Does WWE legend Hulk Hogan own the rights to his name?

Hulk Hogan is one of the most notable WWE Superstars there is, even outside of wrestling. However, his name once landed him in hot water due to its similarity with an iconic character from Marvel, The Hulk.

Hogan began his career in WWE (then WWF) with a short stint in 1979, where he first received the name Hulk Hogan. He left the Stamford-based company the next year, and when he returned in 1983, that's when he got the attention of Marvel.

In 1984, his introduction as The Incredible Hulk Hogan drew the ire of the comic book company. This led to a deal between Hogan and Marvel that spanned 20 years.

The arrangement stated that the WWE star was no longer allowed to have The Incredible in his name and that he was only going to use Hulk if it was followed by Hogan. The wrestling legend was also not allowed to dress up in purple or green. Marvel also received .9% of reportable merchandise revenue and $100 for each match.

The deal continued when The Hulkster moved to WCW, but according to Eric Bischoff, the promotion was able to avoid the fees as they hadn't been involved in the agreement. The deal also didn't seem to apply throughout the time that Hulk was known as Hollywood Hogan.

"Hulk and his attorneys and Marvel reached an agreement prior to Hulk coming to WCW that gave Hulk Hogan the rights to use ‘Hulk’ as long as it was Hulk Hogan in a wrestling-related environment. So I didn’t have to pay Marvel anything. That was something Hulk and Marvel had come to an agreement with prior to Hulk coming to WCW.” [H/T Essentially Sports]

In 2005, the WWE Hall of Famer finally purchased the rights to his name directly from Marvel. He transferred all of his trademarks to Hogan Holdings LLC. The names included are Hulk Hogan, Hulkamania, Hollywood Hogan, Hulkster, and HulkHogan.com.

Hulk Hogan will be played by a Marvel actor in his upcoming biopic

It's been years since Hulkster last crossed paths with the famous comic book company, but it looks like they're about to meet again.

In 2019, it was announced that a biopic of the Hulkster will be made and directed by Todd Phillips. The actor who will play the iconic wrestler is Chris Hemsworth, who also played Thor in the MCU.

Speaking about the movie, the Marvel actor shared that the movie was still in the works since he and Todd are busy with other projects.

"Todd Phillips is busy doing Joker 2 I believe and I've been off doing other films. Yeah, it's all in conversations and in development like a lot of things. You know a lot of different things need to come together for it to happen but I don't have 24 inches of python yet."

Despite the hassle, it's good that the WWE legend decided to keep his name. Although he is not known as The Incredible anymore, a more fitting nickname was eventually bestowed upon him: The Immortal.