Captain America is the leader of the Avengers, but we all know who the real powerhouses of the Marvel super team really are. When push comes to shove (and the Avengers get shoved a lot), we all know the two members who are going to pack a really powerful punch in the ensuing fight. If you guessed Thor and the Hulk, you would be right. (If you guessed Black Widow and Hawkeye, you would be terribly wrong.)
Thor is an Asgardian, a literal god to the people of Earth. He is so far beyond super human, I feel like calling him a mega hero would be more appropriate than calling him a super hero. And as for the Hulk, he is the largest, strongest Avenger. As he says himself, “Hulk is strongest one there is.” In order to combat the Hulk, Tony Stark had to design a gargantuan Iron Man suit specifically built to contain the Hulk’s might. Any Avenger in their right mind would hesitate before taking on the Hulk in a super hero fight. Any Avenger, that is, except for Thor.
Thor is one of the few members of the Avengers who can match the Hulk in a toe-to-toe battle. And, as Thor: Ragnarok showed us, Thor could even potentially beat the Hulk. The reason behind this is that Thor has abilities that are beyond the Hulk’s. Hulk can smash, sure, but Thor has way more tricks up his sleeves (err, when he wears sleeves, that is). Read on if you want to check out all the things Thor can do that the Hulk just can’t.
25 Maintain A Single Pair Of Pants
Hulk just can’t keep his pants together. Due to his sudden and drastic change from Bruce Banner to the Hulk, Hulk always rips up whatever pair of pants poor, unfortunate Banner had on originally.
Thor, on the other hand, has the basic ability to keep his pants intact before he gets into a fight. But hey, on the bright side, I think Hulk is doing Banner a favor. Those purple pants are a crime against humanity. Maybe it’s a good thing that they get torn to shreds.
24 Do The Electric Boogaloo
One major advantage that Thor has over the Hulk is his ability to shoot lightning at things that are bothering him. If something irritates the Hulk, he has to amble over to where it’s at and punch it. Too much effort, right?
All Thor has to do is stay where he’s at and shoot a bolt of lightning at it.
This projection of electricity gives Thor a much further reach than the Hulk has. Plus, it just looks really cool. It makes for some very mesmerizing cinematic moments.
23 Travel Faster Than Light
For such a large guy, the Hulk can move pretty fast. In all the movies that the Hulk has ever been in (including the bad ones), he’s been shown to leap and propel himself forward with wonderful rapidity. He can’t beat Thor’s speed though.
If Thor put his mind to it, he could travel faster than the speed of light.
A lot of people forget that Thor’s adventures in the comic books often took place in space. There’s a lot of empty space in space. You have to move fast to get around out there.
22 Stop Himself From Attacking Buddies In Battle
Thor can keep a clear head in a fight. The Hulk, on the other hand, has proven himself to be a liability at times. The rest of the Avengers have to bear in mind that the Hulk isn’t always in control of himself.
Once Banner Hulks out, there’s no telling who he will attack. He’s attacked Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, and more in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even though they have been on the same side. You never have to worry about Thor attacking his friends while in a fight.
21 Super Vision
Thor’s super vision is not often commented upon, probably because it’s one of those super powers that gets swept under the rug. (I think the only hero who ever gets his vision praised on a regular basis is Superman.)
Despite that, Thor has superb Asgardian vision. He can see what’s happening on the other side of the solar system if he decides to take a peek. Being a living god has its perks, doesn’t it? The Hulk sometimes can only see what’s going on five feet in front of his face.
20 Blow Really Hard
The more I think about it, the more I’m beginning to suspect that Superman and Thor have way more in common than Thor and the Hulk. Like Superman, Thor has his own version of super breath. If Thor exhales forcefully, he can push things around with his breath.
He can cause hurricane-level gales just by breathing out.
While the Hulk does have a formidable lung capacity, I don’t believe he’s ever used his breath to knock things down before. Hulk would rather rely on his fists than on puny air.
19 Project Energy
Lightning isn’t the only thing that Thor can shoot out. He can also shoot out plain old energy blasts. This is so far removed from what the Hulk can do, it makes the Hulk seem woefully inadequate in terms of super powers.
Seriously, think about it. Hulk basically just punches things until they stop annoying him. But Thor has so many options when it comes to taking down foes. He can punch them, electrocute them, blow them away, and just energy-blast them to oblivion.
18 Talk In Grammatically Correct Sentences
Even the simple act of speaking is a notch in Thor’s belt. The Hulk speaks so gruffly and in monosyllables; occasionally, you can’t even understand what the Hulk is saying.
Even during a battle, Thor is intelligible.
He can communicate to others about where to go or what issue to address first. Hulk is only very verbose when it comes to the language of grunts and yells. This may not seem like the most important ability a super hero can have, but I think communication is important in any vocation.
17 The God-Blast
Just like characters in a fighting game have their ultimate move that they keep in reserve until they absolutely have to use it, Thor has the God-Blast. It’s an extremely powerful move that Thor uses as a weapon of last resort. It is so powerful, that it is actually life-threatening if Thor chooses to use it.
Hulk doesn’t have a mega-move like that. What’s he going to do, punch someone even harder than he punched them before? Yeah, really flashy and impressive, Hulk.
16 Have An Asgardian Party
Hulk is interesting to have as a member of the Avengers, but in the comics, Hulk typically works alone. His ever-shifting mood makes him a danger. Thor can go on adventures with a bunch of people though, including other Asgardians.
In fact, unlike most other Avengers, Thor always has the Asgardians in reserve if he ever needs help. He was born into a society that are basically all super heroes. If Thor’s in a pinch, he can just give his long-time buddies a call.
15 Willingly Enter Berserk Mode
Whenever Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk, he does so because he got so incredibly angry that he couldn’t help it. In the end, Banner and Hulk’s rage becomes one of their greatest weapons.
Thor can enter rage mode too, except the difference is that he can choose to do so. Thor can go into a Warrior’s Madness and gain an increase in strength and fighting prowess. This Madness does make Thor liable to accidentally hit a friend or two, but at least there’s some forewarning before he goes into it.
14 Cause A Storm
Thor is the God of Thunder, and as such, he can create inclement weather in order to provide said thunder. Thor can make cloud cover, rain, and high winds.
I’d like to see the Hulk try to affect the weather.
This is perhaps one of Thor’s most impressive powers since a lot of factors need to be altered in order to create a storm during a sunny day. Temperature, humidity, and fronts needs to be brought forth as a mix of ingredients for the perfect storm.
13 Mystical Space Goats
The Hulk would make a terrible pet owner. In order to care for a pet, you have to be responsible and loving, neither of which describes the Hulk. Plus, you have to be able to house them as well.
Thor has two totally awesome pets though. Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder are two massive goats that belong to Thor. They pull his chariot in battle. I honestly can’t picture anything more spooky than Thor riding into battle drawn by a pair of snarling goats. I wonder if they make good pets.
12 Look So Good
Everyone has to admit that Thor looks better than the Hulk (by a landslide). Even if Thor’s in the middle of a battle and he’s covered in sweat and grime, he looks absolutely delectable in comparison to the raging Hulk. I think that should be one of Thor’s super powers: good-looking-ness.
Review every single movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and try to point out a moment when Thor appears and he does not look like a hunk. It’s impossible, right?
11 A Secret Earth-Bender
It’s common knowledge that Thor can control lightning and thunder. What else would you expect from the Norse God of Thunder? But did you know that Thor can control the Earth as well?
He was blessed by the Elder Goddess Gaea after he was resurrected, so now he can create earthquakes. (This happened in the comics; it hasn’t happened in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet.) Hulk is seeming way outclassed than he did at first, am I right? If you didn’t believe that before, I bet you believe it now.
10 Carry The Mighty Mjolnir
Only someone truly worthy can hold the mystical hammer Mjolnir. Thor is worthy of its power, so he can pick it up with ease. If anyone else tries to pick it up, it won’t budge an inch. (There are a select few individuals who are worthy enough to lift it.)
Hulk is unable to pick up Mjolnir.
This was perfectly evidenced in the first Avengers movies, when Thor and Hulk fought aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. Try as he might, Hulk could not heft the might Mjolnir.
9 Come Fly With Me
A very basic super power that most super heroes have is that of flight. Can you guess who can’t fly? That’s right, the Hulk can’t fly. Can you guess who can? That’s right, Thor can fly.
Quite frankly, it would be embarrassing if Thor couldn’t fly. As a hero who can affect weather and stuff, Thor taking to the air should be the most natural thing in the world. And don’t tell me that Hulk’s gravity-defying leaps count as flight. He’s just really good at jumping high, that’s all.
8 Controlling Anger
I’ll admit, both Thor and Hulk share a bit of a temper. More than any average Avenger, the two of them are more likely to get mad quickly. However, I believe that Thor has more control over his emotions than the Hulk.
If Bruce Banner gets even the slightest bit angry, there’s a very probable chance that he will turn into a giant green rage monster. And once he’s the Hulk, he has absolutely no control over his rising rage. Thor can at least keep his temper in check.
7 Let’s Go Horseback Riding
This might seem a simple skill, but it is one that the Hulk can’t perform. The Hulk can’t ride a horse like Thor can. Oh, I’m sure the Hulk would be able to get on the horse and mayhaps be intelligent enough to know how to hold the reins and sit in the saddle, but there’s no way he’s moving that horse.
The Hulk is just way too heavy to ride an average horse. The horse would collapse under all that weight. Actually, the horse might be so skittish at the Hulk’s approach that he/she would just gallop away from him before the Hulk could get on.
6 Natural Immunity To Radiation
The Hulk’s origin story revolves all around an unfortunate accident involving gamma radiation. Bruce Banner got a little too close to the stuff, if you know what I mean. This would not have been a problem for Thor if he had been in Banner’s position.
Thor has a natural-born immunity to most kinds of radiation poisoning.
The gamma rays would not have affected him the way they affected Bruce Banner. This is a good thing, because a Hulked-out Thor would be a scary thing to behold.
