Disclaimer: There are inconsistencies and false information (i.e. age, weight, hometown) in these adaptations. Move on. Let it go. It’s still fiction.

If you have been keeping up since part one and part two, you already know Rodrigo Lorenzo López never actually stopped building this universe. He just built the biggest, heaviest, most structurally concerning corner of it somewhere we had not looked yet. Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, adults who act not their age, geeks and nerds, and everyone in between, we present to you the Super Heavyweight division, the class where the fighters stop being measured in pounds and start being measured in property damage.

This is not a four fighter division. This is not even an eight fighter division. Over three years, Rodrigo built out a full ten man roster here, in two original batches back in 2021, then again in 2022, and then twice more in 2024 as new contenders lined up for a shot at the belt. So grab a snack, this one is long.

Batch One: Where It All Started

Cain Marko, a.k.a Juggernaut

Rodrigo called him the first Super Heavyweight beast, and at 100 inches tall with a listed weight of 1610 pounds, “beast” feels generous. Juggernaut trains boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling, none of which really matters when your entire comic book gimmick is being unstoppable once you start moving. His NASCAR and redneck themed sponsors are doing a lot of work to make a mystically empowered demolition machine feel like a guy you would grab a beer with.

Aleksei Sytsevich, a.k.a Rhino

Rhino followed two days later, trained in sambo, grappling, and boxing, which honestly tracks. A man built like a tank benefits more from takedowns and top control than footwork. His 33 and 8 record suggests he loses plenty, which checks out for a character whose entire comic history is getting used as a speed bump by whoever Spiderman is fighting that week.

Volstagg

Asgard’s answer to the division trains Glima, an old Norse form of wrestling, alongside grappling and boxing. At 1425 pounds he somehow still is not the heaviest man on this list, which should tell you everything about what we are dealing with here. The beard alone deserves a sponsor.

Bruce Banner, a.k.a Hulk

Rodrigo closed out the first batch with Hulk, and in hindsight, burying the eventual champion at the bottom of an intro post is a little bit funny. Banner trains BJJ, boxing, and kickboxing, keeping it simple. A 24 and 1 record with a green 1400 pound frame does not need much decoration. Three years later, this is the guy holding the belt, so keep him in mind.

Batch Two: The Challengers Arrive

Frederick Dukes, a.k.a Blob

Almost a year later, Rodrigo kicked off a second Super Heavyweight batch with Blob, trained in judo, boxing, and sumo. The Papa John’s and Michelin tattoo combo is either the funniest sponsor pairing in this entire universe or a very specific joke about tire companies and pizza delivery that we are choosing not to investigate further.

Thaddeus Ross, a.k.a Red Hulk

General Ross shows up trained in judo, wrestling, and boxing, a military background dressed up in red skin. At 1450 pounds with a 27 and 2 record, he is built as a legitimate threat rather than comic relief, which fits a character whose entire deal is being the guy who was furious at the green one and decided to become a bigger, angrier problem himself.

Black Dwarf

Listed hometown is simply unknown, which might be the most honest hometown on this entire roster. Trained in boxing, krav maga, and muay thai, Black Dwarf is built for striking rather than grappling, a rare specialist in a division full of generalists. He never quite made the later tournament rounds, but 1320 pounds of dedicated striking is nothing to laugh at.

En Sabah Nur, a.k.a Apocalypse

Rodrigo called Apocalypse his favorite of the batch, and it shows in the detail. Tahtib, pancrace, muay thai, and jiujitsu is a genuinely thoughtful mix for a character who has spent literal millennia collecting fighting styles from every civilization he has outlived. A 29 and 1 record puts him near the top of this division on paper, and it turns out that held up. Apocalypse ended up going the distance against Hulk for the belt in the tournament that actually decided this division, and lost a very close one. Still, being the runner up out of ten fighters is nothing to be ashamed of.

The New Contenders

Three years after batch two, with Hulk now sitting on the Super Heavyweight throne after that tournament run against Apocalypse, two fresh names showed up looking for a shot at the belt.

Benjamin Grimm, a.k.a The Thing

Rodrigo introduced Grimm as the last contender of this new batch, specifically calling out that he would be fighting guys like Hulk or Apocalypse for the belt. Trained in BJJ, boxing, wrestling, and muay thai, and covered in a Fantastic Four themed tattoo that says “clobberin time,” Grimm brings a 30 and 3 record and the kind of rock solid durability that makes him a genuine threat to anyone’s chin.

Thanos

The most recent arrival gets the biggest introduction. Rodrigo called him the super heavyweight legend, the GOAT, arriving to a division that already had a literal Titan sized ego problem before he even showed up. Trained in boxing, jiujitsu, muay thai, and wrestling with a 28 and 0 and 1 record, Thanos is currently undefeated in this universe, which is either the safest or the scariest stat on this entire list depending on how you feel about six fights left before he needs six more stones.

Ten fighters, two full years of introductions, and one champion who spent his debut post buried at the bottom of a batch. If you want to see how Hulk actually took the belt off Apocalypse, that fight lives on the artist’s Instagram. And if Thanos or The Thing manage to dethrone him next, you already know we will be back to cover it.


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