50 years ago, Wolverine made his first full appearance in Incredible Hulk #181 by Len Wein, Herb Trimpe, and John Romita Sr. where he fought the Hulk and the mythical monster known as the Wendigo. This led to a fan-fueled fervor for Wolverine and the Hulk to have a showdown on the silver screen, and Deadpool & Wolverine (kind of) granted that wish when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) encounters a Wolverine who’s ready to fight the Hulk, with the scene doubling as a homage to Incredible Hulk #340 by Peter David and Todd McFarlane (McFarlane’s cover art even gets a shout-out in the scene itself). But 15 years ago, Wolverine and the Hulk did have an epic showdown, thanks to Hulk Vs., an animated movie you might have missed from 2009.

Hulk Vs. is technically two different films, but true to the title, it pits Bruce Banner’s alter ego against two different opponents. In Hulk vs. Wolverine, Wolverine (Steve Blum) is sent to fight a rampaging Hulk, but soon the duo find themselves united against a common foe. Hulk vs. Thor sees Loki (Graham McTavish) and Amora the Enchantress (Kari Wahlgren) brainwash the Hulk into attacking Asgard, with Thor (Matthew Wolf) being the only being who can stop the gamma-powered giant. It’s Hulk vs. Wolverine that stands out due to its high level of violence, and the fact that it influenced two different Marvel animated series.

‘Hulk vs. Wolverine’ Was Part of a Deal Between Marvel and Lionsgate

Hulk vs. Wolverine is the result of a deal struck between Marvel Studios and Lionsgate in 2004, long before the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The two studios produced eight to ten animated films, with a focus on heroes, including Iron Man and Doctor Strange. Marvel had struck a similar deal with Artisan Entertainment to develop a slate of live-action films (Artisan would end up folding into Lionsgate in 2004). Hulk Vs. also didn’t come to fruition because Marvel and Lionsgate were developing a film that pitted the X-Men against the Avengers, based on the Ultimate War miniseries by Mark Millar & Chris Bachalo. Steven E. Gordon, who worked on X-Men: Evolution, even revealed that the final film would be a dual feature similar to Hulk Vs., with a second half featuring Thor: “The DVD was going to be done like they did the ‘Hulk Vs.’ DVD where half would be devoted to the ‘Ultimate War’ and the other half was planned to be a ‘Thor’ story…At one point the ‘Thor’ story they intended on adapting was Beta Ray Bill, but I believe they dropped that after some exploration. We never got too far on finding a look for the Thor adventure.” Even if it wasn’t originally part of Marvel and Lionsgate’s plans, Hulk VS. ended up being one of its most memorable films due to how well it executed its premise.

‘Hulk vs. Wolverine’ Lives up to Its Name, Thanks to Its Fight Scenes

Hulk Vs. Wolverine wastes no time getting into its titular conflict, as Wolverine tracks down Bruce Banner after the Hulk’s latest rampage. At first, Wolverine thinks Banner is a mere survivor of the destruction, but then his super senses clue him into the fact that his target is right in front of him…and then the Hulk transforms. What follows is one of the most brutal, gripping fights in superhero media. Wolverine’s speed and ferocity are on full display, as he nimbly evades the Hulk’s fists while delivering blows of his own. The Hulk himself is a completely wrathful force. His blows split open mountains, send trees flying, and turn boulders into deadly missiles. Hulk VS Wolverine also doesn’t hold back on the gore, either; when Wolverine’s claws stab into Hulk’s flesh, they draw blood. Fans have to thank the work of Frank Paur, Kevin Alteri, Butch Lutkic, and Sam Liu, who’ve been behind animated projects including Gargoyles, Ben 10, and Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.

Hulk Vs. Wolverine doesn’t just consist of Wolverine and Hulk trading blows; it’s also the first animated appearance of Deadpool! The Merc with a Mouth is dispatched by Weapon X to take Wolverine alive, and true to form, he’s constantly spewing a stream of quips and snide observations. Eventually, Hulk breaks free of Weapon X’s prison and goes on a rampage, taking out Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike, and Sabretooth in the process. Deadpool seemingly gets away unscathed…but in the mid-credits sequence, the Hulk ends up landing on him. Nolan North‘s performance as Deadpool is rife with perfect comedic timing, and shows that Deadpool would be a perfect fit for animation.

‘Hulk vs. Wolverine’ Influenced Other Marvel Animation Projects

Hulk vs. Wolverine would end up having a connection to other Marvel projects, particularly when it came to Madhouse, the animation studio that worked on the film. Madhouse teamed with Marvel for a quartet of anime series in 2010, including Wolverine and X-Men series. Recently, Madhouse worked with Marvel and Disney+ on the Marvel Future Avengers series, which revolves around a trio of teenagers working with the Avengers after learning that HYDRA was attempting to mold them into weapons. But Hulk Vs. Wolverine actually has a direct sequel of sorts in the Wolverine and the X-Men animated series.

2:32

Related

Wade Wilson’s First Movie Appearance Isn’t As Bad as Deadpool Thinks

Ryan Reynolds made a strong first impression as the Merc with a Mouth despite losing said mouth.

In the appropriately titled episode, “Wolverine VS The Hulk,” Wolverine is approached by Nick Fury, who wants his help in capturing the Hulk; at first the clawed Canadian refuses, but then relents after Fury threatens to leak the location of the X-Men to the authorities. Both Steve Blum and Fred Tasticore reprise their roles as Wolverine and Hulk, while showrunner Christopher Yost penned “Wolverine Vs. The Hulk” and Hulk Vs. Wolverine. Wolverine and the X-Men producer Joshua Fine even confirmed that Deadpool would have shown up in a second season, further strengthening those ties.

Hulk Vs. Wolverine, and the other Marvel Animated Features from Lionsgate, are solid proof that Marvel could sell characters that weren’t as popular as Spider-Man or the X-Men long before the MCU took off. They’re also reminders that the superhero genre really sings when in animated form, a theory that’s only solidifed in recent years with releases including X-Men ’97 and Batman: Caped Crusader.

Wolverine vs Deadpool – Fight Scene – X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) Movie CLIP HD

👇👇👇