WOLVERINE & HULK versus WENDIGO

And Now... The Wolverine! (Marvel)
Where: Incredible Hulk #181 When: November 1974
Why: Len Wein How: Herb Trimpe

The Story So Far...
The rampaging Hulk has been lured from his usual stomping grounds in the United States to the frigid wilds of northeast Quebec. The purpose: to use him to subdue and cure the supernatural beast known as the Wendigo!

The Canadian government officially considers Wendigo a matter of myth & local superstition, but the Hulk is something they take very seriously. To deal with the border-crossing behemoth they've sent their very best agent: a feral force at home in the forest, ready to track & terminate any threat -- The Wolverine!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Wolverine 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Wendigo 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Wendigo 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Draw 1 (None)
Total: Hulk 26 (Metahuman)

Everyone knows Incredible Hulk #181 is the first full appearance of Wolverine, but not as well-known is the fact that it doesn't start with a full-fledged fight against Hulk. It's actually an impromptu team-up - so that's where we're starting.

There is stated hostility between the headlining pair, but Wolverine & Hulk find themselves positioned against a mutual threat: Paul Cartier, who has succumbed to the curse of the dreaded Wendigo.

Cartier was trapped in a cave during a hunting trip in the Canadian wilderness, and resorted to an act of cannibalism to preserve his own life. This act of consuming human flesh was said to have cursed him in the eyes of elder gods, unleashing a supernatural transformation into the bestial Wendigo.

Covered in white fur and baring sharp fangs & claws, the Wendigo possesses greatly enhanced size, strength, speed, stamina, and healing ability. It is even said the Wendigo is immortal, damned to wander the Earth until the curse is lifted.

When it comes to warring with animalistic Canadian enemies, Sabretooth might draw some broad comparisons, but the Wendigo is a supernatural threat, and that's something Wolverine has faced many times as well.

When the X-Men went up against Dracula, Wolverine was ready to do what was necessary. Even though things didn't quite go to plan, he made light work of the Lord of Vampires in the alternate reality of What If...? #24. His adamantium claws also did damage to a Dormammu-enhanced Hood years later, but the most direct comparison we have is Captain America's time as a werewolf -- which actually saw Wolverine come up second best.

Hulk had a memorable run-in with Jack Russell, aka; The Werewolf (By Night), when his own Fixit transformations were tied to the rise & setting of the sun. Their first encounter ended with a time limit draw brought about the coming of the day.

Wendigo's ferocity no doubt matches The Werewolf's, but his fighting skills are unlikely to match Captain America's. Hulk is in a dopier, classic phase himself, but that also means he probably has the muscle to overpower The Wendigo given time. They fought briefly in the previous issue -- time to find out what adding the wildcard of the Wolverine does to change this situation!

The Tape: Wolverine & Hulk Ranking: Wolverine (#5)

What Went Down...

The sight of a stocky man in yellow - launching himself towards them - causes Hulk and Wendigo to pause their fighting. Neither beast is quite sure what to make of the small challenger, staring slack-jawed as he races in to attack.

The leap takes Wolverine sailing onto the Hulk's mighty shoulders and the green goliath is still slightly confused: "Huh? Little man attacks Hulk!"

Wolverine introduces himself as an agent of the Canadian government charged with taking care of Hulk. The behemoth tries to face his back-mounted opponent, insisting he'll smash if he doesn't stand still. Wolverine isn't about to comply!

The clawed fighter vaults over Hulk's head to keep the advantage of moving quickly around the battlefield.

Having already found his claws failed to easily pierce Hulk's tough hide -- he maintains his momentum and dives across the face of The Wendigo with a slash of his claws. This time the blades cut through their hairy target!

The stinging blow stuns Wendigo and Wolverine presses his advantage -- vaulting into a dropkick to send the backstepping creature off the edge of a cliff!

Hulk is irritated that the Wolverine isn't staying to fight, but the 5'5" fighter has his savage sights set on the more manageable of his two prospective opponents.

He's unfazed by the revelation that he's fighting a Wendigo -- a creature he was told was mere myth. Its towering 8' dimensions don't bother him, either. All the better to duck the Wendigo's wild swinging claws -- and strike back with a stab of his own!

As the Wendigo begins to weaken from his wounds, Hulk grapples with the confusion of his supposed attacker now fighting his enemy. In his own addled mind, he perceives Wolverine's actions as confirmation of a friend. A friend in need!

Hulk tenses his powerful leg muscles and launches himself into a horizontal jumping dash that carries right into the staggering Wendigo!

The Hulk makes a bigger target. Wendigo instinctively throws his arms up to block the airborne beast and strikes him across the jaw with a stiff forearm!

It's Wolverine's turn to be confused by Hulk's shift in allegiance, but he doesn't question it. Instead, he seizes the opportunity to launch himself onto Wendigo's furry shoulders and cause a distraction for his unlikely tag team partner!

The Wendigo tries to get the tiny man off his back, but Hulk is quick to intuit what his impromptu ally is thinking. He charges in to hoist Wendigo off the ground, shaking Wolverine off to protect him from the beast's impending fate!

With a mighty heave the Hulk sends Wendigo hurtling through the air and smashing through mighty trees dotting the Canadian glade!

The devastating impact snaps the trees like toothpicks and impress Wolverine, but still the Wendigo stirs! Wolverine knows it's up to him to finish the job!

Without any hesitation Wolverine leaps onto the giant woodbeast -- brandishing his razor-sharp metal claws with an animalistic ferocity equal or greater to the creature itself! With a sickening "thwuck" the deed is done!

The Hammer...

How about that? It's another famous first, but just like the inaugural battles with Sabretooth and Deadpool that we recently covered -- Wolverine's first encounter with the Hulk might not have gone exactly how you thought it would. In this case: it isn't even as straight-forward as open conflict!

Yes! Our main event competitors actually team-up at the beginning of the issue to vanquish a different foe! Sometimes Wendigo is the forgotten third-wheel in this first full appearance of Wolverine, but don't worry. The action doesn't stop here!

Hulk takes a moment to admire Wolverine's handiwork, and the Canadian agent observes that his supposed killing blow has actually only rendered the Wendigo unconscious. It's an impermanent state, but one that will serve them well as other conspiring forces converge to deal with Paul Cartier, and the Wendigo curse.

This development allows Wolverine to resume his original mission, and Incredible Hulk #181 to pursue what has grown into one of the most popular Marvel Comics hero-on-hero rivalries: Wolverine versus Hulk!

Like a lot of the big fights in comics history, I've always kinda taken for granted that we'd get to it eventually. I like to keep things interesting for myself and not necessarily always go down those obvious roads. In this case, I thought it would be nice to deal with the first conflict of the issue, before the fight on the marquee.

We get a lot of great action in this portion of the issue. Herb Trimpe's layouts tell a clear story and really go a long way to establishing Wolverine's fighting style from Day 1. I particularly love the classic image of Wolvie perched on larger opponent's back & shoulders -- in this case, Hulk's -- with one hand's claws raised in the air. How many times have we seen that over the decades? It's right here on Page 2!

Of course, there are refinements. Len Wein's narration notes that Wolverine is 5'5", which will generally be accepted to officially scale down to 5'3", even if artists get a little loose with those proportions by the time Hugh Jackman is playing the role.

There's also the original "whisker" version of the mask, which is drawn with the unusual detail of a very square piece over the nose. It connects with a pronounced brow and the shorter, more discreet version of the mask's fanning eye pieces. In close up, it reads more like a rigid helmet with a nose guard. A conceit the live-action films have finally gone with after avoiding it for a quarter of century.

The theatrical release of Deadpool and Wolverine, which includes a nod to the long-running Hulk rivalry and Todd McFarlane's later cover art from Incredible Hulk #340, is inspiring a lot of prospective choices right now, so I can't necessarily promise I'll get to it immediately. If you'd like to elevate the Hulk/Wolverine match-up in priority, or just generally support the trove of reference material we're accumulating here, you might consider becoming a member on Patreon.

I'm currently experiencing particularly challenging circumstances in my personal life, and regular entries are proving especially difficult to produce right now. Your support will go a long way to helping keep me in the fight and get back to working on more superhero smackdown for our special corner of comics culture!

I have to admit, even though we literally have dozens of entries involving the Hulk, it's been feeling like he's a little neglected, so it's nice that we're getting to more milestone match-ups. Those who enjoy watching the updating ranks at the bottom of every entry will note that he's ranked #6, right behind Wolverine, with a small gap in wins now separating them. There's a small gap separating them now, but with more data we can continue to test who is truly the best!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 700 fights and ranked more than 1,000 characters! You can find them all by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of battles in order of publisher, series, and issue -- or by hitting links to your favourite characters and topics found throughout each entry.

Get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter! Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter & Discord! The lively Discord chat is one of the bonuses of becoming a Patreon subscriber.

Winners: Wolverine & Hulk
#5 (--) Wolverine
#6 (--) Hulk
#1029 (new) Wendigo (Paul Cartier)

MAN-THING versus HULK

... And Man-Thing Makes Three! (Marvel)
Where: Incredible Hulk #197 When: March 1976
Why: Len Wein How: Sal Buscema & Joe Staton

The Story So Far...
Battle with The Abomination onboard an out-of-control rocket leaves Hulk hurtling uncontrollably earthbound through the planet's atmosphere.

Crash-landing in the Florida Everglades -- the Hulk burns with anger & confusion as he resumes his lonely existence beneath the watchful gaze of a silent, shambling beast.

In the bosom of the swamp, Hulk finds hostile reptiles, but reverting to Bruce Banner briefly, he makes the acquaintance of a timid mute troubled by an anachronistic mob of pirates. These wretches are exhibits in The Collector's collection and now Hulk will face his prized champion in mortal combat!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Man-Thing 2 (Average)
Speed: Hulk 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Hulk 2 (Average)
Fighting: Hulk 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Man-Thing 2 (Projectiles)
Total: Hulk 26 (Meta-Human)

Those who know fear burn at the Man-Thing's touch, but what's a little scolding to a Hulk who just burst into flames passing through Earth's atmosphere?

He launched a tactical pre-emptive strike when facing the fire of the Human Torch back in Fantastic Four #12, but decades later stood face-front relatively unscathed against the nuclear inferno of Red Hulk.

Hulk is far more prone to rage than fear, but he's facing a pretty weird opponent in circumstances well beyond his usual scope of operation, so let's not completely rule it out.

Of course, despite a fairly monstrous visage, the Man-Thing is actually a relatively kind natured creature, instinctively driven by a powerful sense of empathy, as well as sometimes preying upon the fears of those who misunderstand him. In many ways he's actually quite a kindred spirit for the Hulk.

The once brilliant biochemist, Dr. Theodore Sallis, is become a primitive protector of the innocent, and guardian to The Nexus of Realities found in the Florida Everglades that formed his new body.

It's a station that put Man-Thing on the frontlines of repelling the zombie plague of Earth-2149: home of the Marvel Zombies, where Hulk became one of the deadliest plague carriers to visit other worlds, and devour powerful opponents.

It seems even as a decaying zombie: Hulk is strongest one there is, but Man-Thing is only in this fight because of The Collector's influence, and that opens this fight up to a whole range of unexpected twists. Let's see what happened...

The Tape: Hulk Ranking: Hulk (#6)

What Went Down...

From the depths of the Everglades emerges the grim visage of The Collector!

Arriving to claim ownership of a freshly beaten mob of salty pirates, he inspires terror in the face of their mute victim. This is enough for the Hulk to match his newfound friend's fear with rage -- swiftly redirected by The Collector towards another figure suddenly appearing: His champion -- The Man-Thing!

At his master's behest the towering swamp monster marches toward a bewildered Hulk -- smacking him with the back of his mossy hand!

The hit only staggers Hulk for a fleeting moment.

The green goliath charges angrily towards Man-Thing to strike back in kind -- only for his massive fist to punch straight through the slimy vegetation of the creature's unharmed body!

Once again Man-Thing seizes upon Hulk's confusion as The Collector barks orders to strike!

With his marshy hands clasped, the Man-Thing brings them suddenly rising to Hulk's jade jaw with a powerful hammer-like two-fisted uppercut!

The Hulk's rage only grows as his primitive mind grapples with the situation. He had no reason to fight Man-Thing before, but now he will punish the creature for daring to attack!

While the Hulk swings his mighty fist like a wrecking ball through Man-Thing's mushy mid-section -- The Collector aims to stack the deck in favour of his indentured champion...

The elder of the universe casts the light of the fabled Philosopher's Stone on a fearful nearby mute, whose silent witness contorts into an expression of twisted horror as his existence is unmade -- reverting to a creature of oozing clay!

Completely under The Collector's influence, the living Glob is now directed to join the fight -- catching Hulk by surprise with a sneak attack!

The clubbing blow from behind drops the Hulk to his knees, but he soon puts wild eyes on the Man-Thing's unexpected accomplice.

With frustration and anger boiling over, the Hulk aims to smash this newest challenger -- only to find his fist once again glides ineffectually through its target!

With only a clay-soaked hand to show for his aggression, Hulk stares at his fist with existential dread. "Bah! You are made of clay -- like carrot-nose is made of slime! How can Hulk fight clay and slime? HOW??"

The creatures callously ignore Hulk's frustrated quandary, showing him the hard side of their marsh and mud with synchronous punches!

The shambling monsters approach their toppled foe and loom silently for a moment -- before The Collector once again rallies their attentions to an attack!

The Glob locks his arms around Hulk's chest while Man-Thing delivers clubbing overhead blows.

Hulk flails wildly in an attempt to repel his attacker and escape the hold, but the Man-Thing cradles Hulk's head and plunges it into his swampy chest!

Hulk continues to fight, his mighty lungs affording him more time than any mortal man, but even he can only last so long, especially once caught by surprise.

The Man-Thing silently holds Hulk's head within the suffocating bog of his own body.

Slowly but surely Hulk's thrashing begins to subside. As he succumbs to passing out, his arms fall limp and he drops to the ground, unconscious at the feet of the motionless Man-Thing and The Glob.

The Hammer...

The Collector's pirates come to gather the bounty of a defeated Hulk -- five or six of them struggling to lift his mighty figure as they're led to the private quarters of Collector's possessions.

You might not know it at a glance, but this marks something of a reunion for Hulk and one of his old adversaries.

The Glob first appeared in Incredible Hulk #121 when escaped convict Joseph Timms was accidentally doused in radioactive waste dumped into a swamp by the rampaging Hulk. The mugshot [pictured above] shows a portion of that dramatic 1969 cover by artist Herb Trimpe.

The Glob butted heads with the jade giant a couple more times, before passing through geographic convenience to the domain of today's marquee main eventer and inadvertent tag team partner: Man-Thing!

The Glob and Man-Thing became Florida Everglades sparring partners in the ever-famous Giant Size Man-Thing #1! A series of body horrors having taken The Glob from short-lived servitude to The Leader, to becoming a golden brain -- his body reconstituted under the command of Yagzan and his Cult of Entropy.

It all gets a little weird, but weird is what you get when you're dealing with re-animated monster men-things made from swamp muck and mud!

With slamming Sal Buscema on pencils this can't help but be big time super-hero smackdown, but it manages to be subdued enough to bog Hulk down in the mire of a horror genre monster mash. Just what would hit the spot this spooky season!

Hulk was born from a disaster of the super-hero atomic age, but we can't forget he began life as a figure of horror. A Dr. Jekyll and Frankenstein's Monster hybrid, a literalized creature by night lurking in the shadow of the human psyche.

Even after he was brightened up and entered into crossovers with Marvel's heroes of science, Hulk remained a monosyllabic beast, trading blows with the likes of The Thing, as if fulfilling the promise of late stage classic Universal horror movies with even bigger monsters, and bolder technicolour brawls.

We never seem to have enough Hulk on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths, and with Halloween drawing near -- and Man-Thing making waves with a successful live-action return in Marvel's Werewolf By Night special -- it seemed like the perfect time to dig up today's classic back issue.

It's a very different dynamic to Hulk's fight with Jack Russell in Incredible Hulk #362, but there's a similar thrill reconnecting with that classic horror vibe. I'm enjoying building our file of the more macabre side of the superhero universes.

If you'd like to find more from your favourite horrors you should follow links throughout this article, or dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured more than 700 battles and ranked well over 1,000 characters! If you like what we're all about and want to see more entries you can help make it happen by becoming a supporter on Patreon!

Patrons will unlock additional updates and be able to sponsor featured content including Top 10 Rank & File lists, featured fights, and more as a thank you for helping support me and the project.

You can also get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing via Twitter and Facebook. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday! It's also completely free to follow on Patreon for more updates!

Winners: Man-Thing & The Glob
#353 (new) Glob (Joseph Timms)
#415 (+475) Man-Thing
#629 (new) The Collector [+1 assist]
#6 (--) Hulk

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...

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.

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!

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!

You can read the entirety of this issue and more by checking out the collected edition in Hulk Visionaries Vol. 4. By using the Amazon link provided you'll not only find a good deal, but also help support the site at no cost to you.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has always been free, but if you like what it's all about and want to support the cause, you can join the fight with Patreon. As a thank you for making it possible to keep fighting on you'll unlock extra updates, fantasy fight polls, and options to choose custom articles.

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Winner: Draw
#6 (--) Hulk
#149 (+7) The Werewolf (Jack Russell)

SECRET DEFENDERS versus FANTASTIC FOUR

Suddenly... The Secret Defenders (Marvel)
Where: Fantastic Four #374 When: March 1993
Why: Tom DeFalco How: Paul Ryan

The Story So Far...
When Johnny Storm was caught alone in a surprise ambush by Paibok the Power Skrull, Lyja, and Devos The Destroyer -- he unleashed the full force of his nova blast in a last ditch effort to survive!

The desperate tactic left nearby Empire State University in scorched ruins, earning the ire of a public who believes Human Torch's flaming assault was a reckless act of endangerment.

With the rest of the Fantastic Four preoccupied -- and mercenaries taking to the streets to hunt The Torch down -- his old friend Spider-Man seeks the aide of Doctor Strange to assemble a familiar team to bring him in peacefully. With a simple astral projection the erstwhile New Fantastic Four are reunited!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Spider-Man 4 (???)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Human Torch 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Spider-Man 29 (Metahuman)

The Secret Defenders are: Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, with Doctor Strange.

The concept of the original "non-team" was taken to its ultimate conclusion when Doctor Strange began recruiting disparate heroes for missions as the Secret Defenders. Spider-Man seeks his assistance to re-assemble a quartet once gathered to operate as the avenging "New Fantastic Four".

The Fantastic Four are: Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and Thing, with Ms. Marvel.

The long running relationship between Spider-Man and the classic FF has seen him play friend and "frenemy" to the Human Torch. We saw them fight side-by-side in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #4, Spider-Man Family #3, and Amazing Spider-Man #600, but rivalry got the better of them in Fantastic Four #543!

The FF also has a legendary history with the Hulk, starting with their first face-off in Fantastic Four #12! Much of the rivalry boils down to testing Hulk's strength against the Thing, who's also developed tensions with Wolverine.

Today's issue is where the true bad blood developed between them, but Thing & Wolverine also shared an earlier exchange in Contest of Champions #3, and extended their battles with an all-out war in Wolverine #22!

The overlapping dynamics between all the players on both teams are almost as intriguing as the general parallels between two versions of the FF.

Hulk and Thing are obvious strongmen, but this is a time when Bruce Banner's brilliant mind controls Hulk. His genius rivals Mister Fantastic within his field, while Spider-Man's webs and Ghost Rider's chains loosely approximate his elasticated reach. Ghost Rider's hellfire draws obvious parallel to Human Torch, but as we saw in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #6, its properties are very different.

Spider-Man and Ghost Rider can also roughly approximate the defensive projections of Invisible Woman, but it may be Wolverine who best inverts her role, providing penetrating blades in place of invisible force fields. He can also sniff out any invisibility with his keen senses.

In Wolverine #22 she stopped him cold by blocking his airways, but the same trick didn't work in the alternate reality rematch of What If? Wolverine: Enemy of the State. Sue Storm is on the edge of her Malice personality at this time, so the gloves certainly could come off. We saw her cause a lot of problem for the X-Men as one of Ahab's Hounds in X-Men Annual #14. She was pushed to lethal extremes when defending her family in Fantastic Four (Vol.3) #2, too.

Doctor Strange is here as an astral projection as in Strange Tales #111 and Marvel Adventures #14, but has no magical foe to interact with. That makes Ms. Marvel a bit of an x-factor, adding a second heavyweight to the FF.

Sharon Ventura is a former stuntwoman and Thing's ex-girlfriend who received super-human strength enhancements during her career with Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation. She later mutated into the erstwhile "She-Thing", but was cured of her rocky affliction in Fantastic Four #350. She left the group after they encountered Justice Peace in Fanatstic Four #354, but returned as a mole indebted to Doctor Doom for her cure.

Ms. Marvel is double tough, but will that be enough to tip the scales in favour of the classic Fantastic Four? It's about time we just dived in to find out!

The Tape: Secret Defenders Ranking: Spider-Man (#2)

What Went Down...
Pursued by Skrull adversaries and angry bounty hunters: Johnny Storm has had little time to refresh himself. The scent of the chase betrays him as the keen senses of Wolverine detect the young hero hidden within a decrepit building.

The Secret Defenders don't quite share Spider-Man's understanding. Hulk gives the young hero an ultimatum: walk out with them - or be carried out!

Incensed, but knowing he's clearly outgunned, the Human Torch sends a flare out the window to draw the rest of the searching Fantastic Four to his location. He then bursts into flames, leaping into the air to avoid the lashing chain of Ghost Rider, and stray webs slung by Spider-Man!

The evasive maneuvers give Human Torch a chance to return fire. Shocked that his old friend Spider-Man would betray him, he hurls his flame in the web-slinger's direction. Spidey leaps clear and pleads his case for wanting to help.

Hulk is much less concerned, slamming his hands together to send a shockwave that smothers Johnny's flame and knocks him clean out of the air!

The green goliath looms over a smoldering Johnny Storm, wanting to avoid more mindless fisticuffs. The decision is taken out of his hands as a rocky finger taps his shoulder -- followed with the fist of The Thing against his jade jaw!

The Fantastic Four file into the urban space ready to defend their comrade!

Spider-Man again hopes to talk it out, but Wolverine insists the time for diplomacy has passed. His hostility is met with the pliable, bending body of Mister Fantastic, who stretches around him and vows that Johnny will surrender himself peacefully to the appropriate authorities.

Ghost Rider sees Invisible Woman raising her hands and attempts to intervene, but his shuriken flinging chain hits only the force field she was conjuring up.

Her invisible bubbles also form around Wolverine's clawed fists, defending the malleable body of her husband from any unlikely punctures. The married couple share terse gratitude, their own turmoil simmering behind their teamwork.

Leaping to defend his sister: Human Torch ignites again -- and bathes Ghost Rider in an unrelenting stream of flame!

The mortal burning proves ineffective against one who is already engulfed with the unearthly inferno of hellfire. Ghost Rider explains his non-lethal attack as he stares coldly with the permanent grin of his exposed skull.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man does his best to keep one step ahead of the super-strong fists of Ms. Marvel. She swings wildly, smashing through a support pillar as Spidey pinballs from surface to surface -- and catches her with webs!

Thing ducks a wild left from Hulk, and questions how the former rampaging brute could be anything but understanding of Johnny's current predicament.

Hulk retorts that it's his extensive experiences with collateral damage that drives him to prevent anyone else from repeating his unthinking past!

The Thing connects with a right hand deep in the mid-section, but his low stance leaves him vulnerable to an overhead hammer fist! Hulk's powerful blow knocks Thing clean through the floor and sends him plummeting down multiple levels!

Hulk then sets his sights on Mister Fantastic, who's proven capable of stretching around Wolverine's probing adamantium claws. Hulk's massive hand grips Mister Fantastic by the vest and whips him off like a loose sheet from a bed!

The X-Man is quickly besieged by Invisible Woman, who smashes him with an invisible force field that sends him hurtling backwards through the air. It provokes a rapid response as he rushes back with claws at the ready to test the impenetrability of her famous defenses.

Adamantium barely connects with invisible projection as Thing returns to the battle and grabs Wolverine from behind! He uses his incredible strength to powerslam Wolverine into the ground with a single hand. The mutant reacts!

Animal instinct takes over as Wolverine savagely slashes his adamantium claws towards his attacker! The unrestrained assault sickeningly carves through Thing's rocky face. It's like nothing the travelled hero has ever experienced!

The Thing howls in agony -- clutching at his wounded cheek as his body lurches in shock. The chilling scene snaps Wolverine back to his senses. He searches for reason, knowing he's gone too far. Thing responds with an uncaring fist!

The power of Thing's furious blow sends Wolverine smashing through untold walls as his airborne body careens into another neighbouring building.

Invisible Woman, Ms. Marvel, and Mister Fantastic rush to their teammate's side. Reed ensnares Hulk with his elastic body while desperately declaring Thing needs immediate medical attention.

Only Human Torch continues fighting --  caught in Ghost Rider's otherworldly chain!

The Spirit of Vengeance blames the young hero for the burning of Empire State University -- and the subsequent grim fate that has now befallen The Thing.

The chain squeezes The Torch's throat until his flame subsides. Ghost Rider swats him to the ground with the backhand of his fist, and prepares to unleash the torment of Johnny's own sins with the dreaded penance stare.

Suddenly a blast of energy forces the demonic hero away from his target!

Lyja The Lazerfist arrives just in time to defend her ex-husband -- even though she was one of the Skrulls who started his troubles!

She joins the Fantastic Four as they huddle together, standing back to five other backs, with the Secret Defenders closing in to surround them.

It seems battle is about to begin anew when a blinding light suddenly engulfs the Fantastic Four and their allies!

In the blink of an eye the sextet vanishes! Wolverine's sense of smell confirms they haven't been made invisible by Susan Storm. The sudden disappearance leaves Doctor Strange to contemplate their uncertain fate. An end, of sorts.

The Hammer...
Another famous fight goes on the record! It's reputation is largely built on the face-off between the "New Fantastic Four" and their classic counterparts, and the far reaching consequence of Wolverine's savage lapse of care.

His slash will scar Thing for the next few years, but I wonder how many readers know that the fight actually ended with an inconclusive result. Thing is injured, but still standing at the ready with his team, when the issue comes to an end.

If that wasn't tenacious enough: The next issue reveals the Fantastic Four were transported to the moon base of Uatu, The Watcher. There, Thing almost immediately engages in yet another brawl -- taking a face full of metal fist before he clobbers a rampaging alien robot! That's before he even finds the protective metal helmet he'll be wearing for the next year or so!

Fantastic Four #375 is also where we first witness the gruesome disfigurement of his face. The wound is significant, exposing fleshy tissue along his brow and cheek. It isn't stomach churning on the page, but the reality would seem much more shocking. His helmet was unpopular, but at least protects him.

On the one hand, it's an interesting milestone for the characters involved. On the other, it's surprising that such a consequential event would come from an otherwise typical case of superheroes fighting over a misunderstanding.

The reader certainly knows Johnny Storm hasn't gone rogue. Unlike the catalytic event of Civil War; the Empire State University compound wasn't destroyed by negligence. Johnny wrestled with his actions, fighting as long as he could to give students and faculty a chance to clear the area, before he went nova.

Human Torch's predicament came about as a result of long running plotlines involving Lyja and Paibok. FF #374 is the third issue to deal with the fallout, which highlights a general crisis of conscience that won't plague Wolverine.

I have to think Wolverine expressed a sense of responsibility, if not guilt, at some point in his solo series, or another X-title. I just don't remember it happening. I think it might've been absorbed into more general struggles with his animalistic urges and rage, which became a central plot years later.

The most significant follow-up I can recall is Fantastic Four #395: a 1995 issue that promises "payback" and an epic rematch on the cover, but actually delivers a team-up with Ant-Man, and a burying of the hatchet for Thing and Wolverine.

My best guess is that it remained a one-sided issue because of editorial lines at the time. It seems like an idea initiated by the Fantastic Four office with the intent to tell Fantastic Four stories. The X-offices might've given their blessing, but probably had their hands full with other on-going storylines at the time.

1993 was a pretty big year for Wolverine and the X-Men.

The animated series was on a fast track to becoming a global multimedia phenomenon, and in comics you had long and winding storylines happening every month in Wolverine, X-Men, and Uncanny X-Men. Half a year after this, Fatal Attractions begins, and Wolverine has his own wounds to heal when Magneto strips the adamantium from his skeleton in X-Men #25.

It might've been interesting if Thing got his rematch while Wolverine had bone claws, but the brutality of hero-on-hero violence has already been a little weird.

Keep in mind: this is all happening a decade before Marvel heroes were routinely maiming and killing each other. Breaking Wolverine's claws was a moment reserved instead for an uber-nineties arch-nemesis: the metallic Cyber.

Of course, lets not overlook the 90s saturation of the assembly we have before us. The entire concept of the "New Fantastic Four" feels very much of that time, frivolously throwing together popular characters with almost no natural ties.

I'm actually a fan of the restraint they showed by only featuring this quarter a total of four issues, including this one. That always managed to keep the legend of the "New Fantastic Four" special. Going to that well too many times could've been a little tacky. As it stands, their reunion in Fantastic Four #374 would feel completely perfunctory if it wasn't for the on-going story of Thing's injury.

Sue Storm's extensively derided swimsuit costume also glows with the ills of the era, far more offensively than Mister Fantastic's dubious fishing vest.

There's something to be said for the logic of the outfit being rooted in the encroaching persona of Malice, but I was never the biggest fan of frequenting that idea, either. Not to be confused with the other Malice persona that turns Polaris into a screaming she-devil. We get it, guys... Menstruation!

It doesn't look like this issue is currently available in any collected formats, but you can find the first team-up of Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, and Ghost Rider in the Epic Collection: Fantastic Four - The New Fantastic Four. Use the Amazon link provided for all your shopping and you'll not only get yourself a great deal -- but also support the site at no extra cost!

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Winners: Inconclusive (Draw)
#2 (--) Spider-Man
#4 (--) Wolverine
#6 (--) Hulk
#10 (--) Mister Fantastic
#12 (--) Thing
#13 (--) Human Torch
#14 (--) Invisible Woman
#151 (+16) Ms. Marvel (Sharon Ventura)
#399 (+2) Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch)
#161 (+5) Lyja [+1 assist]