Marvel and Disney to collaborate on What if…? Donald Duck Became Wolverine, celebrating anniversary of both characters
Marvel and Disney, two of the biggest names in pop culture, will soon collaborate to celebrate a one-of-a-kind event celebrating the anniversaries of Donald Duck and Wolverine.
It will be done by releasing Marvel & Disney: What if…? Donald Duck Became Wolverine #1, a comic book collaboration between Marvel and Disney on the lines of What If…? Disney Variant Covers from the past few years.
Announced during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy (April 8–11), this comic series will mark the 90th anniversary of Donald Duck and the 50th anniversary of Wolverine in a rare mashup. It will see the iconic Disney character turn into the vicious Marvel mutant with temper issues (thankfully, the temper issue will not be something Donald Duck will have trouble adjusting to).
Renowned Disney collaborators Giada Perissinotto and writer Luca Barbieri will be working behind the scenes on the comic, which will be released in July.
What will What if…? Donald Duck Became Wolverine be about?
As fans already know about the What If...? series, it is a re-imagination of alternate events in Marvel history. While this may not be the most conventional mashup, as the title suggests, this comic story will see Donald Duck becoming Wolverine instead of James Logan.
Termed as Donald-Wolverine by Marvel.com, this comic will contain a series of adventures and misadventures, drawing from both Marvel and Disney, featuring the character of Donald-Wolverine, whose look is among the most exciting things about this comic.
Moreover, this comic series will also integrate some of the most memorable tales of the Wolverine comic series, including Old Man Logan, Weapon-X, and Uncanny X-Men.
Marvel.com, which also officially announced the comic series, revealed some details about the plot. It read:
"Travel to the near future where chaos rules as Pete-Skull transforms Duckburg into a super-hero-less wasteland. Only Old Donald Duck can turn the tide, but he's given up his battling days and prefers naps and his grandma’s apple pie over fighting villains."
"But when Mickey-Hawkeye comes knocking at the door with Goofy-Hulk at his side, Wolverine-Donald has to make a choice! Will a trip down memory lane change his mind to save the world? Or will the lure of the backyard hammock and a long nap keep him from popping his claws one last time?" It continues.
The impossibility with which the two characters exist in the same universe is also the factor that will perhaps appeal to fans the most. However, despite this, the characters still share a certain connection that is very hard to spot for casual fans.
This is also something writer Luca Barbieri singled out. The writer said:
"Donald Duck and Wolverine are two characters that seem almost impossible to make coexist, but in fact they possess very similar personality: they are both hot-tempered and unlucky, but in adversity they do not lose heart and always show that they have a big heart! Once this point was focused, writing the story turned out to be easy and fun!"
The comic will drop on July 31, and hopefully to great reception, like the earlier collaborations between Disney and Marvel.
With crossovers like this already in motion, fans can expect more such collaborations in the future from both studios.