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.

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

MODOK versus ABOMINATION

Yellow Fever?! (Marvel)
Where: Incredible Hulk #288 When: October 1983
Why: Bill Mantlo How: Sal Buscema & Jim Mooney

The Story So Far...
Left adrift in space by the mysterious entity known as Galaxy Master -- Abomination is discovered floating frozen in a block of ice by a passing space shuttle.

Retrieved by the astronauts and returned to Earth, the green gargantuan becomes a sleeping guest of the US military when the gamma-hunting expertise of General Thunderbolt Ross is called upon to deal with the situation.

Anticipating a lapse in the Presidentially pardoned calm of an intelligent Hulk -- Ross commits treason to form a pact with a meddling MODOK in order to turn Abomination into a living contingency. The only problem standing in their way is Abomination's total fear of fighting the Hulk. A fear MODOK intends to beat out of him!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Abomination 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: MODOK 5 (Professor)
Speed: Abomination 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Abomination 6 (Generator)
Agility: Abomination 2 (Average)
Fighting: Abomination 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: MODOK 3 (Explosives)
Total: Abomination 25 (Metahuman)

It's a classic case of brain versus brawn, and although the stats appear to favour muscle in the arena of combat -- that isn't necessarily an accurate indicator when one of these minds belongs to a Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing!

M.O.D.O.K. is a strange looking fellow, but don't let his proportionately tiny limbs fool you into thinking he can't handle himself.

From the massive mind of the man once known as George Tarleton springs forth the most deviously brilliant designs for dominating his foes - backed by an array of mental powers: a little mind control, telekinesis, and deadly brain-blasts!

We saw MODOK's mental beam unleashed against Cable during the pocket universe punch-up of Captain America (Vol.2) #6, and turn heroes against one another in the kid-friendly realm of Marvel Adventures: Avengers #9. The latter - a struggle with consequences that only got weirder from there!

MODOK was created deliberately by Advanced Idea Mechanics to serve as a super-intelligent living computer, but Emil Blonsky was accidentally transformed into the physically powerful living Abomination when he was bombarded with concentrated gamma radiation intended by Bruce Banner for suicide.

From his accident - the Russian saboteur was immediately & permanently mutated into a green-skinned goliath far more grotesque than the Hulk, but also physically stronger, without fluctuating power relative to his moods.

Abomination is famous for going head-to-head with the Hulk, often times leaving him the worse for wear, but that is simply the price for competing with one of the most powerful mortal beings on the Earth! Can MODOK match that?

At the time of today's featured story Abomination is leaving a state of suspended animation, having been floating through space in a chunk of ice. That's bound to take its toll, but it might not have the impact you're expecting...

The Tape: Abomination Ranking: MODOK (#386)

What Went Down...

At the bottom of a dark containment pit lies a whimpering wreck -- a former shell of the monster that was The Abomination!

Above: MODOK activates a control panel with a simple mental command, filling the void with dancing light as he unleashes a crackling forest of energy beams!

The jagged arcs inspire the Abomination to his feet -- terrified of the agony they might unleash. In his fear, he doesn't notice the "plasmifire" cannon lowering from the wall to blast him with searing flame!

Desperately fleeing from the fire, Abomination runs directly into the path of a massive spiked club mounted on a telescopic tentacle.

It rises from the ground and catches the running behemoth with a direct hit. The upward strike knocks Abomination off his thundering feet and into the waiting embrace of a tangle of mechanical tendrils!

The cold metal coils wrap around his body, binding Abomination's mighty form in mid-air and surging it full with electric shocks!

Abomination does not struggle, though. He would rather choose death than living to fight, refusing to invite the pain a life of combat has wrought. A choice MODOK refuses to accept, matching his indifference with the very torture Abomination fears.

Realizing he faces the threat of an endless torture, Abomination rips himself free and asks: "What kind of sadist are you ?!!"

A massive, mechanically reinforced battering ram answers with a mighty slam -- while MODOK's cold, distant voice remains trained on his mission to unlock Abomination's destructive potential so he may avoid fighting his own equal.

The ram slams Abomination against a wall and pins him there, while another metal tendril emerges from a trapdoor in the floor, snaking a laser cannon  toward his helpless person.

A precision beam burns at Abomination's face as he squirms beneath the massive crushing weight of the battering ram.

The clarity of understanding MODOK's mission to turn him loose against AIM, and service a deal with General Ross, inspires Abomination to at last push back against the ram and rip it from its base.

He will smash MODOK's enemies -- as long as he doesn't have to face the Hulk!

In his anxious desperation, Abomination uses the crumpled battering ram to smash the laser and then reduce everything to twisted scrap!

Alone in the middle of the wreckage the monster pleads to fight anyone but the stronger, more savage Hulk. The opponent he cannot win against.

MODOK hovers over his tearful minion and informs him that he will fight the Hulk: "-- And you will triumph over him! Much has changed while you floated frozen in space! The Hulk is dominated by Bruce Banner's mind now!"

If his words failed -- MODOK's mindbeam successfully dominates the tortured Abomination, driving him to agonized knees. He cries "NO!" to deaf ears as his new master callously commits him to the very thing he fears most.

The Hammer...

This is much less a fight than a total domination of body and spirit. MODOK is like a well resourced little league father, pushing Abomination to absolute breaking point in pursuit of unleashing the destructive potential he's holding back.

It's an interesting scenario all around. A contextual rethink of The Abomination, who perhaps remains the greatest equal sparring partner for Hulk, but is also therefore destined to face recurring defeat, pitted against his nemesis all over again in the endless dance of classic comic book arch-rivalries.

Abomination was left adrift in the cold of space after his most recent defeat in Incredible Hulk #270. Retrieved by astronauts, and thawed from a block of ice by MODOK and General Ross, he's now subject to a conceptual shakeup, developing the unlikeliest of inverse characteristics to the Hulk's rage-induced strength -- he's controlled by fear.

More accurately: Abomination appears to be in the grip of a crippling anxiety, perhaps brought on by post-traumatic stress rather than simple performance anxiety. A predicament that makes this issue read quite modern, not that the substance of such maladies were completely unknown to 1983, or earlier. It's just treated with a great deal of understanding, presenting Abomination not just as a pathetic figure for derision, but as a mistreated soul, tortured by unreasonable expectation, and the callous, selfish indifference of agencies neglecting a duty of care for their own self-interest.

Bill Mantlo's script marries these everyday issues with the explosive, big action you expect of superhero comic books, serving psychological torture with a healthy helping of explosions and lasers. A palatable way of digesting heavy, psychological subject that is otherwise the bedrock of Incredible Hulk comics.

Admittedly, it's a bit of an atypical place to start with Abomination, whose only prior appearance on the site was an inter-company cameo menacing Elektra and Catwoman, but in truth his journey has actually come to have many of these kinds of detours, and I fully intend to look closer at more of his exploits.

This entry also goes some small way to challenging the modern conception of MODOK. Known for the unusual appearance of a large floating head with tiny limbs, we've seen MODOK be a subject for comedy, but here we're reminded that MODOK is also a force to be reckoned with, capable of defeating powerful foes!

Who will he dominate next? Follow links throughout this post to connect with more entries from your favourite characters -- or dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fight articles in order of publisher, series, and issue.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured more than 650 comic book battles and ranked well over 1,000 characters! If you've found something interesting and want to help the list continue to grow - considering becoming a supporter on Patreon. In addition to

You can get daily links to superhero smackdown inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing on Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to like, fave, and share posts, and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday!

Winner: MODOK
#132 (+254) MODOK
#627 (-179) Abomination

VENOM versus SPIDER-MAN

Maximum Carnage, Part Five: Over The Line! (Marvel)
Where: Spectacular Spider-Man #201 When: June 1993 Why: JM DeMatteis How: Sal Buscema

The Story So Far...
Cletus Kasady has re-bonded with the Carnage symbiote and escaped the Ravencroft maximum security facility in a violent slaughter that spills into New York City! There he finds an adopted family of killers to take the massacre city-wide: Shriek, Doppelganger, and the Demogoblin!

After failing to stop them alone: Venom sought to rekindle a desperate alliance with his old enemy, Spider-Man -- but not even a team-up with Black Cat and the vengeful Cloak could stop the destruction! Now the heroes are fighting just to survive as a Manhattan Warehouse burns around them!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Venom 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Spider-Man 5 (Professor)
Speed: Spider-Man 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Spider-Man 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Venom 2 (Projectiles)
Total: Spider-Man 29 (Metahuman)

The fallout from Chapter Four has left our heroes worse for wear, and at each other's throats, as Maximum Carnage continues!

Carnage and his adopted family of demented killers have been left to continue unabated after triggering a dramatic warehouse explosion -- and that's enough to strain the unlikely alliance between Venom and Spider-Man!

Die hard fight fans might want to skip ahead to coverage of Chapter Six, because this isn't really a battle on the same level as their classic clash in Amazing Spider-Man #347, or even the more obscure Spider-Man Family #2.

Venom has been drastically weakened by the symbiote's vulnerability to fire, and Spidey's mind is on rescuing Black Cat from the burning warehouse wreckage.

For a self-professed "Lethal Protector" like Eddie Brock it's difficult to accept that Spider-Man would choose rescuing an ally over stopping the murder spree that could continue at the hands of Carnage and his crew.

Venom's skewed sense of justice has pitted him against various heroes and would-be allies over the years, such as Ghost Rider, Iron Man, and even DC's Superman. With an old enemy like Peter Parker an alliance is extra dicey, and his sense of responsibility for the creation of Carnage makes it all the more personal!

History: Spider-Man (1-0-1)

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

What Went Down...

The alien symbiote drips from Eddie Brock's body like a thick ooze as he struggles to crawl through the broken beams & boarding of an unknown rock band's burning storage warehouse.

The massive fire drastically weakens the living costume that supplies Venom with his powers, but still he furiously compels Spider-Man to leave the inferno and resume pursuit of Carnage and his cadre of killers.

Spidey feels confident enough to leave Venom to fend for himself, while he goes deeper into the wreckage to rescue Black Cat from certain immolation!

Brock crawls his way out of the burning building, desperately attempting not to save his own life but those of countless others who might be killed by Carnage.

The crawl becomes a stumble as Brock rises to his feet - only to collapse back down into near unconsciousness as the building behind him explodes!

With Black Cat safely under his arm, Spider-Man soon arrives upon Eddie Brock: face down and motionless with tar-like strips strewn across his body.

They slowly begin to thicken as the symbiote revivifies and Venom regains his strength.

Spidey gently helps a rattled Black Cat to the ground, while Venom rises to his feet, suddenly enveloped in his customary black costume. He asks about Spider-Man's success stopping Carnage -- and doesn't like the answer he gets.

Incensed by Spider-Man's refusal to leave Black Cat to "roast" -- Venom lunges at his temporary ally with talon-like claws narrowly missing his injured ribs!

They question each other's sanity and ethics, with Spider-Man deeming a decision to leave either of his allies to die tantamount to murder. It's a prospect that inspires violent ideas for reprisal in the dual minds of Venom.

Black Cat enters the fray to cool things down: "You're really a piece of work, Brock! You get mad at the spider for saving me -- then waste time trying to bash his head in, while those maniacs get farther and farther away!"

The wake-up call steers Venom's rage towards the Cat, but what bruises his ego most is that she's absolutely right. The real enemy is Carnage.

The Hammer...

The tension is ratcheting up, but I think it's fair to say this wasn't much of a fight. Venom threw the only actual punch, and the rest is verbal sparring and philosophical differences. A non-starter ended by everyone getting back on the same page -- kinda...

You might've expected Black Cat to be the hero who calls it quits after a building collapsed on her, but it's actually Spider-Man who decides the alliance isn't working out for him. He simply cannot reconcile with the cutthroat tactics Venom demands -- and Black Cat is agreeing with.

After berating her former squeeze for treating her like a lowly damsel needing rescue; Cat further chides him for choosing her life over the countless lives Carnage could already be taking elsewhere in the city.

It's a moral split that actually sees an irate Black Cat following Venom back into battle, despite a violent history together, and his total willingness to throw her life away.

The duo will reconvene with Cloak on Fifth Avenue, where arriving mere minutes after reports of Carnage's rampage will mean more lives lost to the senseless slaughter.

So far every chapter of Maximum Carnage has featured one or more big battles, but Part Five sadly scales back the serious superhero smackdown right as master of action Sal Buscema joins the party! What we're left with is a couple of short skirmishes and near misses, but there was no way I was going to skip this issue!

Spectacular Spider-Man #201 ignites the fire of the crossover by following up the explosive previous chapter with a heavy sense of consequence and drama.

The issue might see heroes and villains returning to their respective corners, but there's no shortage of action and excitement. In fact, this always struck me as one of the most impactful issues of the Maximum Carnage crossover.

It seemed like Venom and Black Cat were going to tip the scales back in favour of the good guys, but all they really did was accumulate more injuries.

The issue announces its drama with the very first page: A surprisingly cinematic opening, despite its use of a traditional 9 panel grid.

On either side of Page 1 is a column of three panels, each showing an intense close-up of a roaring inferno. They're interspersed with discrete narration boxes for creator credits. Buscema's inks generate a sense of violent animation, given blistering heat by colorist Bob Sharen's use of vivid yellows, orange, and white.

Down the centre of the page are three claustrophobic mugshots: our heroes -- each showing distinct signs of distress!

If the cliffhanger of Black Cat's torn glove poking out of warehouse wreckage got your mind racing at the end of the previous issue -- her wide-eyed grimace, face pouring with sweat, makes the danger all the more personal, and kicks the drama up a whole extra level right on Buscema's first page!

Below the cat is Venom: mouth agape, with symbiote bleeding away to reveal Eddie Brock's barely open right eye. The salivating, bulging monster responsible for so much terror in previous Spider-Man stories is gone -- reduced to a pathetic mortal barely able to act. The situation is real bad for the good guys.

Something about the destruction of that warehouse, and seeing our heroes in such a vulnerable and battered state was arresting. Spidey is already nursing busted ribs from Chapter One, which were aggravated in Chapter Two. That was also the battle that appeared to claim the life of Dagger, which we learn has left Cloak experiencing bouts of dizziness and weakness.

There's an obvious physical toll mounting throughout each issue, but the mental strain is showing, too. That will continue to permeate the story as the heroes endure further punishment, and New York City itself becomes engulfed in violent madness as Carnage's killing spree inspires a wave of likeminded acts.

When I was doing my best to cobble the event together from newsstands back in 1993 -- this was the issue that convinced me it was a story unlike most from Marvel. I didn't have the frame of reference back then, but it strikes me that the format is similar to the saga structures more common in Shonen Jump manga. There's a late era Dragon Ball Z vibe to the weight of temporary defeat, inter-personal drama, and city-wide destruction the heroes will later discover.

We love blockbuster superhero fights on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths, but to put it all into perspective, it helps to take stock of the little battles, as well. Today's skirmish provides context for future installments, while also reminding us that the classic Venom/Spidey rivalry doesn't always erupt into a fight to the death.

If you crave a more substantial struggle -- we've got you covered! You can find well over 600 featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number by diving in to the Secret Archive! Or follow links throughout this post to uncover key issues and specific topics relevant to your interests.

You can get ahead of the reading and see the whole thing for yourself by picking up a collected edition of the Maximum Carnage storyline. By using Amazon links provided to do any of your online shopping you'll not only get a convenient deal, but also be supporting the site at no extra cost!

If you're a real true believer you can support the project directly by becoming a Patreon subscriber for as little as $1 a month!Your contribution will help the site (and me) continue to thrive. As a thank you you'll gain access to extra updates, polls, and the chance to sponsor future articles!

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Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#2 (--) Spider-Man
#16 (--) Venom (Symbiote)
#50 (--) Venom (Eddie Brock)
#136 (+2) Black Cat [+1 assist]

LADY DEATHSTRIKE versus WOLVERINE & VINDICATOR

Honor (Marvel)
Where: Alpha Flight #34 When: May 1986
Why: Bill Mantlo How: Sal Buscema & Gerry Talaoc

The Story So Far...
Things have never gone smoothly when Heather Hudson and the man called Logan have got together. It all goes back to their first encounter - when the Wolverine roamed the Canadian wilderness naked and savage.

Back then, Logan had just escaped the Weapon X Project that laced his bones with unbreakable metal -- and when Heather saw the pain his mutant claws caused while attacking -- she and her husband James chose to help him. Their kindness helped nurse him back to humanity, forging a complex, lifelong friendship.

With her husband now dead, Heather has inherited his mantle as the battle-suited super-heroine Vindicator: leader of Alpha Flight! Hoping her old friend can teach her a thing or two about being a leader, she flies to New York.The pair are quick to reminisce about old times, but the thing about the past is that sometimes it can come back to bite you! Weapon X may have been a long time ago, but its legacy is about to draw a deadly new threat their way!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Lady Deathstrike 4 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Wolverine 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Lady Deathstrike 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Lady Deathstrike 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Vindicator 5 (Lasers)


Unfinished business! It's what motivates todays feature fight within the context of the story -- and in our spotlight of it! Long ago we touched on a movie version of our feature villain. Now its finally time to examine the real deal!

Lady Deathstrike was once Yuriko Oyama: daughter to World War II kamikaze pilot-turned wealthy industrialist Kenji Oyama, aka; Lord Dark Wind.

For a time, Yuriko hated her father for his fanatical, shame-fuelled quest to restore honor to post-war Japan. His obsession had led him to ritualistically scar the faces of his three offspring, and ultimately cost the lives of Yuriko's two brothers - killed during a failed political assassination attempt.

When Lord Dark Wind discovered a process for bonding adamantium metal to the bones of soldiers, he used the technique to enhance renowned assassin Bullseye. To thwart her father's scheme, Yuriko betrayed her father by aiding Daredevil. When Lord Dark Wind threatened Daredevil's life in dishonorable combat, Yuriko was finally spurred to kill her father with a sword to the back. An act that also led her lover to commit suicide over the death of his master.

Surviving her family; Yuriko accepted the burden of her father's legacy. Her first task was to seek out Bullseye for failing to pay for his augmentation. When she sought to track his unique adamantium skeleton, Yuriko instead discovered Wolverine - mutant whose skeleton was laced with adamantium by Weapon X.

Believing Wolverine to be the recipient of her father's ill gotten procedure, she is honor bound to reclaim the metal at all cost! Thus, Yuriko begins a blood feud that would forever change her life - assuming the mantle of Lady Deathstrike!

Contrary to that movie version mentioned earlier [see; X-Men 2], Deathstrike is not a mutant. Her famed metal talons are a result of a cyborg implant process -- symbol of her dedication to fighting Wolverine. Today's feature fight finds Lady Deathstrike before her dramatic transformation.

She still commands an unbreakable electro-magnetically tempered sword, and an army of highly trained swordsmen. This means Deathstrike can match Wolverine's augmented metal claws - and his innate skills as a fighter! Good thing he has back-up!

Heather Hudson is the power-suited Canadian hero called Vindicator. Her battle suit grants increased strength, flight, concussive blasts, forcefield, and an array of nuanced abilities that make her a formidable ally!

The only data for Vindicator we have comes from an alternate reality where she succumbed to the Wendigo curse [Exiles #31]. Rest assured: she should help even the playing field against Deathstrike's samurai horde. Not that Wolverine hasn't faced his fair share of overwhelming odds!

In the past we've seen Wolverine slice up The Hellfire Club [X-Men #133], dice with the Shi'ar Imperial Guard [New X-Men #124], rip through The Hand [Wolverine #20, New Avengers #27], torture the Fantastic Four [Wolverine #22], and vex the X-Men [Wolverine #25]! He's even matched the martial skill of Daredevil [Wolverine #24], survived the sword of Blade [Blade #5], and cut the Silver Samurai down to size [Wolverine #37]! Good indications this fight is well in hand. That's our cue to stop speculating and see how it goes!

History: Wolverine (1-0-0)
The Tape: Wolverine Ranking: Wolverine (#4)

What Went Down...
In a Westchester County wood, an army of samurai assassins stand poised with swords drawn. They await the order of their fearless leader: Lady Deathstrike!

The Japanese warrior has come to New York to accuse Wolverine of obtaining his adamantium skeleton through ill gotten means. It's pure chance that he's flanked by Heather Hudson: the woman who discovered him naked and savage not long after escaping the Weapon X metal-bonding process!

A crash course in Deathstrike's personal history leads Hudson to realize the horrible truth -- the accusations are true! Not that it matters. Wolverine won't give up his bones without a fight - and Vindicator won't let anyone hurt him!

Electro-magnetic force-bursts beam from The Vindicator suit's gauntlets to the bodies of Oyama samurai! Deathstrike orders her horde kill the Canadian heroine on the way to their target. Her father's swordsmen leap to comply!

With a single wild swing - Wolverine disarms an attacking samurai and slashes his claws across his middle. The backhand could've easily disemboweled the samurai, but Wolverine is exercising restraint. Retracting his claws at the last moment enough to spare the soldier's life.

Vindicator takes her combat cues from the honorable X-Man, who suggests they take to the trees, rather than engage in a front assault. She flies skyward, while the clawed mutant blends in with the forest. A short-lived obscurity thanks to wristbands that detect his adamantium bones.

A samurai closes in on a tree, preparing to attack the mutant behind it -- but Wolverine is lost in the limbs above! He drops -- slashing at the back of his hunter's helmet and neck! A knock-out blow -- but still the shuriken fly!

With no one emerging from the forest, Vindicator realizes she's been led astray by her protective friend. She glides back across the canopy, firing blasts as the scattered swordsmen below. Their armor provides little defense.

Two more samurai happen upon Wolverine elsewhere in the wood. He swings his claws, shattering a projectile weapon with ease. Moving in to closer quarters, his adamantium claws make light work of their swords, too!

Lady Deathstrike bares witness to the impressive feat, but warns her opponent he'll find her sword is made of stronger metal. They cross blades -- an all mighty "ktlang" ringing out as sword collides with claw!

Deadly throwing stars and chain darts collide with Vindicator's hi-tech suit force-shield. She has little to fear from their antiquated weapons -- returning fire with her protected body acting as an airborne battering ram!

Across the wood, Lady Deathstrike demonstrates the strength of her sword -- an electro-magnetically tempered blade invented by her father. It collides with Wolverine's adamantium consequence free -- and effortlessly slices through tree bark in a single cut!

Wolverine contemplates the samurai code of an honorable kill versus the X-Men code of non-lethal violence. He wishes his mutant friends were there to help him. As he does, another ally comes into view in the skies above: Puck - behind the wheel of the Alpha Flight Omniship!

Searching for the electro-magnetic signature of Vindicator's suit, Puck zeroes in instead on Lady Deathstrike's sword! Spotting the clearing made by the weapon, he pilots the Omniship on collision course -- recognizing his former teammate Wolverine too late to avoid hitting him!

Deathstrike demonstrates the cutting power of her sword, dragging it through the underside of the aircraft! Puck ejects to safety, leaving it to careen into a crash landing -- the sound of which alerts Vindicator.

Lady Deathstrike looms over a toppled Wolverine, preparing to cut the bones from his living body. So focused - she doesn't notice the red and white human-missile coming for her!

The high velocity impact sends Lady Deathstrike flying across the battlefield into a nearby oak. Her armor absorbed the brunt of both blows, allowing her to immediately rise to challenge the battlesuit tech of Vindicator!

Wolverine and Puck recover in time to watch in horror the deadly swordswoman swing her electro-magnetized blade at Vindicator's body!

Fortunately, the electro-magnetic force-shield holds against Lord Dark Wind's electro-tempered blade! It shatters on impact -- along with Lady Deathstrike's plans to claim Wolverine's adamantium -- for now...

The Hammer...
Victory belongs to Vindicator and Wolverine who share the hard fought win! Vindicator had the honor of defeating the villainess, but Wolverine had his share of beating her samurai army, as well.

As a matter of housekeeping, I'm throwing an assist on Puck. Not for helping his Alpha Flight buddies, but for mistakenly helping Lady Deathstrike by driving an aircraft into the back of Wolverine's skull! In his defense: "It was dark." Yeah... Thanks heaps, bub.

It's been fun to cross the border to register an issue of Canada's premier super-team book, but as I made clear in The Tape [above] -- what I'm really excited about is finally delivering on Lady Deathstrike!

When it comes to arch-nemeses: Wolverine's bad guys are inevitably lining up behind Sabretooth. It's a tough ask to compete with the perfect match of mutant powered savagery, and inter-twined backstory. It's been personal for a very long time between those two, fuelling compelling tooth and nail battles rooted in character-centric hatreds.

There are a small handful of villains vying for second place in Wolverine's list of enemies. Matters of exclusivity and longevity will vary. I'd stop short of boldly declaring Lady Deathstrike #2, but you could reasonably make arguments for it.

Magneto may've actually stripped the metal from Wolverine's bones, but their rivalry was never as personal as it was with Lady Deathstrike. For her, that adamantium represents a deep psychic wound. A living reminder of a slight against her family's honor and legacy. An insult that cuts through her blood.

Admittedly, many of the things that make Lady Deathstrike a personal favourite are absent from this early appearance. You'll note from the mugshot used that there's an iconic transformation yet to be made in Alpha Flight #34. This issue merely stablishes the groundwork for the feud, but not the fight itself. Deathstrike would put down the sword shortly after this defeat -- becoming the sword herself through an extreme process. The transformation happens in an '86 issue of Uncanny X-Men that we'll look closer at some time soon.

Once Deathstrike has the claws and metal, she's every bit the physical threat of Sabretooth. Like Victor Creed, she also tugs at Wolverine's troubled history -- both his reluctant submission to the Weapon X program, and his ties to Japan.

These two factors are an intertwining conflict of the soul. Adamantium bones were something that was inflicted upon Wolverine, yet his time spent in Japan informs an understanding of the value system that Lady Deathstrike pursues. From a certain perspective, Deathstrike is acting as protagonist fighting to right a perceived wrong. In this respect, she's almost the inverse of Sabretooth.

Of course, the joy of Lady Deathstrike's obsessed blood feud with Wolverine falls away a little when you remember it came about completely by accident.

It's a little bit of a stretch to believe Yuriko would take up her father's cause after the resolution Daredevil story. If nothing else, there's at least a nice layer of pathos to becoming the thing she hates, and being beholden to Lord Dark Wind, even after his death. If only she ever remembered to go after the guy who actually stole adamantium from her family: Bullseye!

Granted, nobody wants to see Bullseye taken off the board. It's just a little silly that Deathstrike accidentally found Wolverine -- and completely forgot about the guy who deliberately dishonored her family in much the same way.

I'm not sure the Deathstrike/Bullseye rivalry has ever been fully explored in the years since. In 2015, Brian Cronin singled out the topic for his column on CBR, noting that they were teamed together with The Thunderbolts during Civil War!

In the absence of good references, we can assume there may have been unseen restitution and/or professional agreements between the two. It's still a wrinkle that could be very satisfying to see addressed if the opportunity arose, though. A crossfire for Daredevil to get caught between, should the opportunity for a few fun, easy to read issues ever arise.

That about brings us to the end of our entry. Before we go, I really must draw your attention to the cover of Alpha Flight #34. It's a pretty fantastic, early example of Mike Mignola before the heavy blacks and slumped poses have become trademark. You can see his strength for dramatic, epic staging, though. The pile of armored samurai look great - and the heroes look great on top of them! I still love that brown Wolverine costume!

We'll probably be talking a bit about the costume in Hero of the Week when we get the chance. February on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has been all about Wolverine in honor of the theatrical release of Logan - March 3rd!

If you'd like to find more feature fights like this, follow-ups, or involving the same characters - be sure to follow links throughout the post, or search by series in the Issue Index Archive! Seen something you like? Be sure to tell a friend, like & share via Facebook and Twitter, and or leave a comment!

Winners: Vindicator & Wolverine
#4 (--) Wolverine
#91 (+145) Vindicator (Heather Hudson)
#514 (new) Puck [+1 assist]
#836 (-279) Lady Deathstrike