THE WEREWOLF versus HULK
Phasing Out (Marvel)
Where: Incredible Hulk #362 When: December 1989
Why: Peter David How: Jeff Purves
The Story So Far...
When Bruce Banner was accidentally caught in the blast of an experimental gamma bomb -- his body was irradiated in strange ways that caused him to transform into a mindless brute known only as The Hulk!
Eager to find a cure for his affliction and volatile alter-ego, Banner secures employment with a nuclear research facility in Yucca Flats, Nevada. Little does he realise, his newest excursion will bring him directly into the path of another man cursed to transform into a wild and uncontrollable beast -- Jack Russell: Werewolf by Night!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Werewolf 2 (Average)
Speed: Werewolf 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Hulk 6 (Generator)
Agility: Werewolf 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Hulk 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Draw 1 (None)
Total: Hulk 26 (Metahuman)
It's the fight that had to happen! Jack Russell and Bruce Banner are good men cursed to transform into uncontrollable rampaging beasts! They've both prowled the night as figures of terror -- but which Marvel monster will reign supreme?
The Werewolf is cursed with lycanthropy, which he inherited mystically from his father, and a doomed family heritage that started in the 18th century.
It actually began five generations ago when Grigory Russoff was bitten by a werewolf whilst hunting Dracula. His descendent Gregory Russoff renewed their curse decades later by reading a page from the Darkhold, passing it on to his estranged American son, Jack Russell, who became a werewolf upon maturity.
Like most: Jack transformed into a "Werewolf by Night" endowed with incredible strength, speed, agility, ferocity, and animal bloodlust. He rarely killed, but found himself in violent episodes, such as a run-in with Morbius in Marvel Premiere #28!
There have been various times when Jack has gained a certain amount of control over his transformations, using his powers to do good. We saw him teaming with Morbius against the forces of darkness in Marvel Zombies 4 #2!
His wolf claws easily ripped through the zombie flesh of Digger, but even under the fullest moon he'd have a tough time carving up the Hulk!
Hulk lives in a whole other weight class, clashing routinely with powerhouses like Hercules [Tales to Astonish #79], Thing [Fantastic Four #374], Red Hulk [Hulk #6], Sentry [World War Hulk #5], Thor [Avengers #5], Juggernaut [Marvel Adventures #14], and DC's Superman [Marvel versus DC #3].
Even cosmic entities like Silver Surfer [Incredible Hulk #95], Thanos [Infinity Gauntlet #4], Green Lantern [Unlimited Access #1], and Champion of the Universe [Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7] have stood in awe of Hulk's raw strength and savagery!
The only thing more varied than the many impressive opponents Hulk has faced is the Hulk himself! When Bruce Banner was first doused with gamma radiation he transformed, much like The Werewolf, into a grey goliath at nightfall.
When the full moon over Nevada brings The Werewolf into Hulk's path it'll be a grey Hulk he finds. However, this is the Joe Fixit persona, whose devious cunning comes with slightly less strength than his most famous green transformations.
Deadpool #4 showed us a green Hulk can bleed under the right circumstances, but even a mortal Hulk is strong! Incredible Hulk #335 demonstrated grey Hulk at his most sadistic too, ramming his fist through The Stalker. Lets find out what he does when a stray werewolf comes biting at his heels!
The Tape: Hulk Ranking: Hulk (#6)
What Went Down...
Where: Incredible Hulk #362 When: December 1989
Why: Peter David How: Jeff Purves
The Story So Far...
When Bruce Banner was accidentally caught in the blast of an experimental gamma bomb -- his body was irradiated in strange ways that caused him to transform into a mindless brute known only as The Hulk!
Eager to find a cure for his affliction and volatile alter-ego, Banner secures employment with a nuclear research facility in Yucca Flats, Nevada. Little does he realise, his newest excursion will bring him directly into the path of another man cursed to transform into a wild and uncontrollable beast -- Jack Russell: Werewolf by Night!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)Intelligence: Werewolf 2 (Average)
Speed: Werewolf 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Hulk 6 (Generator)
Agility: Werewolf 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Hulk 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Draw 1 (None)
Total: Hulk 26 (Metahuman)
It's the fight that had to happen! Jack Russell and Bruce Banner are good men cursed to transform into uncontrollable rampaging beasts! They've both prowled the night as figures of terror -- but which Marvel monster will reign supreme?
The Werewolf is cursed with lycanthropy, which he inherited mystically from his father, and a doomed family heritage that started in the 18th century.
It actually began five generations ago when Grigory Russoff was bitten by a werewolf whilst hunting Dracula. His descendent Gregory Russoff renewed their curse decades later by reading a page from the Darkhold, passing it on to his estranged American son, Jack Russell, who became a werewolf upon maturity.
Like most: Jack transformed into a "Werewolf by Night" endowed with incredible strength, speed, agility, ferocity, and animal bloodlust. He rarely killed, but found himself in violent episodes, such as a run-in with Morbius in Marvel Premiere #28!
There have been various times when Jack has gained a certain amount of control over his transformations, using his powers to do good. We saw him teaming with Morbius against the forces of darkness in Marvel Zombies 4 #2!
His wolf claws easily ripped through the zombie flesh of Digger, but even under the fullest moon he'd have a tough time carving up the Hulk!
Hulk lives in a whole other weight class, clashing routinely with powerhouses like Hercules [Tales to Astonish #79], Thing [Fantastic Four #374], Red Hulk [Hulk #6], Sentry [World War Hulk #5], Thor [Avengers #5], Juggernaut [Marvel Adventures #14], and DC's Superman [Marvel versus DC #3].
Even cosmic entities like Silver Surfer [Incredible Hulk #95], Thanos [Infinity Gauntlet #4], Green Lantern [Unlimited Access #1], and Champion of the Universe [Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7] have stood in awe of Hulk's raw strength and savagery!
The only thing more varied than the many impressive opponents Hulk has faced is the Hulk himself! When Bruce Banner was first doused with gamma radiation he transformed, much like The Werewolf, into a grey goliath at nightfall.
When the full moon over Nevada brings The Werewolf into Hulk's path it'll be a grey Hulk he finds. However, this is the Joe Fixit persona, whose devious cunning comes with slightly less strength than his most famous green transformations.
Deadpool #4 showed us a green Hulk can bleed under the right circumstances, but even a mortal Hulk is strong! Incredible Hulk #335 demonstrated grey Hulk at his most sadistic too, ramming his fist through The Stalker. Lets find out what he does when a stray werewolf comes biting at his heels!
The Tape: Hulk Ranking: Hulk (#6)
What Went Down...
The Werewolf clutches a desert jackrabbit in its hand when sound drifts through the night air, tempting him on towards a bigger kill.
He forgets the small prey, letting the rabbit run from his grip while pressing onward. Over a small rise in the dirt The Werewolf discovers the kneeling form of a grey Hulk in congress with its own alter-ego.
The calm of dawn has Hulk teetering on the verge of transforming back into a meek and mortal scientist. Neither he nor Banner notices the coming threat.
He forgets the small prey, letting the rabbit run from his grip while pressing onward. Over a small rise in the dirt The Werewolf discovers the kneeling form of a grey Hulk in congress with its own alter-ego.
The calm of dawn has Hulk teetering on the verge of transforming back into a meek and mortal scientist. Neither he nor Banner notices the coming threat.
The Werewolf pounces upon its prey unannounced -- landing on Hulk's back!
Sharp teeth gnaw at the grey goliath's neck while The Werewolf's claws dig at his face and shoulder.
The stunned Hulk is caught completely by surprise, but it's the concerned voice of Bruce Banner that desperately asks what's happening as he awaits to emerge!
The Werewolf rips at Hulk's flesh and one of the creatures lets out a howl. Was it the frenzied Werewolf, or the Hulk experiencing pain? It's uncertain.
More clear is the increasing threat of Hulk changing.
Bruce Banner desperately asks him to do something, inspiring the surly Joe Fixit persona to assert control long enough to tell his alter-ego to shut up -- and slam the Werewolf into the rocky landscape surrounding them!
Hulk struggles to fight off his transformation knowing Banner will be torn apart if left to fend for himself. The Werewolf shows no pity for his predicament, seizing the opportunity to jump on distracted prey!
The charging tackle lifts Hulk off his feet and drops him back-first onto the hard desert floor. The Werewolf adds insult to injury, violently driving the back of Hulk's skull into the dirt with a palm strike to the chin!
Hulk orders the animal to get off, but doesn't seem to have the strength to make it happen. The Werewolf pins him down and hovers with fangs bared!
Hulk orders the animal to get off, but doesn't seem to have the strength to make it happen. The Werewolf pins him down and hovers with fangs bared!
Even with things looking grim, Fixit Hulk pours on the attitude -- warning his attacker he doesn't know who he's dealing with. As unlikely as it seems, The Werewolf suddenly arches its back and sits upright!
For a second, Hulk actually believes his reputation alone has sent the werewolf scurrying for cover. He doesn't seem to notice the engulfing glow of the morning sun as it rises over the horizon and triggers a transformation.
The Werewolf ducks around rocky outcrop, slowly reverting to the human form of Jack Russell -- while Hulk simultaneously drops to his knees and shrinks to the shape of Dr. Bruce Banner!
Each man has only the vague notion of the monster his alter-ego has just finished wrestling. Vulnerable and under dressed they scurry in separate directions -- eager to escape the other's threatening potential.
The Hammer...
I've been on a real Universal Monsters kick over the last couple of years, and as a tangent of that, I've been wanting to get to this battle for quite some time.
Incredible Hulk #362 would've been on shelves right around the time I was diving enthusiastically into the worlds of Marvel Comics and classic monsters. Its got some of the same marquee appeal as Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, but the ties with Universal Monsters actually run much deeper than mere comparison.
Werewolf by Night obviously owed its creation to the loosening of Comics Code Authority standards in the 1970s, but also the influence of a new wave of werewolf and monster horror in movies, and pop culture.
Dozens of knockoffs were committed to celluloid throughout the seventies, but the legacy of Lon Chaney Jr and Universal's 1941 classic, The Wolf Man, always looms largest over the genre. It wasn't the first telling of the werewolf myth even by that film studio, but it created the basic template everyone recognizes to this day.
Hulk draws obvious comparisons to Frankenstein's Monster with his towering figure, monosyllabic speech, and volatile strength -- but the pathos of Bruce Banner's split personality, and its original nocturnal triggering, are right out of The Wolf Man. Banner didn't bring it upon himself like Dr. Jekyll. He was afflicted with his curse just like Larry Talbot!
Marvel inevitably had to bring their tragic transforming monsters together eventually, and Peter David & Jeff Purves do a good job of living up to the fantasy match-up.
Purves draws both characters in a fun, expressive way, but keeps it grounded enough to sell the struggle between the two monsters. Glynis Oliver deserves note for colours that balance the blues and greys of night perfectly, with bursts of orange moonlight and red-brown fur. It feels like Halloween to me.
The inconsistent nature of Hulk's transformations around this time also works wonders for evening the playing field.
As we covered in the Tale of the Tape [above]; Hulk should usually take care of The Werewolf pretty handily, but because he's on the verge of reverting back to Banner, there's a tension and plausibility in their first encounter that wouldn't otherwise be there without it.
The Werewolf seems to have the better of Hulk before they both undergo simultaneous transformations at sunrise. Hulk isn't bound by the day/night cycle of his original incarnation, but the synchronized change is a fun conceit.
As you might've guessed from the ultimately inconclusive result this is just Round 1. They'll meet again before the end of the issue to settle the score once and for all. You can rest assured we'll find our way back for that some time in the future.
If you want to find the future rematch, or find any of the other fights previously featured on the site, you can discover more than 650 battles indexed by publisher, series, and issue number in the Secret Archive!
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Winner: Draw
#6 (--) Hulk
#149 (+7) The Werewolf (Jack Russell)
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