Hugh Jackman confidently says his Wolverine would beat Mark Ruffalo's Hulk in a fight. Jackman first stepped into the role of Wolverine for 2000's X-Men, thus setting off a truly impressive run that lasted until 2017. In fact, Jackman holds the record for the longest stint playing a Marvel superhero. Jackman last played Wolverine in Logan, a haunting and emotional film that many saw as the perfect send-off for the character. However, some would still like to see him return, but despite Ryan Reynolds' best efforts, Jackman remains firm in his decision to leave Wolverine behind.
Ruffalo, meanwhile, joined the MCU as Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, in 2012's The Avengers. The character was previously played by Edward Norton, but following disputes with Marvel, Norton stepped away from the role. Ruffalo has played Bruce in six MCU films (including post-credits scenes), and there's a chance he will reprise the role for the Disney+ series She-Hulk. Despite reports that Ruffalo had officially signed onto the series, he confirmed back in April that talks were still ongoing. There have been no further updates since then.
Jackman recently sat down with Sirius XM (via ComicBook.com) to discuss a whole host of topics, from his feud with Reynolds to his Emmy-nominated role in Bad Education. Jackman is up for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, and Ruffalo is one of his opponents, having been nominated for HBO's I Know This Much Is True. Inevitably, conversation turned to how the two Marvel actors are going up against each other for the award, and Jackman had to insist Wolverine would beat the Hulk:
But Wolverine would beat him for sure let’s just be very clear…. I don’t know if you know this but The Wolverine actually appeared first in a Hulk comic. He was like a last page, some guy coming so it was The Hulk series he appeared so that’s sort of where that feud came from and then Wolverine sort of took on this whole life so I’m sure The Hulk is very jealous.
Back in April, Ruffalo said he would be very interested in seeing Hulk and Wolverine team up somehow. Honestly, though, who wouldn't? The two are very powerful, though their opposing personalities would probably cause some friction. As for who would actually win in a fight between the two, it's hard to deny that Hulk has a bit of an upper hand here thanks to his size and strength. On the other, Wolverine has healing powers, which means he could get back up and fight. It might be hard to declare a true winner here.
Sadly, however, it seems unlikely that the two will cross paths onscreen. While the MCU is looking to reboot the X-Men and could end up recasting Wolverine, Ruffalo's Hulk is definitely on his way out. Instead, She-Hulk could meet the new X-Men once they arrive within the MCU. It's not quite what Jackman and Ruffalo were probably envisioning, but it still could be rather fun.
Source: Sirius XM (via ComicBook.com)