Hulk vs Spawn (Marvel Comics vs Image Comics) connections in the comments

[u/gijjyyproductions]

[u/_JR28_]

Track Name: Wrath of the Damned

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/_JR28_]

Ooh! I like that one.

[u/1rrelevant_Trash → u/gijjyyproductions]

Spawngry

[u/gijjyyproductions]

Thumbnail by the amazing u/Intelligent_Mix7952

• Both are tragic anti-hero icons, defined as much by their mystery and darkness as by their overwhelming power. Each embodies the archetype of the unkillable wanderer, a being cursed with strength beyond comprehension, yet forever plagued by an inescapable loneliness. No matter where they go whether on Earth or across realms the shadow of isolation follows them, making their heroism as much about enduring sorrow as about unleashing violence.
• Both men were once ordinary humans though extraordinary in their chosen careers serving the highest levels of government. (Dr. Robert Bruce Banner was a world-renowned scientist, a genius specializing in gamma radiation research, working under military contracts to develop gamma weaponry. By contrast, Lt. Colonel Albert “Al” Simmons was a top-tier black ops assassin, operating for the CIA on covert missions). During this period, each man answered to a corrupt, power-hungry superior who would eventually become a dark reflection of their own path (Banner’s commanding officer General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, who would later transform into the monstrous Red Hulk, and Simmons’ manipulative CIA director Jason Wynn, who would don the mantle of the Redeemer, also known as Anti-Spawn). Their downfalls came not from strangers, but from betrayal at the hands of those they worked alongside. (Banner, during a test of the gamma bomb, tried to save a young trespasser, Rick Jones. When Banner ordered his colleague Igor Drenkov to delay detonation, Drenkov refused revealing himself as a spy, ensuring Banner’s death so he could steal his research. Similarly, Al Simmons was murdered in the field by a fellow operative, acting on Wynn’s orders to eliminate a liability).
• Death, however, was not the end for either of them; it was merely the beginning. Both men crossed into realms of torment and returned through forces far greater and more sinister than human comprehension. (Banner, upon dying, descended into the Below Place, the deepest abyss of existence, where he encountered the “Green Door” a metaphysical gateway linking the living world to the realm of the One Below All. Through it, Banner was reborn as the Hulk, an unstoppable gamma-born alter ego whose raw power also gave rise to his fragmented personalities manifesting in physical form. Al Simmons, likewise, fell into Hell, where the arch-demon Malebolgia offered him a bargain: return to Earth as a Hellspawn in exchange for servitude. Resurrected, Simmons became Spawn, wielding infernal powers and bound to a destiny not of his choosing). Both men now drew their strength from primal, green-hued essences (Hulk from gamma the true substance of the One Below All’s hellscape and Spawn from necroplasm, the living essence of Hell itself). These transformations rendered them functionally immortal, tethered to their respective realms of origin (Hulk resurrects through the Green Door whenever he dies, and Spawn can reconstitute his form in Hell before returning to Earth).

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/gijjyyproductions]

• Their rebirths came with a cruel cost: the severing of their deepest loves. (For Bruce, his bond with Betty Ross was forever complicated by the Hulk, his monstrous half ensuring their relationship could never exist in peace. For Al, the tragedy was even harsher: while he languished in Hell, Wanda Blake, the woman he adored, remarried his best friend Terry Fitzgerald and bore a child with him, something Al had never been able to give her. Returned to Earth as Spawn, Al could never truly reclaim Wanda’s love, his demonic form serving as a constant reminder that his humanity was gone). Both heroes embody the pain of loving someone they can never fully hold again.
• Neither stand alone in their condition. (Many gamma mutates exist, just as many Hellspawn have walked the Earth). Yet both stand above the rest, unmatched by any of their kind. (Hulk is not only “the strongest there is,” but also the chosen destructor of the One Below All, destined to bring about the end of the current cosmos. Spawn, meanwhile, is unique among Hellspawn, demonstrating inexplicable superiority: he resists holy weapons far more than his brethren, and has even survived the dimensional lance, an artifact designed to annihilate Hellspawn completely). In short, both are “built different,” the pinnacle of what their kind can become. Moreover, their powers place them in the midst of larger cosmic wars (gamma mutates like Hulk are tied to the eternal conflict between the One Below All and the Mother of Horrors, while Hellspawn like Al are forged as soldiers in the endless war between Heaven and Hell).
• Though their powers may seem the result of accidents, both men’s destinies were seeded by the cruelty of their parents. (Bruce Banner’s father, Brian, was a volatile and abusive man, convinced his work with gamma radiation had altered him at a genetic level and that his son would inherit a “monster gene.” This paranoia, compounded by glimpses of the One Below All, drove him to beat Bruce mercilessly and ultimately murder Bruce’s mother. These traumas fractured Bruce’s mind, sowing the dissociative identity disorder that made Hulk possible. Ironically, Brian himself would later become an avatar of the One Below All, serving the very force that cursed his son. Al Simmons’ mother, Esther, was equally abusive but of a different breed: a devout devil-worshipper under the thrall of the manipulative entity Mammon. Believing she would birth a messianic figure, she abused her children under the guise of preparing them for “destiny.” Though Al’s memories of this were erased, the scars remained, steering him toward the dark path that led to his damnation as Spawn).
• Despite being groomed and destined to serve dark masters, both ultimately rejected the chains of their creators. (Banner and his alters fought against the influence of the One Below All and later rose against the Mother of Horrors herself. Spawn defied Malebolgia, then Mammon, and eventually even God and Satan, refusing to serve as a pawn in their eternal games). In their rebellion, they showed that even those born from darkness could carve out their own agency, transforming from soldiers of damnation into reluctant champions of resistance.

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/gijjyyproductions]

• Over their countless battles, both eventually embraced their roles as anti-heroes, rejecting the gifts that cursed them yet finding ways to wield those powers for others. Their defiance inspired others of their kind (whether other gamma mutates who looked to Hulk as their measure, or other Hellspawn who saw Al as a leader among them). Though shrouded in shadow, both men became reluctant symbols of hope.
• Both forged rivalries with angelic figures of light (Hulk with the god of thunder, Thor, and Spawn with Angela, the angelic warrior of Heaven. Initially, these clashes epitomized the struggle between light and darkness). Yet over time, both relationships grew more complex, shifting from enmity into a hard-earned respect and eventual alliance, reflecting how even the darkest of figures can find common ground with the brightest.
• There was once an infamous live debate between Peter David (an influential writer of Hulk) and Todd McFarlane (creator of Spawn), in which they argued about the nature of comics, works, and their relationship with artists. Peter was widely agreed to be the winner of the encounter, so much so a piece of artwork was made by artist George Perez, who witnessed the debate, of Hulk absolutely demolishing Spawn, and George Perez’s own character J.J. Sachs witnessed the display.

https://www.reddit.com/r/hulk/comments/1m9k8yu/hulk_vs_spawn_by_george_p%C3%A9rez/

[u/The_NoU-anator_bro → u/gijjyyproductions]

Nice

[u/NoxarBoi → u/gijjyyproductions]

Incidentally, those rivals are technically siblings (though not those specific universes’ versions)

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/NoxarBoi]

Yeah, because (the one who shall not be named) had the rights to Angela as a character and gave them to Marvel. I thought about mentioning it, but couldn’t think of anyway to bring it up without breaking the flow of the connections.

[u/kapirefe]

interesting.

[u/Own_Bus_6800]

God Spawn:Welcome to hell, Motherfucker

World Breaker Hulk:HULK NO SCARED OF HELL,BECAUSE HULK IS THE DEVIL!

(Insert epic beam clash between hulks fist and spawn's hellfire while the climax of Hells Angels x Madness of the Monster blares in the background)

[u/Wexon_69 → u/Own_Bus_6800]

Spawn: I've killed the Devil.

[u/TheKillerYTz → u/Wexon_69]

then it cuts to Spawns mangled corpse

[u/Wexon_69 → u/TheKillerYTz]

Hulk: Puny God

[u/Artistic-Condition90]

Why is this matchup amazing? And the connections seem Very strong.

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/Artistic-Condition90]

Could one even say it’s…. Incredible?

[u/Own_Bus_6800 → u/gijjyyproductions]

perhaps...Fantastic?

[u/Difficult-Active-432 → u/Own_Bus_6800]

Maybe even… Spawnerific

[u/Own_Bus_6800 → u/Difficult-Active-432]

it might even be...Hulkerfect

[u/TheKillerYTz]

Before anyone says anything debate wise, Hulk low diffs

[u/donteven0809 → u/TheKillerYTz]

Diff too high

[u/TheKillerYTz → u/donteven0809]

Neg diff

[u/donteven0809 → u/TheKillerYTz]

Yep more like it Hulk just outscales that badly

[u/Ok-Money-5680 → u/TheKillerYTz]

High Diff actually

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/Ok-Money-5680]

Yeah, even though Hulk is infinities above Spawn, Spawn’s sheer versatility and survivability, will make it hard for Hulk even if he does win.

[u/Snooworlddevourer69 → u/gijjyyproductions]

Spawn cant kill Hulk either since he's gonna keep respawning via Green door

And Spawn is NOT reaching the below place lmao

[u/123artur21 → u/Snooworlddevourer69]

Also Hulk wins the Bruce Banner diff again(he built the Ultimate Nullfier remember?)

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/Snooworlddevourer69]

Well yeah, but that in of itself doesn’t make it any easier for Hulk when it comes to actually killing Spawn

[u/Snooworlddevourer69 → u/gijjyyproductions]

And vice versa, its a stalemate until Bruce figures something out and creates something that can put Spawn down for good, either the nullifier which he built or something else

[u/Ok-Money-5680 → u/gijjyyproductions]

Not to mention Spawn he too will grow stronger, the more pain he feels, the stronger he gets.

He has accelerated development and stat amp

[u/Simple-Flight-4622 → u/Ok-Money-5680]

u/Crazy_Top_2723 what do you think of this 

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/Ok-Money-5680]

While that is true, Spawn has never evolved to the point that would get him past the stat gap here

[u/SettTheCephelopod → u/TheKillerYTz]

People said the same for Ghost Rider against Spawn.

Now look what happened.

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/SettTheCephelopod]

Thing is, Ghost Rider only had stats. Hulk has the resistances and survivability to back it up. (Ghost Rider also had good survivability, it just got major screwed over by his lack of overall resistances).

[u/BrilliantTarget → u/TheKillerYTz]

Not as long has powers from every hero

[u/Phantomslasher4]

Good cook, goes hard

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/Phantomslasher4]

Thanks : D

[u/Sonic_And_Mcu_Nerd]

Track name idea: Humanity’s hellish torment

[u/Rioraku → u/Sonic_And_Mcu_Nerd]

Hell hath no fury

[u/hassantaleb4]

[u/Emotional_Emu_5901]

New PEAK alt for both

Rooting spawn and betting hulk

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/Emotional_Emu_5901]

; D

[u/pcx-the-entiy]

Nice one,good alt for both,8.5/10,also would be a fair fight in my opinion

[u/Ok-Money-5680]

Great Alt for both

Rooting Both, Betting Stalemate or Hulk

[u/Matt4669]

Very cool gotta say

[u/TraditionalCap938]

Oh god I’m starting to see the connections here

[u/Final_Dragonfruit331]

Surprisinly... PEAK

[u/The_Rope_Snake]

This is awesome!

[u/gijjyyproductions → u/The_Rope_Snake]

Yay! I got the Rope Snake seal of approval.

[u/orangeblaster500]

*After Hulk's first resurrection"

Hulk: Death mean nothing to Hulk!

Spawn, visibly annoyed and realizing this is gonna take awhile: Welcome to the club.

[u/Snooworlddevourer69]

No Green door?

[u/KindZookeepergame591]

Finnaly a hulk match up that goes into both Bruce & hulk

[u/AvailableMolasses376]

This is surprisingly good (Might even be my fave alt for both now)

[u/IronsteveX]

This sounds super interesting

[u/Junior-Psychology-93]

Peak

[u/No-Chocolate-1730]

I thought spawn was a DC character Anyways, great matchup