Marvel's Fantastic Four's Ben Grimm, better known as the Thing, is one of the strongest and most durable Earth-based heroes in the Marvel Universe. He's capable of taking tremendous punishment from foes and friends alike. He's even gone toe-to-toe with The Incredible Hulk on numerous occasions and managed to hold his own, though the vast majority of fights tend to end with the Hulk claiming victory. But there remains one surefire way that Ben Grimm can defeat his green opponent.
The Thing is slightly older than the Hulk, debuting alongside Reed Richards, Susan Storm and Johnny Storm in The Fantastic Four #1 in 1961. Widely regarded as the series that started the trends of the Marvel Universe, the Fantastic Four were explorers, superheroes, celebrities - and in the case of Ben, tragic figures. As the only member of the team who couldn't control his powers, Ben found his life irrevocably changed, seeing himself as a monster who could never have a normal life. In similar fashion, Bruce Banner also has difficulty controlling his transformations ever since his debut in The Incredible Hulk #1 in 1962; Banner suffered from debilitating mental health issues even before the gamma bomb that irradiated his body, and the destruction he inadvertently causes as the Hulk only exacerbates his problems.
While it's absolutely the case that the Hulk is stronger than the Thing (the Hulk has lifted a billion-ton mountain over head head in a memorable event during the first Secret Wars event), Ben Grimm - as a human - has always been strong. As a child growing up with his aunt and Uncle on Yancy Street, Ben was forced to become a brawler long before his fateful transformation. Ben is also a trained United States Marine and a test pilot, two jobs that require physical conditioning, determination - and intelligence.
As a human, Bruce Banner is an unparalleled genius in the field of gamma radiation (among others), but he's frequently depicted as a scrawny, slim fellow who needs the Hulk in order to survive anything physical. If the two were to have a non-powered fight, Ben Grimm would win against Bruce Banner in seconds. Even after their transformations, the Hulk's intelligence usually regresses - but Ben Grimm never loses his wits.
The Thing and the Hulk's fights appear to be a foregone conclusion to anyone who has familiarity with the Hulk's feats in the comics. But most are unaware of Ben's fighting prowess as both a human and as the Thing. The Fantastic Four's Thing is ultimately the better combatant - but in a non-powered fight, could take down Bruce Banner as easily as the Hulk could take down a normal human.
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