52 Years Ago an Iconic X-Men Debuted and He’s Still the Best There Is at What He Does

The X-Men are one of Marvel’s most popular properties, and their biggest X-Man is most definitely Wolverine. After all, he’s the best he is at what he does, and he’s more than proven that over the years. He’s easily the most popular mutant around, having broken through the X-barrier that usually holds most of his teammates back. See, while most X-Men stay as X-Men with brief stints of working with other heroes, Wolverine can slot into any group or team-up and never feel out of place. He’s been on the X-Men, Avengers, Midnight Suns, and even the Fantastic Four. Wolverine has become a cornerstone of Marvel, and today, we celebrate fifty-two years of him being the best he is at what he does.

However, Wolverine didn’t start as a superstar. In fact, he wasn’t even introduced as an X-Man. Wolverine actually debuted in Incredible Hulk #181, with a brief cameo in the previous issue. He was initially imagined as a Canadian agent to go up against the Jade Giant, which was the start of one of Marvel’s most enduring rivalries. Today, we’re taking a look at how Wolverine and the Hulk have battled over the years, and how much our feral friend has changed in that time. Without further ado, let’s slice into this.

From a One-Off Threat to a Legendary Hero

Nowadays, Wolverine is well known for having one of the most frequently retconned origins of all time. It seems like every writer likes to travel back to his origins, particularly with the Weapon X program, to make it even more horrific than before. He’s a man who has lived for over two hundred years, having fought in every major North American conflict during that time, and interacted with practically every hero and villain at some point. Heck, he fought alongside Captain America in World War II and knew Spider-Man’s parents, for Pete’s sake. Different writers have even argued over whether or not he’s a mutant. David Cockrum and Chris Claremont even originally planned to reveal that he was a literal wolverine-turned-human by the High Evolutionary.

As complicated as Wolverine’s origins are today, his debut was shockingly simple. He wasn’t even a mutant, and his famous claws were attached to his gloves instead of his skeleton. Co-creator Len Wein even envisioned him as a young man, which is funny to think about, given how much being old is a core part of his personality. Funnily enough, Wolverine’s personality has changed the least over the years. He’s always been abrasive, quick-tempered, and ready to take on foes way outside his weight class. He’s definitely mellowed out and become wiser over the years, but the Wolverine of today still acts like the Wolverine of yesterday.

The Strongest There Is Versus the Best There Is

Given that Wolverine debuted to battle the Hulk, it only makes sense that they’ve maintained a powerful rivalry over the years. Their initial fight was all about speed versus power. Not even Wolverine’s Adamantium claws could pierce Hulk’s skin, so he tried to slowly tear away at Hulk’s stamina and use his own strength against him, dodging every blow. In the end, it only took a single hit from Hulk to put Wolverine down for good. His healing factor didn’t exist until years later, and the Hulk himself was certainly much weaker in these early adventures. Today, their fights tend to play out a little differently.

Hulk and Wolverine’s battles are much bloodier and much more brutal than when they started. Wolverine’s claws can definitely pierce the Hulk now, and stabbing the Green Behemoth in the brain is just about his only win condition. Wolverine takes a lot more blows now, given that he can heal from any damage the Hulk can deal, but the Hulk has his own healing factor that can even bring him back from the dead. Whenever these two fight, it’s a no-holds-barred brawl with viscera flying everywhere. 

In a sense, the evolution of Wolverine and Hulk’s battles represents just how much Marvel has changed over the years. Modern comics are much grander in scale and far more focused on action than excessive narration. Power scaling has forced every hero and villain to evolve to a whole new level, with both of the combatants being on a completely different scale than ever before. These two’s rivalry has gotten bigger, too, as they have a lot more emotions tied to their battles. Hulk and Wolverine represent the growth of Marvel as a whole, and their constant battles are sure to give us even more glances into how Marvel operates over the next fifty-two years.

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