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During the early ’90s, the Hulk fought the Sinister Six, where Doctor Octopus handed him a surprising defeat thanks to his ultimate upgrade.
The Hulk has frequently boasted that he’s the “strongest one there is.” More often than not, this claim has proven to be true, as the Green Goliath has taken down powerful enemies like the Abomination and even fought Thor to a standstill. However, one early ’90s battle ended with the Hulk knocked out by an opponent far below his weight class: Doctor Octopus.
The Jade Giant’s surprising defeat came in 1992’s Spider-Man #19, by Erik Larsen, Gregory Wright and Chris Eliopoulos, the second part in “Revenge of the Sinister Six.” At this point in the storyline, Spider-Man was in the middle of confronting the newly-reformed Sinister Six. Fortunately for the outnumbered web-slinger, the Hulk arrived to lend a hand. At the time, the Hulk was a member of the Pantheon, a group that saw the danger that Doctor Octopus posed to the world. As soon as the Hulk arrived, he easily defeated most of the Sinister Six.
Foes such as the Vulture, Electro, Mysterio and the Hobgoblin were each taken down with one blow from the Hulk. Of course, Doctor Octopus was a true force to be reckoned with, throwing Spider-Man around and smashing him into walls before the Hulk intervened.
Even then, the Hulk was grabbed by Doctor Octopus, who began to viciously pound into the Green Goliath with his metal arms. With considerable ease, Otto Octavius finished the Hulk, throwing him out of the warehouse and knocking the monster out cold. Even though this victory was quite shocking, it was primarily made possible due to Doctor Octopus’ adamantium arms.
As CBR noted in 2018, these adamantium arms had a long history that dates back to 1980’s Daredevil #165, by Roger McKenzie, Frank Miller, Bob Sharen and Joe Rosen. Back then, Octavius had stolen a shipment of adamantium from Glenn Industries and created new arms before Daredevil defeated him before losing them for years.
In “Revenge of the Sinister Six,” Doctor Octopus finally got to put his new adamantium arms to good use, boasting about their power. According to Octavius, even gods like Thor or “brutes” like the Hulk would fall before these indestructible arms. Apparently, Doc Ock was right.
Eventually, however, Spider-Man and the Hulk both made a big comeback against the Sinister Six. Many new allies also emerged to help the heroes, including the Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Nova, Deathlok and Solo. With numbers like these, the Sinister Six were defeated.
The Hulk even got the opportunity to swing Octavius around by his metal arms for a brief moment, getting some payback. Still, Doctor Octopus remained in the fight with his dangerous new arms. It wasn’t until the Sandman arrived that Octavius himself was beaten. Doctor Octopus had previously turned the Sandman into glass, allowing Flint Marko to use the shards of his own body against Octavius, nearly killing him.
It’s worth noting that the Hulk did get a rematch against Doctor Octopus shortly afterward, in 1992’s Incredible Hulk #396, by Peter David, Dale Keown, Mark Farmer, Glynis Oliver and Joe Rosen. The Green Goliath encountered Octavius in Las Vegas, making short work of the villain during this rematch. After pulling the villain closer, the Hulk knocked out Octavius with a flick of his finger. The Jade Giant claimed he was holding back during their last encounter, and that he wouldn’t be caught off guard again.
Even though Doctor Octopus had gained a momentary advantage over the Hulk before, the Green Goliath returned to prove that he’s still the strongest one there is.
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