Donald Duck becomes Wolverine in the wildest crossover comic book ever

Get ready for the nuttiest crossover you've ever seen: Donald Duck as Wolverine. Yes, it's for real. 

Back in 2009, when Disney bought Marvel Comics, a joke on comic book fan boards was that it wouldn't be long before Mickey Mouse joined the Avengers or Goofy met Doctor Doom. That hasn't happened, as Disney has mostly kept a serious character influence away from the comics. 

The biggest shift has been Disney helping to build up the MCU and turn it into an institution with the movies and theme park rides. You can see Marvel Comics on sale at some Disney park gift shops and merchandising but so far, Disney hasn't done any serious crossovers.

Compare that to Warner Bros, which has often had DC Comics characters in wild crossovers from the Justice League fighting the Power Rangers or Godzilla and King Kong to Batman meeting Elmer Fudd (seriously). 

Now, however, Marvel and Disney are finally working on the crossover that may put all those to shame: Donald Duck becoming Wolverine. No, really.

There is a bit of logic as 2024 is both the 90th anniversary of Donald Duck and the 50th anniversary of Wolverine's first appearance. It falls under Marvel's long-running "What If?" comic line that regularly shows various alternate realities (and inspired a Disney+ show). That leads to "What If Donald Duck Became Wolverine?" a one-shot in July written by  Luca Barbieri with art from Giada Perissinotto.

So yes, we have Donald as Wolverine in versions of some famous Wolverine stories like "Old Man Logan," where Wolverine is the only superhero left after the villains wipe out the heroes. That means we also get Mickey as Hawkeye and Goofy as the Hulk among other wild turns. 

"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?"

Barbiere added how, in an odd way, Donald and Wolverine aren't too different.

"Donald Duck and Wolverine are two characters that seem almost impossible to make coexist, but in fact they possess very similar personalities: 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!"

This one-shot comes out alongside Uncle Scrooge and the Infinity Dime, another special that has Scrooge on a quest across the multiverse to get back his fabled lucky dime and meeting alternate versions of himself and other Disney characters. 

It's a wildly inventive crossover, one that should be a wild read. In a way, it makes sense to mix these characters up, and it is a great way to honor the anniversaries of both Donald and Wolverine. It should make for one of the craziest comic book crossovers ever.

What If Donald Duck Became Wolverine? on sale July 31st.