You can beat him, burn him, and even destroy him, but it's impossible to actually kill the immortal Hulk. Even Bruce Banner has proven unable to overcome the immortality of the Hulk, which makes it even more shocking to see that Marvel has finally solved the problem. Not only do fans now know which Avenger has the power to kill the Hulk, but the brilliant way they can actually pull it off.

The world watched as Hulk was brutally beaten by Thanos, proving that the hero's unlimited strength could be matched. But even if the loss sent Hulk into hiding out of ego and fear, Thanos failed to actually do harm to Hulk's body, let alone take a meanignful step towards actually killing him. In the years since Hulk's immortality has proven to be so powerful, even his unlikely death could never be permanent, and resurrection guaranteed. Thankfully for his enemies, Marvel just showed the one way to kill Hulk, and have him stay dead.

Hulk's True Gamma Power Means He Can Never Be Killed

Bruce Banner Is Technically The Hulk's Host, Not Just His 'Other Half'

The MCU films never scratched the surface of Hulk's true strength, but comics have long shown he can be harmed, with Hulk's incredible healing factor just appearing like invincibility. The source of this endless power has traditionally been waved away as "gamma radiation," but it was Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's Immortal Hulk series which revealed Hulk's powers are both scientific and mystical in nature.

Where Bruce Banner assumed his exposure to gamma radiation (and his own trauma) created Hulk, he was truly chosen to be one of many gamma-powered beings by the One-Below-All. In practice, this is simply backstory to his already famous powers and problems. But with the creation of the Hulk going far deeper than the visible world, 'killing' him is more than a physical challenge. The short answer: Yes, Hulk can be killed, but he would simply resurrect and reform his body... no matter how horrifying that might look.

Remove Bruce Banner From Gamma, He (And Hulk) Becomes Mortal

The Incredible Hulk #24 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Kev Walker, Matthew Wilson

Even casual fans of Marvel films understand why Bruce Banner's powers also render him invincible, stating in The Avengers (2012) that even he can't harm himself faster than Hulk can take over, preserving his safety. The Immortal Hulk took this even further, explaining that you can kill Bruce Banner... but eventually, Hulk would pull the dead pieces of him back together. So, how do you get around this immortality? The Incredible Hulk #24 just revealed the brilliant solution.

The issue follows Bruce as he seeks out help from Doctor Strange in his famous Sanctum Sanctorum. He instead finds Clea Strange (Stephen's successor and wife), who leads him to a room created specifically for Bruce, allowing him to truly relax without any fear of the Hulk taking control. To achieve this, Doctor Strange created "The Drawing Room" in its own plane of existence, removed from any connection to the "gamma" energy which powers the Hulk.

Shockingly, it works to perfection. It works so well in fact, that when it's revealed to be a trap set by an imposter Clea, her werewolf soldiers manage to enter the gamma-free Drawing Room, kill, and consume Bruce Banner without any resistance. It's only when Banner's remains are taken out of the room (in his killers' stomachs) that a link to gamma is restored, and Hulk reforms. A failed attack, but the sorcery behind the room proves the strategy is completely sound.

​​​Strange Can Trap Hulk in A Gamma-Free Dimension

Without Gamma Banner Could Be Killed, And His Remains Left For Eternity

Since it was achieved by an imposter, it's clear that Doctor Strange is powerful enough to create or access a dimension where Bruce Banner and Hulk are actually disconnected. The link between the One-Below-All and Hulk's host is powerful, even inescapable, but uncertain when moving between dimensions created with laws imposed by a creator of Strange's power. And with the MCU ignoring the mysticism altogether and crediting "gamma radiation" alone for Hulk's power, severing that connection seems even simpler. Provided he had to, of course.

Considering the lengths to which the Avengers have gone to deal with Hulk, this solution seems like an ittedly obvious one once arrived at (and certainly more humane than sending Hulk into space and hoping for the best). So long as Doctor Strange made sure that the remains of Bruce Banner were locked inside that room, and never removed, Hulk would be dead to the universe. Or waiting. Take your pick of which is more terrifying.

The Incredible Hulk #24 is available now from Marvel Comics.