In the June 2021 PlayStation showcase, Marvel fans were elated to see the reveal that Insomniac Games, the studio behind the successful Marvel's Spider-Man franchise, will be releasing Marvel's Wolverine in the future. The brief trailer, which features a casually dressed Logan sitting at a bar amongst the aftermath of a melee, only offered a small glimpse into what Insomniac has planned. From the setting of the bar to a small Hulk easter egg, many believe that the Hulk will make an appearance in the upcoming game, but there's reason to believe that it wouldn't be the usual Jade Giant persona. Instead, perhaps his gray-skinned, pinstripe suit-wearing alter ego Joe Fixit will appear.
In the Wolverine trailer, a sign above Logan reads "The Princess Bar," which is a place located in the fictional Asian country of Madripoor. In the late '80s, as the world had thought the X-Men to be dead, Logan spent a significant amount of time in the country of Madripoor. During his time there, he did not go by the name of Wolverine but rather adopted a new name and identity: Patch. He worked undercover to investigate the city’s seedy underbelly of Madripoor’s Lowtown area. Joe Fixit is actually also no stranger to Madripoor either. In Wolverine Vol. 2 issues #7 and #8, Joe Fixit was featured in the series when he came to town.
Joe Fixit was a version of the Hulk persona created by Peter David and debuted in Incredible Hulk #347. David focused on Bruce Banner’s many personas, and Joe Fixit represented Banner’s darker thoughts. Joe Fixit was different from the familiar Savage Hulk in a number of ways. Firstly, Joe Fixit was much more cognitively aware, morally dubious, and manipulative. He was often considered weaker than Savage Hulk, but in reality, he was just more in control. Joe Fixit was also grey-skinned, much more like Stan Lee's original incarnation of The Incredible Hulk. He’s also fondly remembered for his pinstriped suit. One significant difference is that rage was not what brought out Fixit, but rather he would be brought out at nightfall to further represent the “dark side” metaphor.
Marvel's Wolverine Game: Joe Fixit Has A Connection To Madripoor
As Joe Fixit, Hulk worked for boss Michael Berengetti as an enforcer in Las Vegas. Fixit has been sent out to Madripoor as a favor from his boss to another. Once there Logan as his Patch persona manipulates the Hulk into trashing the operations of General Nguyen Coy, an antagonist of the series. Joe Fixit has a moral code of not getting involved with certain criminal enterprises, so Patch must manipulate Fixit into doing so. He does this by using Fixit’s impulsivity against himself via a series of practical jokes. At the end of the story, Joe Fixit, now on a plane out of town, realizes he was tricked by Patch just in time to turn back into Bruce Banner at sunrise.
Given the shared history of Hulk and Wolverine, many would not be surprised to see Hulk’s appearance in the upcoming game. Wolverine was actually first introduced in Incredible Hulk #181 by Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and John Romita Sr. If the upcoming game is truly going to take place in Madripoor, then it makes sense to feature a team-up between Wolverine and the Joe Fixit persona instead. That was where they teamed up in comics, after all. Insomniac Games has yet to reveal many details about Marvel's Wolverine, so fans will just have to wait and see.