so valuable that his boss gave him the best of everything — including a penthouse suite, tailored suits, and a very hefty paycheck. Unfortunately for Joe, Banner’s personality eventually reasserted itself and he was forced to go on the run as a shirtless monster in torn pants.
However, it soon became apparent that Joe’s vast wealth wasn’t completely gone. In The Incredible Hulk #22-23, Paul Jenkins and Kyle Hotz reveal in “Disorganized Crime” that Joe managed to make a deal with Banner to have some time to himself, allowing him to go to Chicago. It seemed that some mobsters owed Joe over a million dollars for past services — and Joe managed to get that fee raised to two million dollars when they stupidly sent some goons to try to strongarm him.
However, Joe’s greatest windfall was yet to come. Shortly after paying him his money, the mob family’s right-hand man offers him ten million dollars to work for him and take out the moronic brothers in charge of the family’s operations. Unsurprisingly, the crooks attempted to double-cross Joe, but the Hulk was still able to overpower them and then negotiate a new ten-million-dollar deal. After blowing most of the cash on a wild night at a casino, Joe retreated back into Banner’s mind — but not before leaving the penniless scientist a recording letting him know that the money was hidden so well, “You wouldn’t find it, even if you sat on it.”
It’s a shocking revelation — and one that reveals Hulk is secretly one of Marvel’s wealthier characters despite the fact that Banner is almost always broke. Joe recently resurfaced in a human form and showed he was still capable of pulling off scams and swindles that earned him plenty of money, but according to this story, The Incredible Hulk already has millions of dollars stashed away. He’s just not interested in sharing any of it, even with his other personalities.