10 Badass Characters Inspired By Ridiculous Things

8. The Hulk Was Inspired By A Woman's Astounding Feat Of Strength

Shredder Cheese Grater
Marvel Comics

The Hulk is one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel universe. He's gone up against, and bested, heroes like Wolverine, The Thing, Ironman, and Thor. He’s even conquered an entire planet with nothing more than brute strength.

What worldly strength could have inspired such an impactful character? How about the ridiculous power of a mother trying to save her child. The character’s creator Jack Kirby was inspired when he witnessed a mother lift a car off her child.

The child was playing in a gutter, according to Kirby, when he was caught under the running board of a passing vehicle. Kirby saw the woman lift the rear end of the car off the ground. He later said, “in desperation, we can all do that — we can knock down walls, we can go berserk”

Contributor
Contributor

John is a teacher and writer living in Texas. He spends far too much time watching Star Trek. Check out more if his work at artofnarrative.com