Red Hulk: The arch nemesis of Hulk who can turn sand into glass 

Are you an Avengers fan? If yes, who’s your favourite Avenger? Is it Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man or Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, or is it Chris Evans’ Captain America? We bet it’s the Avenger with the most incredible strength, known for his green skin and super anger. Yes, we are talking of Hulk. He is one of the original Avengers, and a superhero who is an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Envisioned by Marvel legend Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character debuted in print in May 1962 with the comics The Incredible Hulk. Since then, Hulk has been the heart and soul of Marvel. While he is characterised by his green muscular and hulking physique with limitless physical strength, he is also humanised in the form of his alter ego Dr. Robert Bruce Banner (now played by Mark Ruffalo on screen) who is a real-life physicist, with a weak physique, introvert and emotionally reserved personality. What’s interesting is, although the same, they despise each other.  

Today, while talking about Hulk, we also got reminded of his arch nemesis, better known as the Red Hulk. This 7-feet tall superhero with a humongous weight of 1200 lbs, yellow eyes, black hair and red body is no less than Hulk himself. But how much does the world know about him? Let us find out. 

Meet Thaddeus E. Ross aka Red Hulk 
Originally called General Thaddeus E. Ross, he appears in Marvel comics (in 1962) and the cinematic universe (in 2008) as a fictional character who works for the US Air Force and spends his life hunting the Hulk. However, the irony is that he ends up becoming whom he resents the most, the Red Hulk. From Marvel perspective, he is the father-in-law of Bruce Banner, the alter ego of Hulk. Interestingly, he is also the head of the gamma bomb project that was responsible for turning Banner into Hulk (the green skin is a result of exposure to gamma radiation). Fans believe that it was Ross’s obsession with Hulk that turned him into the Red Hulk in 2008. Since then, he has acted as Hulk’s arch nemesis and has also been called The Incredible Hulk or Rulk. 

Nicknamed Thunderbolt 
Marvel fans may not know who General Thaddeus E. Ross is, but they sure as well know who “Thunderbolt” Ross is. Okay, but why did Ross earn such a nickname? Well because since his training days in the military, his crew believed that when he struck, he did it like a thunderbolt; meaning his action was prompt and majorly successful at one go.  

Possesses unique gamma power 
Just like Hulk, the Red Hulk too while working on the gamma bomb project is exposed to radiation. But unlike Hulk who was seriously impacted by it, the Red Hulk gained superhuman powers. For instance, it gave him immense strength with which he can lift more than 100 tonnes. Moreover, his stamina is impressive and so is his durability (healing powers), which helps him regenerate from severe injuries within minutes. Not only that, when angry, Red Hulk releases heat through his skin and eyes that is powerful enough to melt Spider Man’s webs, or even turn sand into glass. What else? Well, he can absorb more gamma radiation in comparison to Hulk alongside sucking in the special cosmic energy called Norrin Radd. What’s most interesting is the fact that Red Hulk has managed to custom wield a Shield handgun whose bullets are made of gamma radiation and can even penetrate the Hulk and take its life, once and for all.  

More than one enemy 
In case you were thinking that Red Hulk’s only enemy was Hulk, that’s far from the truth. In reality, Samuel Sterns, aka the Leader, who is also part of the gamma bomb project is also his nemesis. Leader too was exposed to radiation and since then had gained super intelligence and started running a global spy ring that robs scientific secrets. Likewise, Emil Blonsky, aka Abomination also hates the Red Hulk because he wants Hulk for himself and considers him as his foremost foe.  

Apart from these two, several others have tried to take down the Red Hulk over the years starting with the She-Hulk (Bruce’s cousin Jennifer Walters) who even formed an all-women army called Lady Liberators to hunt him down, but in vain. Thor, Wonder Man and Ross’s own soldier Fortean have also attempted to finish him at some point or the other.