Hulk Vs. Wolverine: Could This Marvel Movie Actually Happen?
Hulk Vs. Wolverine has been rumored for years and could be closer to reality, with Hugh Jackman coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Deadpool.
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe only seeming to grow these days (at crazy rates mind you), it’s long made sense to consider how some of the best comic book storylines, arcs, and character feuds could come to fruition on the big screen.
One of those was the possibility of finally seeing two of Marvel’s favorite comic book (and movie) characters share time on the big screen together: Hulk Vs. Wolverine. One movie with two big stars.
To get to this point, Marvel has finally hinted that Hulk Vs. Wolverine could actually happen, but the road has been difficult, to say the least. Neither of these properties was in Marvel’s full control and it was only recently that Hulk finally become a full-fledged member of Marvel Studios. The X-Men were also in studio limbo, though that has finally cleared up in the last couple of years.
MARVEL DID NOT HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER HULK OR WOLVERINE UNTIL NOW
In the past, this is why we had not seen a stand-alone Hulk movie since the 2008 Edward Norton-led The Incredible Hulk. The Hulk character had been under the watchful eye (and control) of Universal.
That studio did nothing at all with the character and this is the reason (Universal’s control of Hulk) we’ve only seen Hulk (the Mark Ruffalo version) in fairly minor roles in The Avengers saga and Thor: Ragnarok. Marvel was allowed to use Hulk, just not as a stand-alone. It’s similar to how Marvel had to deal with Sony and Spider-Man.
The same can be said for Wolverine, though Marvel basically had zero control over Wolverine and the X-Men until Disney bought Fox. Now that both comic book giants are under one roof, one control, the possibilities open up for a big-screen Hulk Vs. Wolverine matchup.
HUGH JACKMAN’S WOLVERINE IS COMING TO THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
We’ve already seen the X-Men, in some shape and fashion, begin to make their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Evan Peters made a quick (get it?) appearance in WandaVision and, of course, we got Patrick Stewart back as Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The big news recently was that Hugh Jackman would be getting back into the adamantium claws and teaming up with Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool 3. This is a full-circle kind of moment for the characters who were originally in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
While it isn’t likely that Hugh Jackman sticks around for a ton of time in the MCU going forward, it will slot his story in between the timeline of the X-Men movies and his “finale” in Logan. Plus, liberal use of the Multiverse means we can have different versions of the character without too much creative worry.
Deadpool 3 is set to hit theaters in 2024 with filming planned to start in March 2023. We’ve already seen what Hugh Jackman is going to look like as Wolverine in the movie.
HULK VS. WOLVERINE HAPPENED IN THE COMICS SIX DECADES AGO
Hulk Vs. Wolverine has already happened on the pages of Marvel comics. The history of the Hulk vs Wolverine dates back some 60 years when Wolverine made his appearance at the end of the The Incredible Hulk #180 comic. It happened in the last panel, which set up The Incredible Hulk #181 beautifully and history was born.
Since their very first meeting, the ensuing decades have produced many a dust-up between Big Green and Claws. They clash again and in their next battle, Wolverine literally guts Hulk, leaving his innards spilled out on the floor. Thanks to Hulk’s ability to regenerate, the Big Green Fighting Machine is able to continue his “Hulk smash” ways.
Another meeting has Hulk smashing Wolverine’s bone claws to dust (Magneto had ripped out Logan’s Adamantium skeleton) after Wolverine used those bone claws to gouge out Hulk’s eyes.
There was also the World War Hulk series in which Hulk not only takes out Wolverine but also the rest of the X-Men crew.
Another time Old Man Logan pulled an Alien chest-burster move on Hulk in a story that saw Hulk’s family get taken out by Wolverine, setting up an ultimate showdown between the two that ended with Hulk devouring (as in eating) Old Man Logan. But that wasn’t truly the end. Old Man Logan had the final laugh when he burst out of Hulk, leaving the giant in ruins.
HULK VS. WOLVERINE COULD BE TOO VIOLENT FOR DISNEY
The history of Hulk Vs. Wolverine has been violent, gory, emotional, and ultimately a good read. This means there is plenty here to fall back on in terms of crafting a Hulk vs Wolverine storyline.
The catch is that for all its glorious violence and gore, Marvel is under the Disney umbrella and anything more than a PG-13 movie will likely not be tolerated (right, Deadpool?).
Right now, a Hulk/Wolverine pairing is mostly rumor and speculation. Marvel president Kevin Feige has not officially announced the two teaming up in a future movie, though things are definitely leaning in that direction.
With Wolverine and the X-Men for that matter, still not appearing in the MCU until recently, chances are that fans would see a Hulk stand-alone movie before they’d get the one they truly wish for: Hulk vs. Wolverine.
Would we also need to see an X-Men reboot first? Maybe not.
MARK RUFFALO WANTS THIS MOVIE TO HAPPEN
Mark Ruffalo would love to see Hulk and Wolverine meet up eventually. Ruffalo shared the story at the Tokyo Comic-Con, telling fans that Feige had asked him whether he had any ideas for future Hulk stories since Marvel now fully owned the rights.
Ruffalo told Feige, “’Yeah, I think there is still some stories to tell.’” So Feige invited Ruffalo over to share his ideas to see if they may fit into the MCU. “Hulk versus Wolverine! I’d like to see that. Hulk versus Wolverine.”
What would a Hulk vs Wolverine movie even look like? With Deadpool, Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Secret Wars as confirmed parts of Phase Six, there’s work to be done.
But the pieces are beginning to fall into place in a way we really couldn’t have seen even a few years ago. It looked like Hugh Jackman was all but retired from this world. Plus, he and Mark Ruffalo aren’t exactly spring chickens. They are both in their mid-50s and though they might not look like it, playing physical superheroes does have something of a shelf life.
The idea of Hulk Vs. Wolverine is tantalizing. Seeing two comic book legends on the screen together, two who have such a violent history, gets the juices flowing. Let’s hope Marvel and Kevin Feige are able to put something together sooner rather than later. Even though the Hulk and Wolverine can live forever via the comic books, Marvel’s audience isn’t getting any younger and neither are their actors.
