Warning: Minor SPOILERS for Weapon H #6 & #7
He may be a violent hybrid, but the Hulverine is enough of a hero to land Captain America as a partner. Judging by the cover artwork and plot synopses for Marvel’s Weapon H series from Greg Pak, at least.
After being created in a lab as the perfect case of scientists asking whether or not they could and not if they should, life hasn’t been easy for the soldier formerly known as Clay. Stalked both by those he crosses and the secretive groups that claim him as property, he shares more than DNA with Hulk and Wolverine.
Apparently, that also includes calling Steve Rogers a friend. Well… let’s just go with “an ally” for now.
If fans have missed out on the Weapon H series and the Hulkverine so far, it’s time to catch up. After snapping in combat and wiping out his own unit, Clay (surname revoked thus far) was claimed to have been killed, and used as a test tube. The question: what happens when you give somebody the instincts and claws of Wolverine… in the body of the Incredible Hulk? The answer is where the whole comic run comes in. But it’s the kind of ludicrous thinking that only a twisted, vile, and heavily-funded version of the Weapon X Program could think up.
Thankfully, there’s more to Clay’s apparent treason than first appeared - meaning the powers of the Hulkverine have accidentally been entrusted to a man with a hero’s heart - whether or not Clay wants to admit it. But that will come in handy when he faces off against the US Government’s greatest success, otherwise known as Captain America. Their meeting looks to be a little heated in Issue #6 (take a look at the header art for proof), but by the next issue, the cover art by Philip Tan suggests Cap and Clay may join forces against a common foe.
The solicit text singles out these monsters as Skrullduggers, “Dragon monsters with Skrull shape-shifting powers, obviously.” so any fans intrigued by the premise of a Hulkverine-Cap team up, but worried their enemy would be bland or pedestrian can rest easy.
The initial teases of a Hulk/Wolverine hybrid character was accused by some as a marketing ploy cooked up to grab attention, and little else. And to be honest, the synopsis’ closing tease - “Who’s gonna buy this book? YOU!” - won’t disarm those arguments. But to say the same now would be discounting Clay’s own story, even as much a throwback to the origins of Logan or Hulk as they may be.
Whether the novelty will last, now that Wolverine’s Son is a wandering Venom, and the original Wolverine is returning to life… remains to be seen. But for the time being, Marvel has a point: who DOESN’T want to see Captain America and the Hulkverine leap into combat together?
Weapon H #6 releases on August 15 from Marvel Comics.
MORE: Wolverine’s New Power is Too Mature For Movies
