Hulk's Biggest Weakness Is Incredibly Disturbing (And Absolutely Adorable)
The Incredible Hulk is one of the most powerful superheroes of all time. When Bruce Banner transforms into the big, green guy, there are few things in the Marvel Universe that can stop him when he's in full-out assault mode. But that isn't to say there aren't ways to subdue the jade giant. Every superhero needs their Kryptonite, so to speak, and it just so happens that one way to make a rampaging Hulk revert back into his human form is to shower him with puppies. Not magical puppies or anything, just regular ol' puppies.
In 2013's "Indestructible Hulk Special" #1, from writer Mike Costa and artist Jake Wyatt, Hulk works with S.H.I.E.L.D. to find a way to get him to calm down. The experiments result in the all-time great line, "None of your behavioral scientists are ever going to understand the Hulk better than me. And the Hulk loves puppies." The statement's accurate, as when S.H.I.E.L.D. deploys containers of puppies, much to the delight of Hulk, it allows Bruce to return to the forefront.
As sweet as this is, it's also a tad disturbing if you think about it too long. After all, all those puppies should surely go to loving homes rather than be kept in a kennel just in case Hulk goes off the rails. Still, it's a pretty darn cute weakness to have — as long as Hulk's enemies don't discover it. No one would want to see the Leader trying to beat Hulk by throwing one puppy after another at him, trying to get him to change back into a regular guy.
Puppies aren't Hulk's only weakness (but they're arguably the best)
The Hulk being bombarded by puppies is something fans would undoubtedly love to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It'd certainly be preferable to adapting some of Hulk's grosser and more horrifying moments from the comics. But while a box of puppies is apparently a worthwhile failsafe for S.H.I.E.L.D. to have on hand, it's far from the only way to take out the not-so-jolly green giant.
Magic and Adamantium are good ways to do some damage to the Hulk, making the likes of Doctor Strange and Wolverine worthy adversaries for him. Another interesting wrinkle in Hulk lore is that he can overdose on too much gamma radiation. While it initially gave Bruce Banner the powers of Hulk, he can't handle too much, as evidenced by the "Future Imperfect" storyline from the comics by writer Peter David and artist George Perez. In the story, Hulk is sent to the future, where he meets the Maestro, the future version of the Hulk who's done some truly terrible things. To defeat his future self, Hulk sends him back in time to the moment the gamma bomb went off that originally gave him his powers. However, the radiation is too much for Maestro, and he ends up being disintegrated.
It wouldn't be very exciting to read Hulk stories if he was always an unstoppable force. There needs to be at least a few ways to either kill him or have him revert back to Bruce Banner, where he's much easier to deal with. Now, the MCU needs to do the right thing and exploit his weakness with a Hulk movie packed to the brim with adorable pups.