True to his brute-like nature, Hulk is a powerful Vanguard in Marvel Rivals, primarily acting as a frontliner and encouraging his team to push forward. While you may know him for his overpowering team-up ability with Iron Man and Doctor Strange, his individual kit and high DPS are nothing to scoff at.
What makes Hulk so beastly is his expertise in closing the gap — alongside having a massive leap, he can immobilize you for a while with his Radioactive Lockdown ability. Beyond that, he even has a tanky shield (which he can also share with nearby allies) to block incoming attacks. These factors combined make him a pain to deal with on different maps, but he has a few key weaknesses you can exploit.
Once you deplete Hulk’s HP, he will transform into Bruce Banner, who has relatively weak damage output. However, his ult will recharge quickly in the background, letting him transform back into Hulk once it’s full.
How To Counter Hulk
Besides his normal punches, the main thing you want to watch out for is his shield-granting Indestructible Guard ability, which’ll normally bait you into wasting time and attacks.
This shield has 250 HP on Hulk himself and 100 HP on any of his allies, and you should absolutely avoid hitting either one as the damage done to it (100 percent on Hulk and ten percent on allies) converts to gamma energy, getting him closer to his ult.
Considering his abilities, keep your distance and attack him from afar. Because of his slow movement speed, you can stay away from his attacking range as long as you’re agile.
On top of that, you need to ensure your mobility is unpredictable, since you don’t want him to catch you with Radioactive Lockdown. Force him to use his shield expeditiously, denying any last-minute escape during an encounter. A Vanguard can keep him busy in most cases, but a long-range Duelist to divert his attention is another good tactic.
Once Hulk reverts into Bruce Banner, you must eliminate him as soon as possible before he gets away. Fortunately, this isn’t too challenging, but Bruce’s Gamma Grenade is an underrated escape tool, so don’t get confused when he uses it.
How To Counter Hulk As A Strategist
With Hulk being one of the most active frontliners among Vanguards, there’s a good chance you’ll find him targeting healers. Fortunately, Hulk is susceptible to immobilizing effects, so using Luna Snow’s Absolute Zero or Mantis’s Spore Slumber ability can help create space and attack opportunities.
Besides that, Hulk heavily relies on his melee attacks, so blinding him with Cloak and Dagger’s Terror Cape is a solid strategy. Doing a solo ult with Jeff The Land Shark might also be viable when Hulk is in his ult form, since you’re effectively snuffing an enemy with 1,500 HP.
Generally, though, you want to stay away from this Vanguard as much as possible, which is usually easy for most Strategists given their movement speed. Despite his underwhelming mobility, Hulk’s base HP and Indestructible Guard are simply too strong a defense for any healer to tackle alone.
How To Counter Hulk As A Vanguard
Looking past his HP and melee prowess, Hulk really doesn’t have the same utility as the other Vanguards. Groot’s walls, for instance, supersede his damage and can outright block him. Magneto and Doctor Strange, on the other hand, can neglect his non-melee attacks with abilities like the Metallic Curtain and Shield of the Seraphim.
The most problematic Vanguard against Hulk, though, is Peni Parker, especially when she deploys her Bionic Spider-Nest. Once Hulk ultimately gets into the Nest, Peni can instantly web him, triggering and unleashing every nearby mine for massive damage. She’s also a strong backline hero, letting her protect ally Strategists if Hulk decides to target them.
As a whole, your goal should be to gain Hulk’s attention, especially when he’s in his ult. With a reliable Strategist, a Vanguard can typically tank everything Hulk throws at them, often forcing him to retreat.
As a Vanguard, you can put Hulk at a huge disadvantage by immobilizing him. Thus, use your incapacitating abilities, like Peni Parker’s Cyber-Web Snare, Doctor Strange’s ult, and Groot’s ult, as much as you can.
How To Counter Hulk As A Duelist
Hulk’s main weakness lies in his lackluster long-range expertise, and there are several ranged Duelists in Marvel Rivals who can exploit that fact.
Hela, Hawkeye, Namor, The Punisher, Moon Knight, Winter Soldier, Star-Lord, and Black Widow are, by far, the most popular counterpicks against Hulk due to their incredible range and damage output. Moon Knight specifically has ankhs that can shred Hulk’s HP, and although Hulk can still break them, he won’t do so before sustaining considerable injury.
Aerial Duelists are also an effective countermeasure — staying high up in the air with Iron Man or Storm and raining down firepower keeps you far away from Hulk’s line of attack. However, you need to watch out for his Radioactive Lockdown and jump combo, which can ground and make you vulnerable to a barrage of enemy attacks.
