Smart Hulk vs. Abomination: Who Wins an Incredible Hulk Rematch?

Smart Hulk and Abomination have grown considerably since their first battle. That said, should the two fight again, who would come out on top?

The following contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Season 1, Episode 2, “Superhuman Law,” which premiered Aug. 25, on Disney+.

Thanks to She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, audiences have finally seen the return of Emil Blonsky’s Abomination. However, this iteration, much like Bruce Banner, is a far cry from the villain introduced in The Incredible Hulk. Instead, he’s a much more in-control version of himself, trying desperately to get back to his life after years of incarceration, but would Banner pull out another win if this new Abomination and the Smart Hulk were to meet again for round two?

Abomination Doesn’t Have an Alternate Personality

One thing that has made Blonsky and Jennifer Walters different from Bruce Banner is that no matter the form they choose, they’re always in control. For Banner, The Hulk has always been a different persona of the same person. The same could even be said for Smart Hulk, as he’s a mixture of Banner and Hulk. While this helped maintain the strength of The Hulk, it took time for both personas to converge into one individual. However, Blonsky had control since he first transformed, making him a cognitive and capable fighter, as control isn’t something he has to depend on.

Bruce Banner Has a Better Understanding of Himself

While Abomination never had to wrestle with another persona, he also took considerably longer to better understand and center himself. On the other hand, Bruce has mastered his body and mind, understanding the limits and triggers that could cause a detriment to his development.

This understanding could also be useful in a fight because by knowing oneself, one could be better equipped to take on any enemy to the best of their abilities. This was best shown when he barely used his energy during his argument against Jennifer about leaving her training. Therefore, being the Abomination is an old enemy, he could use new tricks.

Emil Blonsky Has More Tactical Knowledge

Emil Blonsky, even before he became Abomination, was skilled in one thing about all else — tactical combat. His understanding of enemies and the environment helped in making him the efficient soldier he always was. As a result, even with his calmer understanding of himself and others, he could still find a way to get the drop on a target.

The only downside is, as far as audiences know, he hasn’t had any experience comparable to Smart Hulk’s. Where one had fought Gods, robots and alien invaders over the years, Blonsky only battled Hulk. Because of this, there may be some tricks Smart Hulk knows that could trump Blonsky’s tactics.

Smart Hulk Holds Himself Back

Because Smart Hulk is such a balanced alter of Bruce Banner, it’s given him considerable advantages and disadvantages. For example, with a highly developed frontal lobe, this Hulk’s level of self-preservation is much higher than Savage Hulk’s. Where that Hulk would bite an enemy and fight dirty, Smart Hulk may not even enter the battle at all.

Furthermore, this passive activity may also anger the Hulk persona, meaning that the barrier of control cultivated over the years could’ve eroded. While this may benefit him in a fight against Abomination, those brief moments of vulnerability may be enough for Blonsky to decide the battle.

Abomination Wins Against The Hulk

Smart Hulk is still an incredibly strong and powerful character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, when compared to the more put-together and in-control Abomination, he may not be enough to decide the battle. Where Smart Hulk has the combat knowledge of other species, Blonsky has tactical know-how that never goes out of style.

Plus, his control over his Abomination form could give him the edge he needs, whereas Bruce may still need to struggle from time to time to keep both hands on the wheel. In the end, there’s too much room for error and a lack of primal edge to Smart Hulk that could give the more seasoned Blonsky a combative edge.