The Hulk and Wolverine have given readers some of the most epic fights in Marvel Comics history, but in a universe where Logan finally kills the Jade Giant, he suffers a devastating death at the hands of Magneto. In What If...? #31, Wolverine's life after killing the Hulk ends in dramatic fashion, as Magneto uses his powers to direct the mutant's claws at his own neck - resulting in the antihero's death.
Wolverine and the Hulk will always be connected, as the latter first appeared in Incredible Hulk #181 by Len Wein, John Romita, and Roy Thomas. In their very first encounter, the pair battled with The Wendigo before turning their focus to each other. Over the years, Wolverine and Hulk have come to blows many times, whether that's in the main Marvel Universe, in the Ultimate Universe, or inside the mind of the Jade Giant's Engine Room. However, in a world where the Hulk never survived their first encounter, Wolverine suffered one of his most shocking deaths.
In What If...? #31 by Rich Margopoulos, Bob Budiansky, Mike Esposito, Bob Sharen, and Karin Nemri, Marvel asked, "What If Wolverine Killed The Hulk?" In the comic, Wolverine disobeys orders to bring Hulk in safely and uses his claws and rage to kill him. In his new origin, Wolverine later loses control at a bar and kills several humans. On the run from the law, Wolverine s Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants. Wolverine s the X-Men to sabotage the group for Magneto's attack, but when he falls for Jean Grey, he becomes a problem to the villain. In response, when Magneto and the Brotherhood attack the X-Men, he uses his powers to impale Wolverine with his claws. Magneto dies using the last bit of his powers to cause Wolverine's death.
The comic shows that while Wolverine was always meant to be a hero, his life changed forever by killing the Hulk. It led him down a darker path, before he realized that taking out the X-Men was a mistake. Ultimately, Wolverine decided to defend his friends, leading to his grizzly death at the hands of Magneto.
The "What If Wolverine Killed The Hulk?" story served the comic's format perfectly, as it reimagined what would happen if Wolverine killed the Hulk. The answer? Logan would have a much different fate that ended with his own death. Thankfully for Wolverine, the version of his past never happened and Magneto never turned his claws into a weapon against him. It doesn't make it any less of a brutal death, however.
