Spoilers for Wolverine #3! Wolverine
and Hulk
They exchange blows frequently on the page, with each fight between the two turning into a fight of epic proportions that showcases the inescapable brutality and overwhelming power of these respective Marvel Comics heroes. Using his adamantium-laced claws to tear off a chunk of Hulk’s nearly impenetrable skin whenever they meet, Wolverine Just Discovered A Much Better, Less Lethal Way To Defeat The Green Goliatha secret that completely removes your claws from the equation.
Crossing paths during Wolverine’s 1974 debut The Incredible Hulk #180by Len Wein and Herb Trimpe, the rivalry between Logan and Bruce Banner, for better or worse, defined their relationship, with their constant fights proving that Wolverine can go toe-to-toe with the Hulk, despite the latter being capable of breaking adamantium.
In the third edition of the recently relaunched Wolverine series, Logan decided to become one with the wild by re-centering himself post-Krakoa, stumbling upon a new iteration of Wendigo and, after suffocating him, showing how Wolverine can defeat the Hulk in their next encounter.
Wolverine chokes Wendigo in a way that would work on the Hulk
Wolverine #3 – 2024 (Saladin Ahmed and Martín Cóccolo)
Continuing last issue’s story of Wolverine trying his best to contain and simultaneously defend a teenager named Leonard after he became infected with the Wendigo’s curse, Logan is soon forced to incapacitate Leonard as the boy struggles to contain his more monstrous side. Slashing Leonard with his claws after Wolverine gives in to his wild temper, Logan then realizes that Leonard is doing his best not to lose himself in his baser instincts as well. prompting Logan to put “a sleeper on a guy the size of the Hulk”, demonstrating how can wolverine take down hulk in the future.
Based on the character’s strength-equal rage power set, Hulk will forever be stronger than any version of Wendigo could ever be, but as Wolverine fans know, Logan is no slouch when it comes to facing enemies with greater strength. than him. Using stealth tactics to sneak up on Hulk, wearing him down until his rage no longer gives him the boost he needs, or going into berserk mode until he gains the upper hand, it stands to reason that Wolverine could find a way to choke the Hulk – a difficult tactic to implement, but also entirely viable.
Even Batman knows that messing with Hulk’s breathing is the best way to defeat him
DC and Marvel present: Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk – 1981 (Len Wein and José Luis Farcía-López)
Although Wolverine notes that defeating Wendigo in this manner is “not exactly an easy task”, Logan using this non-lethal drop to cut off his air supply he does has precedent when used against the Hulk in the comicsspecifically in 1981 Batman Vs. The Incredible Hulk #1(also written by Len Wein), where DC Comics’ The Dark Knight utilizes a similar oxygen-cutting strategy to defeat Marvel’s Jade Giant. Realizing that there is no way to defeat this massive foe by force, Batman throws a knockout pellet directly into Hulk’s face and then begins kicking Hulk in his solar plexus.
Forcing Hulk to release the breath he keeps trapped in his “enormous lungs”, Batman watches as Hulk reflexively “sucks in a breath of fresh air”, with the gas debilitating Hulk long enough for Batman to win the day. Most of the time, Hulk’s enemies use brute force or try to appeal to Bruce Banner’s human nature to stop the Hulk, but as demonstrated by Wolverine and Wendigo’s fight in Wolverine #3 and by Batman decades ago in a rare DC x Marvel comic, everyone needs oxygen to survive, including the Hulk, making this one of his only real weaknesses.
Wolverine needs to use brains not brawn to defeat the Hulk the next time they meet
Leaving the Hulk unconscious is the best way to safely tame him
Fighting Wendigo and Hulk in Wolverine’s Marvel Comics debut, Logan failed to score a decisive victory against either foe in that now-iconic tale, with many of Wolverine’s future fights against the Hulk not always ending in his favor. But now that’s it It’s time for Wolverine to realize that strength doesn’t always overcome a properly planned attackwith the experience Logan has just had with a similarly sized Wendigo being key to dealing with Bruce Banner – at least until he completely loses control and the combined power of the X-Men and Avengers is needed to take him down.
It remains to be seen when Wolverine and Hulk will meet again in comic book space, but with the blink-and-you-miss-it homage to one of their other iconic battles adapted in Deadpool and Wolverinethere’s a lot of incentive to pit these two against each other soon, especially now that Logan has something up his sleeve that could potentially defeat Hulk without a fight. Regardless of what happens when Wolverine interacts with Hulk next, the idea that Logan no longer needs to rely on his claws to ensure victory is an interesting wrinkle in the pair’s decades-long relationship.
Wolverine #3 is available from Marvel Comics.