A punch to the face tosses the first brawler clear through three stories of a high-rise building. Undaunted, he gets up, leaps down and jumps back into the fray with a double uppercut that launches his nemeses straight through a billboard. That was all in a day’s work if you were either the Thing or the Hulk. In terms of epic brawls, Marvel gave its readers plenty of them during its heyday. None were more discussed or debated than who would win in a no holds barred throwdown between the Hulk and the Thing. These two were the Marvel powerhouses.

On the one hand, you have a green rage monster, on the other, an orange rock creature.

Sure, there were other characters stronger than both in the Marvel Universe, but the few characters who could easily take out the Hulk or the Thing were either unearthly or purely cosmic beings (Galactus, Thanos - with the Infinity Glove) or magical characters with arcane powers (Doctor Strange). Entities akin to sheer forces of nature might also do the trick, but even then, as the Thor: Ragnarok movie made clear, it’s quite plausible that the Hulk can hold his own against- either the god Thor, or even an elemental demonic being such as Surtur.

Remaining here on earth, and in terms of raw strength, the Hulk and the Thing were as tough as the early Marvel superheroes got.

It was probably for that reason that fans loved to see these two throwdown, over and over and over. That love translated into many Marvel comics devoted to battles between Robert Bruce Banner and Benjamin J. Grimm. The popularity of these fights also led to lucrative prices arising for the key issues featuring their battles. The purpose of this post is to list the most lucrative, in order from least to the most sought after.

Fantastic Four #112 (July 1971) – Third Hulk-Thing Battle

“Hulk is bigger and stronger”, maybe so, Ben Grimm responds, “But I'm a heckuva lot faster...and I ain't exactly a flyweight myself!” Thus begins the third fight between the Hulk and the Thing. This one is a little different since, before the fisticuffs commence, it is Ben who has been trashing New York City and not the Hulk. In the previous issues Ben had been inflicted with a personality disorder as a consequence of a botched attempt to cure him of his rock-like appearance. Borrow the money from your ever-lovin' Aunt Petunia if you don’t have enough and pick up this comic! Best returns in the last three years have been on 4.5 graded copies; they currently can be found for around $60.00.

Fantastic Four #25 (April 1964) – Second Hulk-Thing Battle

This one is epic. This is chronologically the second Hulk-Thing altercation, but the two really go at it here, to the extent that the fight continues into the next issue (FF #26.). It begins with the Avengers searching for the Hulk in New Mexico when, by turns, the green guy arrives in New York City in order to exact revenge on his former teammates for replacing him with Captain America. When the Hulk arrives and begins to wreak havoc on the City, it's not the Avengers who confront him in an attempt to stop his rampage, but the FF. With Reed ill, Johnny tries to stop the Hulk alone and cannot, Sue and Ben arrive and things quickly transform into a Thing-Hulk rematch. In 6.5 grade this comic goes for around $600.00. In high grade, prices can reach as high as $16, 000.00 (9.6 CGC copy). Who says collectors won’t dish out the dough for Hulk vs. Thing?

Fantastic Four #12 (March 1963) –First Marvel Cross Over issue. First Hulk-Thing Encounter

I’ll end with the issue that probably has one of the worst –because way too brief –Hulk-Thing fights, but still stands as the best investment if you can find it. FF #12 features the first ever meeting of the Hulk with the Thing but, more importantly, this issue is the first time a Marvel comic featured a cross over event, with the entire cast of The Incredible Hulk comic in its pages. The issue actually starts with the United States Army attacking Ben in a case of mistaken identity: ‘Sorry sir, we thought you were the Hulk.’ It isn’t long before the Army asks the FF to come down to New Mexico and help destroy the real Hulk. Even in 0.5 grade you’ll need over 200 dollars to purchase a copy, but only a Yancy Street thug wouldn’t appreciate this one, ‘nuff said.