"I went to my first fan convention, and it was like going to a Star Trek convention," McNeil says. "People were like, 'Oh my god, you're Scott McNeil!'"

It's not totally because of Wolverine, of course. McNeil has provided dozens of voices during his career in animation, including Dragon Ball Z, Beast Machines, Mega Man and many others.

But even he admits there's none quite like Wolverine.

"I was familiar with the X-Men, but I wasn't a long-time follower," McNeil says. "I didn't realize until I got online and did a little research, how much of a cool factor there was. And then I had people coming up to me, 'Dude, you're Wolverine? Cool!'

"He's the cool side of me - if I had a cool side," McNeil adds, laughing.

X-Men: Evolution is recorded in Vancouver, where McNeil lives. He originally auditioned for all the male roles in X-Men, and, after a couple of call backs, Wolverine - the role everybody auditioning wanted -- was his. Ironically, it was his take on Wolverine's hated enemy, Sabretooth, that helped him land the part.

"They liked what I had done for Sabretooth for Wolverine," McNeil says. "I backed off it a little bit, made it a little bit less WWF. I've got that natural smoky, husky voice when I need it."

McNeil says he and Wolverine have a lot in common.

"They wanted guys who were Australian (Dougray Scott and then his replacement, Jackman) for the movie, and I'm Australian," he says. "He's Canadian, and I'm a Canadian citizen. He's short and stocky, and I'm sort of stocky. He's smokes and I'm a smoker. He rides a Harley and I ride a Harley."

While most of the X-Men Evolution characters are teenagers, there was never a doubt that Wolverine was going to be an adult.

"It was almost like there were certain characters that you really didn't want to try and screw around with," X-Men: Evolution executive producer Rick Ungar says. "I think it's one thing to present established characters as teenagers to the Marvel audience with certain characters. I think it would have been a bad idea to start doing with that Wolverine. I think Wolverine needed to be Wolverine. I think we all felt that way."

McNeil says Logan is "a bit of a tough nut to crack."

"He's good-hearted underneath it all, probably more than he lets on to people," McNeil says. "He definitely has a bit of a soft spot when it comes to those young mutants."

Certainly Logan's relationship with Kitty Pryde, whom he calls "Squirt," has been part of the character development of the show. And Boom-Boom calling him "Badger" was one of the second season's funniest moments.

Like in the X-Men comics and the movie, the rivalry between Wolverine and Sabretooth has been a fixture in X-Men: Evolution. They had several clashes in the first three seasons and ironically will have to work together at the end of the third season against the threat of Apocalyspe.

Sabretooth is voiced by Michael Donovan, with whom McNeil has worked for a dozen years.

"I always plays either his best friend or his worst enemy," McNeil says. "I was his twin brother on Double Dragon who began as his enemy and became his friend.

"I usually play the blonde and he plays the brunette. This is the first time it's been switched."

McNeil says that he and Donovan can get quite active in the studio during the recording sessions.

"People think we stand in there with our hands in our pockets and just talk," he says. "That's not the case at all. There are times we really get physical in there."

McNeil says one of his favorite episodes is "Grim Reminder," a first-season story in which a computer chip in his brain brings Wolverine back to the lab where he got his adamantium skeleton and claws.

"We got to see a little bit of his roots," McNeil says. "It's not just stepping in and saying, 'All right, Charles, what are we going to do about this?' It gives him some back story, and you learn a little bit more about him."

Of course, the episode doesn't answer all the questions.

"Not to use other people's quotes, but he's a mystery wrapped in an enigma," McNeil says. "And I quite liked that. He's kind of angry, and he's got a lot of issues going on."

X-Men: Evolution has been on hiatus, but will be returning to Kids' WB!, perhaps as early as April. Four episodes remain from the third season, and nine episodes are being produced for Season 4.