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WOLVERINE Wolverine, born James Howlett but more commonly known as Logan, is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero and a member of several teams, including the X-Men and the New Avengers. Created by writer Len Wein and artist John Romita, Sr. with some input by Incredible Hulk illustrator Herb Trimpe, Wolverine first appeared in Incredible Hulk #180-181(October 1974).
A mutant, Wolverine possesses animal-keen senses and reflexes and a healing factor that allows him to recover from virtually any wound. This healing ability enabled the supersoldier program Weapon X to bond the near unbreakable metal alloy adamantium to his skeletal system that includes razor-sharp retractable claws. He is also a master of hand-to-hand combat.
Wolverine joined the X-Men's "All New, All Different" roster in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975). Wolverine was symbolic of the many tough anti-authority anti-heroes that emerged in American popular culture after the Vietnam War, and his willingness to use deadly force and brooding nature became standard characteristics for comic book anti-heroes by the end of the 1980s. As a result, the character became the clear favorite for fans of the increasingly popular X-Men franchise.. He has been featured in his own solo comic since 1988 and he has been a central character in every X-Men adaptation, including animated television series, video games, and the live action 20th Century Fox film series, in which he is played by Hugh Jackman.
Publication history
Wolverine first appeared in the final "teaser" panel of The Incredible Hulk #180 (cover date October 1974) written by Len Wein and pencilled by Herb Trimpe. The character then appeared in a number of advertisements in various Marvel Comics publications in early July (cover date November) before making his first major appearance in Hulk #181 (cover date November 1974) again by Wein and Trimpe. John Romita, Sr. designed Wolverine's yellow-and-blue costume. The character's introduction was ambiguous, revealing little beyond his being a superhuman agent of the Canadian government. In these appearances, he does not retract his claws, although Len Wein stated they had always been conceived of as retractable.. He appears briefly in the finale to this story in Hulk #182.
Wolverine's next appearance was 1975's Giant-Size X-Men #1, written by Wein and penciled by Dave Cockrum, in which Wolverine is recruited for a new squad. Gil Kane, who drew the cover of the comic, accidentally drew Wolverine's mask wrong, with larger headpieces. Dave Cockrum liked Kane's alteration (believing it to be similar to Batman's mask) and decided to incorporate it into his own artwork for the actual story. Cockrum is also the first artist to draw Wolverine without his mask, and the distinctive hairstyle became a trademark of the character.
A revival of X-Men followed, beginning with Uncanny X-Men #94 (August 1975), drawn by Cockrum and written by Chris Claremont. In Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine is initially overshadowed by the other characters, although he does create tension in the team as he has a crush on Cyclops' girlfriend, Jean Grey. As the series progressed, Claremont and Cockrum (who preferred Nightcrawler) considered dropping Wolverine from the series;[citation needed] Cockrum's successor, artist John Byrne, championed the character, later explaining, as a Canadian himself, he did not want to see a Canadian character dropped. Byrne created Alpha Flight, a group of Canadian superheroes who try to recapture Wolverine due to the expense their government incurred training him. Later stories gradually establish Wolverine's murky past and unstable nature, which he battles to keep in check. Byrne also designed a new brown-and-tan costume for Wolverine, but retained the distinctive Cockrum cowl.
Cover to The Incredible Hulk #181 (November 1974): Wolverine's first major appearance. Pencils by Herb Trimpe.Following Byrne's departure, Wolverine remained in X-Men. The character's growing popularity led to a solo, four-issue limited series, Wolverine (Sept.-Dec. 1982), by Claremont and Frank Miller, followed by the six-issue Kitty Pryde and Wolverine by Claremont and Al Milgrom (Nov. 1984 - April 1985). Marvel launched an ongoing solo book written by Claremont with art by John Buscema in November 1988. Larry Hama later took over the series and had an extensive run. Other writers who wrote for the two Wolverine ongoing series include Peter David, Archie Goodwin, Erik Larsen, Frank Tieri, Greg Rucka, and Mark Millar. Many popular artists have also worked on the series, including John Byrne, Marc Silvestri, Mark Texeira, Adam Kubert, Leinil Francis Yu, Rob Liefeld, Sean Chen, Darick Robertson, John Romita, Jr., and Humberto Ramos.
In addition to the Wolverine series and appearances in the various X-Men series, two other storylines expand upon the character's past: "Weapon X", by writer-artist Barry Windsor-Smith, serialized in Marvel Comics Presents #72-84 (1991); and Origin, a six-issue limited series by co-writers Joe Quesada, Paul Jenkins, and Bill Jemas and artist Andy Kubert (Nov. 2001 - July 2002). A second solo series, Wolverine: Origins, written by Daniel Way with art by Steve Dillon, spun out of and runs concurrently with the second Wolverine solo series.
Wolverine's intended origin
Co-creator Len Wein originally intended for Logan to be a mutated Wolverine cub, evolved to humanoid form by the High Evolutionary. In X-Men #98, a biological analysis of Wolverine suggests that he is not a full-fledged mutant, and in X-Men #103, Wolverine says he doesn't believe in leprechauns, to which the leprechaun replies, "Maybe leprechauns don't believe in talkin' Wolverines, either." (an oblique reference to the dialog between the Hunter and the talking Unicorn in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass)
In a reprint of Hulk #180-181, titled Incredible Hulk and Wolverine, an interview with Cockrum supports the claim Wolverine was intended to be a mutated Wolverine. Cockrum said he considered having the High Evolutionary play a vital role in making Wolverine a human. He wanted Wolverine to be the age of a young adult, with superhuman strength and agility similar to Spider-Man. This changed when Cockrum saw John Romita Sr. draw a mask-less Wolverine as a hairy 40-year-old. Len Wein originally intended the claws to be retractable and part of Wolverine's gloves, and both gloves and claws would be made of adamantium. This idea was later nixed by Claremont because he believed anyone could then become Wolverine by wearing the gloves. The claws are first revealed to be part of Wolverine's anatomy in X-Men #98. Shortly after this, it was revealed Spider-Woman was a spider evolved to human form by the High Evolutionary. Publisher Stan Lee was disgusted with the interpretation of the character and insisted her origin be changed.[citation needed] Lee's strong reaction and subsequent demand for a retcon convinced Cockrum and Claremont they could never get away with introducing Logan as a mutated Wolverine.
Wolverine's second intended origin
After Dave Cockrum left and John Byrne became the artist, Byrne said (as stated in interviews and on his website) that he drew a possible face for Wolverine - but then learned that John Romita Sr. had already drawn one for him. Later, Byrne used the drawing for Sabretooth's face (an enemy of Iron Fist, who Claremont was also currently writing). Byrne then came up with the idea of Wolverine being Sabretooth's son (after all, they both had similar Healing abilities and raging tempers). Together, Byrne and Claremont came up with Wolverine being around 60 and having served in WWII after escaping from Sabretooth (who was around 120 years old and had been abusing him for decades - explaining his rages). The plan had been for Wolverine to have been almost crushed in an accident; at which point he would discover (when attempting to stand for the first time after recovering) that his Healing Factor does not work on bones - his legs immediately break. He then spends over a decade in a hospital bed, almost going mad (another reason for his berserker rages) when the Canadian Government approaches him with the idea of replacing his skeleton one bone at a time with solid Adamantium (Not injected) - the claws being an extra surprise. This origin too was never utilized.[citation needed]
Fictional character biography
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Early life (Pre-X-Men)
Wolverine first uses his claws in Origin #2 (December 2001). Pencils by Andy Kubert.
After years of complicated back-story and retcons, the 2001 limited series Origin finally tells the story of Wolverine's early years. The series, set in 19th century Alberta, Canada, depicts Wolverine as James Howlett, the son of John and Elizabeth Howlett. In contrast to the quickly healing Wolverine, James is a sickly youth who requires round-the-clock care. His parents hire a young girl named Rose to watch over James and keep his spirits up.
On the rare days that James is allowed to go outside he and Rose spend their time playing with a young boy they know as "Dog" Logan, the son of Thomas Logan, groundskeeper of the Howlett Mansion. Thomas and Dog live together in a small shack on the poor side of town. Thomas is an abusive alcoholic and is highly resentful of the Howletts, particularly John Howlett. At first his resentment seems rooted in the fact that he and his son have nothing while John Howlett has everything, but it is later revealed that he has been carrying on a secret affair with the lady of the house since before James was born.
After Dog commits such heinous acts as trying to force himself on Rose and killing James's pet dog, John Howlett fires Thomas and has him thrown off the property. This only adds to Thomas' hatred and, in a drunken rage, he and his son break into the Howlett Mansion at night armed with rifles. Thomas finds Elizabeth in her bedroom and tries to convince her to run away with him when they are both confronted by John Howlett who gets into a fistfight with Thomas.
Awakened by the noise, James enters the bedroom just in time to see Thomas shoot and kill John. Enraged and horrified at seeing his father murdered, James' claws emerge for the first time. He kills Thomas, slashes Dog across the face, and passes out. Elizabeth, upon witnessing the death of her husband, her lover, and the emergence of James' claws, promptly commits suicide. Rose, blinded by fear and not thinking straight, takes James and runs off into the night. The police are summoned to the mansion and they question Dog, who blames the killing entirely on Rose.
With Rose blamed for the death of the Howletts and James exiled by his bitter grandfather, the two friends set out for parts unknown. They join a mining colony in British Columbia where James (who has lost all memory of his parents, his childhood, and his name, due to his trauma) adopts the name "Logan" and struggles under the harsh working conditions of the mining colony. As his mutant abilities develop, James becomes strong, acquiring the nickname "Wolverine" from his fellow miners. During his time at the mining colony, James speaks less and less of the past to Rose, often immersing himself in hunting and the physically demanding work of daily life in the colony.
Unbeknownst to James and Rose, Dog has tracked them to British Columbia. On his deathbed, James's grandfather had a change of heart and asked Dog to find his grandson so that he can see him one last time. However, Dog is still nursing a deep grudge against James for killing his father as well as scarring his face and against Rose for spurning his advances. Following their trail, Dog finds Rose and James at the mining colony and attempts to beat him to death in front of a large crowd. Just as James prepares to extend his claws and kill Dog, Rose is accidentally knocked into the fray by the crowd. Impaling herself, she dies in James' arms. Driven mad with grief, James becomes feral, living in the woods with wolves.
Early years
After an unrevealed amount of time, Logan returns to civilization and works as a soldier in the Canadian military during World War I. After the war, he embarks on a series of adventures leading him around the world. He sees action during World War II, participating in D-Day and the liberation of the Netherlands. Logan then spends time in the SobibĂłr concentration camp. Captain America mentions having worked with Wolverine during World War II, to help a young Black Widow.
Logan has strong memories of loving a Native American woman named Silver Fox, and living with her in a cabin before they are recruited into Team X, a government black ops team. On his birthday, Sabretooth apparently rapes and kills Silver Fox. (Wolverine vol.2 #10)
Additionally, Logan meets agents Carol Danvers, Nick Fury, soldier Ben Grimm, and spies Richard and Mary Parker in the years prior to his transformation into Weapon X.
Weapon X
Wolverine's days at Weapon X.
Art by Kaare AndrewsIn the serialized story "Weapon X", beginning in Marvel Comics Presents (April 1991), Barry Windsor-Smith created the backstory for the man who would become Wolverine. Taking place prior to his first appearance, Logan is revealed to be a drifter who was discharged from the army for wounding another soldier on a firing range. Unaware of his past and suffering from long-term memory loss, Logan goes to a bar where he is drugged and taken to the Weapon X facility in Canada, run by the mysterious "Professor" and Dr. Abraham Cornelius, along with a secretary, Carol Hines. Wolverine is shaved, and the pair realize he is regrowing his hair at an accelerated rate, and their drugs wear off too fast due to his healing factor. After the group tranquilizes him further, they begin to transform Logan into Weapon X, reinforcing his skeleton with adamantium, brainwashing him into a killing machine and giving him false memories. The Professor eventually discovers that Logan is a mutant, a fact that was not disclosed to him by someone over him, whose identity is never revealed. Shortly thereafter, Wolverine escapes the facility, killing nearly everyone except for the Professor, Cornelius, Hines, and Malcolm Colcord, a soldier. He flees into the wild, where he encounters Canadian government employees James and Heather Hudson, who enroll Logan into Department H.
First appearance
Wolverine made his historical first appearance in one of the last pages of The Incredible Hulk #180. Now Department H's super agent, and using the codename "Wolverine", Logan is dispatched to stop the destruction caused by the powerhouses Hulk and the Wendigo, who are locked in a savage fight. His speed and maneuverability prove to be a match for the two plodding powerhouses, but he confuses Hulk when he goes after the Wendigo. The Hulk's child-like mind believes the two are now "friends", and once the Wendigo is defeated, Wolverine turns on the Hulk, in a fight ending with Wolverine being knocked unconscious by a right hook from the Hulk. Department H arrives and tells Wolverine he has spent too much time fighting Hulk and they are starting "Plan B", but this is unresolved.
X-Men
Giant-Size X-Men #1, 1975. Art by Gil Kane & Dave Cockrum.In Giant-Size X-Men #1, Professor X recruits Wolverine to a new team of X-Men. Chris Claremont and other writers added layers of complexity to the character over time. For instance, it is revealed Wolverine can read and speak Japanese and has a strong sense of personal honor, and his respect is not freely given.
In subsequent stories, Wolverine frequently clashes with the X-Men's leader, Cyclops, in part due to his relationship with teammate Jean Grey, whose looks are similar to that of the long-deceased Rose. Prone to berserker rages in combat, he slowly learns to control his feral instincts, but of all his teammates, he does not reveal much of himself to any of them: teammate Banshee, though he has encountered Logan prior to his Weapon X days, does not realize that his claws are bound to him physically (Uncanny X-Men 100).
James Hudson, as Vindicator, eventually seeks Wolverine out to return him to Department H, but is defeated (Uncanny X-Men #109) quickly. He says he will come back for Wolverine. Meanwhile, Wolverine encounters Lady Mariko Yashida, heir to an extremely powerful Yakuza family in Tokyo (Uncanny X-Men #118). During an intimate scene in a garden Wolverine begins to tell Mariko his name but is interrupted by Mandroids and Moses Magnum. After the battle and before leaving Japan, he finally tells Mariko his name is "Logan" presenting her with a white chrysanthemum (X-Men #120). It is the first time he reveals the name he calls himself. As time passes, he falls for Mariko, as Jean Grey is attached. Vindicator returns as the leader of Canada's first superhero team Alpha Flight, on their first mission: to capture Wolverine (X-Men #120). After the X-Men win a victory over Alpha Flight, the team leaves and some time later, new member Kitty Pryde joins the team, right after Jean Grey, seemingly possessed by Phoenix, dies. Cyclops leaves the team in grief, and Storm takes up the mantle as X-Men leader. Wolverine, donning his yellow and brown outfit for the first time (Uncanny X-Men 139), travels to Canada to make peace with Alpha Flight by taking down the Wendigo once more, this time with Nightcrawler. During this adventure, Heather Hudson reveals Wolverine's name as "Logan", revealing that others know of his name and past as well as more of his secret nature: when Nightcrawler asks why he never told them his name, he simply replies, "You never asked". After the Wendigo is defeated, the two head back, and quickly become friends, although the two are extremely different in nature.
In his first solo limited series, written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Frank Miller, Wolverine, in love with a now married (to a criminal) Lady Mariko, is manipulated into using his claws to attack her crime lord father, Shingen. Mariko decides not to speak to Logan, who is without honor for unsheathing his claws. When her husband is killed and Logan's honor reclaimed by besting Shingen in combat again, the two are engaged, but the wedding is broken off by Viper and the Silver Samurai, and manipulation by the villain Mastermind.
Wolverine later travels with Kitty Pryde to Japan to confront his former mentor, Ogun, who was killed years earlier, and his malicious spirit has since required hosts to inhabit. Ogun possesses Kitty, making her his assassin, but Logan helps her overcome him and force him from her body. Afterwards, Logan and Kitty become very close friends, and she becomes like a daughter to him (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #1-4).
In another story (X-Men #186), Wolverine takes it upon himself to watch over Amiko Kobayashi, daughter of a woman killed in the aftermath of a fight between the X-Men and a giant dragon over Tokyo. In subsequent stories Logan continues to visit Amiko, although she is under the care of his close friend and sometime lover Yukio.
When Storm's Powers are lost and she leaves the X-Men for a time, Wolverine takes the mantle of leadership of diminished team of X-Men, featuring members Havok, Psylocke, Longshot, Rogue, and sometimes Colossus. This team is mainly featured in the crossover events The Fall of the Mutants and Inferno.
After the events of Fall of the Mutants, the X-Men, who sacrifice their lives, are reborn in the Australian Outback. There, runaway mutant Jubilee saves Wolverine's life from an attack by Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers (Uncanny X-Men #244). She eventually becomes, as Kitty and Amiko before her, another surrogate daughter. Wolverine also spends a significant amount of time in the seedy areas of Madripoor, under the alias 'Patch.'
Still in Australia, Apocalypse tricks Wolverine into journeying to the Savage Land. While there, Wolverine starts a relationship with the female chieftain, Gahck, of an indigenous tribe. There, he discovers an insane robot version of Apocalypse, which he destroys, as Apocalypse wanted him to do. He puts an end to Apocalypse's experiments on the tribe and unknowingly sires a son with Gahck, who she names "Erista." (Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure)
After the X-Men return to America, Wolverine returns to the Weapon X base in Canada. There, he learns many of his memories are implants and his personality becomes darker, and fights the robot Shiva. (Wolverine vol.2 #50)
Wolverine travels back to Japan and reunites with Mariko, who refuses to rekindle her love with him until her clan ceases all illegal activities. However, she is soon poisoned by a Yakuza assassin working for Matsu'o Tsurayaba, who bears a grudge against Wolverine. Mariko asks Wolverine to end her life quickly rather than let her die slowly and painfully from the toxin, and he reluctantly complies. This changes Wolverine's character significantly, making him even more disciplined and emotionally distant. Wolverine vows to Matsu'o that on each anniversary of Mariko's death he will visit him and slice off a body part until there is nothing of him left. (Wolverine vol.2 #60)
Shortly after Mariko's death, Wolverine rejoins his former Team X members Sabretooth, Maverick, John Wraith, Mastodon, and Silver Fox, with Jubilee and Hines of the Weapon X Program, in hunting down Aldo Ferro a.k.a "Psi-Borg", a powerful psychic who brainwashed many of them for Weapon X. (Wolverine vol.2 #64) Ferro and Hines die soon after he makes Sabretooth kill Silver Fox.
Wolverine suffers a mental breakdown due to Weapon X's mental tampering and the deaths of Mariko and Silver Fox. Thinking he is on a prior Team X mission to assassinate "Terry Adams", Wolverine breaks into a Russian space program facility and encounters Epsilon Red, a genetically-engineered cosmonaut with powerful psychic abilities. Red, the "Terry Adams" Wolverine is after, breaks down many of the mental blocks in Wolverine's mind in return for help escaping the facility. With this greater knowledge of which memories were true and which were false, Wolverine is finally able to pick up the pieces of his shattered life. (Wolverine vol.2 #68)
This happiness is short-lived, for at the end of the Fatal Attractions crossover, the adamantium in Wolverine's skeleton is forcibly extracted by Magneto. This act injures Wolverine so severely his mutant healing factor burns itself out in order to keep him alive. In fact, most of Wolverine's other natural abilities, including enhanced strength, stamina, agility, and reflexes are weakened as well.
Magneto ripping the Adamantium from Wolverine's bonesUnwilling to accept his severely weakened state, Wolverine begins training in the Danger Room. In a fit of rage and frustration, his claws extrude, now bone, revealing them to be a natural part of him, rather than adamantium implants. Furthermore, each time he extrudes them, they forcibly pierce the skin of his hands and cause severe tissue damage and blood loss. Feeling useless, Logan embarks on a series of solo adventures, leaving a note with Jubilee to explains his views on the matter. (Wolverine vol.2 #75)
During these adventures, he encounters some past enemies, such as the adamantium-skinned Cyber, the Reaver Cylla, and the vampiric Bloodscream. While travelling alone, Wolverine stops for a training session with Generation X and encounters his Weapon X ally Maverick and his X-Men teammate Gambit in Madripoor, before learning Sabretooth is staying at Xavier's. Wolverine returns and defeats Sabretooth in battle while the X-Men are away. The battle ends with Wolverine puncturing Sabretooth's brain, temporarily altering Sabretooth's vicious personality until the injury is fully healed. (Wolverine vol.2 #90)
Over the course of the next several issues (Wolverine vol.2 #91-100), tests and studies jointly conducted by Professor Charles Xavier, Beast, and Heather Hudson show the mutation endowing Wolverine with Powers is an ongoing process. Unlike most mutants, he continues to mutate slowly over the course of his life. As a result, Wolverine's Powers, particularly his heightened senses and accelerated healing, slowly increase. However, after Wolverine's skeleton was bonded with adamantium by the Weapon X Program, this mutation was completely halted. The studies also reveal, aside from suppressing his ongoing mutation, the presence of adamantium also slowed his mutant healing factor. The adamantium laced to his skeleton is treated as a foreign substance by his healing factor, which constantly devotes a great deal of effort attempting to remove the metal, causing him to heal slower from other injuries. After Magneto ripped it from Wolverine's skeleton, and his body completely healed from the injuries, the mutation resumed, at a greatly accelerated rate. The studies show accelerated mutation has increased his Powers beyond any other point in his life.
A prime example of just how much they have increased is seen in Wolverine Vol. 2 #92. Wolverine is run over by a car and suffers numerous internal organs ruptured and half the bones in his body broken, from which he completely heals in a matter of seconds. It is also revealed during this time Wolverine's mutation process will eventually cause him to degenerate physically into a more primitive, beastial state.
Some time later, a maniac named Genesis, who is the biological son of Wolverine's ally, and sometime enemy, Cable, kidnaps Wolverine and attempts to re-bond adamantium to his skeleton in an attempt to transform Wolverine into a Horseman of Apocalypse. (Wolverine vol. 2 #100) The attempt is unsuccessful, and the process pushes Wolverine's system to the point that he degenerates into a feral state that is dominated by wild, animalistic instincts. In a rage, Wolverine murders the Dark Riders, including Genesis and flees. With the help of Elektra and Stick, he is able to regain his humanity and reverse the bulk of his regression. (Wolverine vol. 2 #101-110)
Wolverine lives without adamantium for some time before being kidnapped by the villain Apocalypse. Apocalypse sets up a contest between Wolverine and an adamantium-bonded Sabretooth to determine who would become the new leader of his Four Horsemen.
Wolverine as Death, from Wolverine vol. 2 #145 (December 1999). Pencils by Leinil Francis Yu.Although he knows winning means being brainwashed and turned against his friends, Wolverine supposes that Sabretooth would enjoy being set loose as a killing machine, while he himself might be able to fight it. Emerging victorious he is made the Horseman Death, and Apocalypse strips the adamantium from Sabretooth and bonds it to Wolverine's skeleton once more. Made to battle the X-Men, Wolverine overcomes Apocalypse's conditioning with the help of Jubilee. (Wolverine vol. 2 #147)
Wolverine is then captured by a restarted Weapon X program under the leadership of Director Malcolm Colcord, a soldier Wolverine disfigured when he escaped from the original Weapon X facility. It is revealed that the mental implants installed by the original program are still functional, as Colcord uses them to force Wolverine into tracking down and eliminating former members of the program. However, it seems that during his assassination of the previous director, Wolverine's mental implants are finally destroyed.[issue # needed]
Grant Morrison's run as writer of the X-Men (temporarily renamed New X-Men during Morrison's tenure) reveals that the "X" in "Weapon X" was a Roman numeral, making Wolverine "Weapon Ten" in a sequence of living super-weapons that begins with Isaiah Bradley and Captain America (Weapon I). The Weapon X program that experimented on Wolverine spun out of a larger "Weapon Plus" program, leading Wolverine to join Cyclops and the mysterious Fantomex (himself Weapon XIII) on a mission to bring down Weapon Plus and discover Wolverine's true identity. During the assault on Weapon Plus, Wolverine killed Ultimaton (Weapon XV). (New X-Men #142-145)
Wolverine then gains access to the Weapon X files that describe his genesis, though this happens largely off-panel and it is not clear to the reader precisely what he learns. What is known is that he was intended to be a living Sentinel and that he was forced to exterminate the populace of the small Midwestern town of Roanoke as a test of his abilities. This revelation leads Wolverine to believe he is a monster once more and that his only purpose is to kill, but Jean Grey is able to persuade him out of this mentality. (New X-Men #148)
When Wolverine is brainwashed into becoming an agent for HYDRA, he is able to overcome their conditioning with the help of S.H.I.E.L.D. In return, Wolverine becomes a temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in order to help put a stop to HYDRA's plans.
Wolverine is then recruited by the New Avengers, because he is willing to "cross the lines they refuse to cross"; after the events of Avengers Disassembled, Iron Man recognizes the need to have someone who is prepared to kill on the team, should something like what happened to the Scarlet Witch happen again. He serves alongside such notable Marvel heroes as Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Luke Cage.
Modern Adventures
At the conclusion of House of M, Wolverine's memories are completely restored. This causes a panic for some of the major Powers and governments across the Marvel%20UNIVERSE%20'>Marvel UNIVERSE because of their involvement in Wolverine's life and the knowledge he has recovered. The United States and Canada purge all records of Wolverine's involvement in anticipation of his revenge.
The governments' fears prove correct in the "Origins & Endings" arc of his solo series. Wanting to find others' knowledge of a mysterious weapon called the "Muramasa Blade", he confronts the Silver Samurai, who tells Wolverine that he did not escape the Weapon X program alone. Bucky, Captain America's World War II partner, now known as the Winter Soldier, helped him break out. Wolverine travels to Serbia to confront him, and Bucky reveals that he murdered Logan's previously unrevealed Japanese pregnant wife, Itsu, but was not in control of his actions at the time.
Wolverine reflects on how he met Itsu. After World War II, Ogun had been Wolverine's master. After completing his training, Ogun sent Wolverine to a village where another master, Bando Saburo, teaches Warriors how to regain their humanity. There, Wolverine met Itsu and they married and conceived a child. Saburo's village is surrounded by mountains belonging to the demon swordsmith Muramasa. After Bucky murdered Itsu, Wolverine, believing it was the people of the village who killed her, allied with Muramasa, who made a sword in honor of Wolverine, the Muramasa Blade. Through unknown means, Muramasa began the process that made Wolverine into a weapon and countering Saburo's training.
After remembering this, Wolverine goes back to Muramasa's mountains and reclaims the Muramasa Blade, given to him willingly by Muramasa, who tells Logan to "wield [the sword] like an angry god". Wolverine wants revenge, and he now remembers who deserves his vengeance.
Civil War
Main article: Civil War
Wolverine being incinerated down to a skeleton, from Wolverine (vol. 3) #43After Nitro's murder of over 600 Stamford, Connecticut residents, Wolverine embarks on a mission to take vengeance on Nitro, to Tony Stark's disapproval. Nitro explodes, incinerating Wolverine to his adamantium skeleton, but Wolverine is able to regenerate, due to his adamantium skull protecting his brain during the explosion.
They fight and Wolverine beats Nitro. Three Atlantean sleeper agents under orders to avenge the death of Namor's cousin Namorita, killed in the Stamford explosion, arrive, and Wolverine battles their leader Janus while the other two subdue Nitro. Namor, prince of the Atlanteans, then appears. Wolverine then fights Namor but is knocked unconscious. Waking, he realizes that Nitro has been taken to Atlantis. Wolverine calls Iron Man, who lends him an armor adapted for underwater survival so he can confront Namor. Namor allows Wolverine to see Nitro, who has escaped. Nitro tries to attack but is disabled. Wolverine leaves him in Atlantis, as Namor's situation is more important. A grateful Namor discloses that Nitro was given Mutant Growth Hormone, a drug that enhances mutant abilities, by Walter Declun, the CEO of Damage Control.
Returning to the surface, Wolverine places a listening device in Declun's office and learns that Damage Control, Inc. had been increasing the number of superhero fights so they could get the cleanup contracts. Wolverine decides to take down Declun's operations. Declun sets a squad of men on Wolverine, who overwhelm him. Janus and a female Atlantean, Amir, come to his aid. The three defeat the soldiers, but The Sentry arrives. Supporting the Superhuman Registration Act, The Sentry defeats the impartial Wolverine and takes him to S.H.I.E.L.D. who attempt to "depower" him by way of a collar and gauntlets. Wolverine is still able to extend his claws (a permanent part of his anatomy as a result of his mutation) and escape.
He then appears at the Damage Control meeting where Marie Hoag and Walter Declun are engaged in a heated argument. Declun ingests Mutant Growth Hormone, giving him animalistic strength, agility, and aggression, and fights Wolverine. Winning, Wolverine questions whether true evil is premeditated or spontaneous before killing Declun. He returns to the remains of Stamford incident and talks to Miriam Sharpe.
Wolverine then returns to Atlantis and speaks with Amir and sleeps with her. He recalls painful times in his life and the physical agony that he goes through and how he can cope with that, but not the pain of losing loved ones and being unable to die that he finds hard to bear. Recalling when Nitro incinerated him, he spoke to Jean Grey, although it is unclear whether this was Jean in spirit or a subconscious manifestation, as Jean has died and returned before. Either way, Jean informed Logan that at the edge of life, beyond the light, lay all the answers. The loves of his life are waiting for him there, as is she, as is "Lazaer", someone whose spirit seems to lurk nearby when Wolverine is near death. Wolverine says if Lazaer defeats him, it means dying for good.
Wolverine later gets his revenge against Nitro, and then begins the chase to find whoever is ultimately responsible for Stamford. During this time, he falls from a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier and nearly dies. Again, Lazaer is waiting for him on the edge of death, looking for payback for Logan having killed him. Wolverine defeats Lazaer again but knows that this means he will once more heal, losing another chance to see the ones he'd loved and lost.
Amir finds his story sad and asks if Wolverine knows why his soul cannot go to its final rest. Wolverine replies that he knows, but that is a secret he will not give up yet.
Post-Civil War
Frequently dreaming of two battling feral armies that he refers to as the Lupines, Wolverine returns to the X-Mansion and immediately initiates a fight with Sabretooth by throwing him through a window. In the middle of the fight, Wolverine asks what Sabretooth meant years ago when he seemingly killed Silver Fox and said "Quod Sum Eris". Sabretooth explains that it means "You will become me". Wolverine calls Sabretooth insane and puts his fist to Sabretooth's throat. Creed tells him if he extends his claws, he will rip his heart out. Wolverine replies "Let 'er rip" and extends his claws into Sabretooth's throat. Wolverine awakens, after dreaming of the Lupines once again, and finds himself chained to the top of the Blackbird. He physically snaps the chains and plunges through the jet's cockpit, surprised to see Sabretooth piloting. He begins strangling Sabretooth with one of the chains, forcing him to crash the jet into the ground. They emerge from the flaming wreckage with numerous injuries and continue to fight. They are suddenly separated by a bolt of lightning, courtesy of Storm. She scolds them somewhat with a cryptic statement, "You both are going to have to learn you cannot kill one another without killing yourselves"!
Wolverine: Origins
It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. (Discuss)
Cover art to Wolverine: Origins #1.
Art by Joe Quesada.Wolverine: Origins is a second ongoing series, starring Wolverine in his quest as a result of "Origins & Endings". At the beginning of the series, he encounters a Shiva robot while trying to extract information from a government foe. After defeating the robot with the Muramasa Blade, those in the government hiding from Logan send Frank Simpson a.k.a. Nuke against him. It is revealed through flashbacks that Wolverine takes Nuke from his family as a child and, during the Vietnam War, is responsible for implanting a trigger word into Nuke that causes him to massacre a Vietnamese village. All this is apparently part of an attempt to recreate Wolverine, already a living weapon prior to Weapon X. Exactly who is controlling Wolverine at this point remains unclear at this time.
After defeating Nuke in South Vietnam, he then fights Captain America who has been sent to stop Wolverine's path of vengeance once and for all. Cyclops, Emma Frost, and Hellion of the X-Men enter the fray and stop Wolverine (driven berserk by a slash from the Muramasa Blade Captain America managed to take from him) from killing the famous hero.
Emma calms the combatants telepathically and reveals to Wolverine his son is still alive. Emma also warns Wolverine his boy doesn't seem to have any thoughts of his own, similar to how Wolverine has been controlled so many times before. Wolverine remembers when Sabretooth killed Silver Fox all those years ago and how her murder was arranged by those he is seeking vengeance against to bring out the beast in him, turning him to their side. He assumes something similar has been done to his son for his enemies to be able to gain control of him.
Emma advises Wolverine to end his mission of revenge as he has a son to rescue. He entrusts Cyclops with the Muramasa Blade, explaining that the captors of his son will most likely brainwash him if they are able to capture him. Wolverine makes Cyclops promise to use the sword to kill him if that time ever comes. Emma informs Wolverine that, above all else, his son hates him. Wolverine tells her that he hates himself, as well, for all the terrible things he's done under his enemies' control.
Wolverine remembers carbodanium weakened his mutant healing factor and thinking it may provide him with a way to take down his son without killing him, he travels back to America to find Maverick. Maverick was part of Team X during Wolverine's first encounter with the carbodanium synthesizer and the villainous Omega Red. He had also been entrusted with by Wolverine a few years back. Wolverine tracks Maverick to a building in New York City where mutants, powered and depowered alike, are taking refuge and is surprised to see Jubilee there. Their reunion is shortlived, however, as Omega Red mysteriously bursts into the building, nearly killing Jubilee and demanding Maverick tell him where the carbonadium synthesizer is.
Cover art to Wolverine: Origins #5.
Art by Joe Quesada.Wolverine and Omega Red fight while Maverick and Jubilee evacuate the depowered mutants. Wolverine remembers his first encounter with carbodanium, when his handlers in Team X tested it on him before they rewrote his memories like they did after every one of his missions. As they were taking him to the device that would brainwash him, he fought back, killing one of the scientists with a blow to the throat. He threatened the other scientist, popping his (bone) claws accidentally. Seeing his claws made him remember everything that Team X had taken from him. He asked the scientist who gave the orders and he said he didn't know. Wolverine, smelling that he was not lying, ordered him to tell him what he did know. The scientist is contacted via telephone every time Wolverine needs to be mindwiped. When he completes his task, he tells Wolverine that he barely made it out alive of whatever mission he was on and then gives him a dossier detailing his next mission. Wolverine asks for the dossier he would normally be given. He tells the scientist to tell whoever was in charge that the brainwashing was successful and then leaves, intending to participate in this mission. The mission is in Berlin, where he first encountered Omega Red.
In the present, Wolverine is overpowered by Omega Red. Red tackles him through a wall where they land on the rooftop of an adjacent building. Wolverine is briefly knocked unconscious, while Omega Red makes his way back to the building where Maverick last was. Wolverine, hearing Jubilee scream for him, rushes back into the building. He finds a wounded Maverick who tells him that Omega Red has Jubilee and that he told the villain who he gave the carbonadium synthesizer to.
With Dum Dum Dugan and SHIELD hot on his trail, Wolverine travels to Berlin where he reminisces about his Team X mission there. He had undertaken the mission (to steal the carbonadium synthesizer from a German laboratory), pretending he was still under the control of his handlers, to see if he could get any answers as to who was directing him. Remembering his past with Sabretooth, he intended to use the carbonadium synthesizer on him since it shorted out mutant healing factors. Before he could do so, Omega Red attacked. As Team X fled with a defecting German scientist, Sabretooth realized Wolverine had regained control and executed the scientist. The scientist was a woman and Sabretooth was advised to kill any available female targets when Wolverine broke free of his masters' control, since it showed him that whenever he wasn't kept on a tight leash, "pretty things die."
In the present, Wolverine meets up with the Black Widow. The details as to how Wolverine first became involved with the Widow and her father are revealed, as are the details of his first mission as a covert operative in a number of flashbacks. During a brief skirmish with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Jubilee is severely injured. Wolverine surrenders to the agents after they promise to save Jubilee's life. After being taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. base and placed into restraints, Wolverine's son, disguised as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, enters the room where Wolverine is being held, after using his bone claws to wound Dum Dum Dugan (despite the apparent seriosuness of the injury, Joe Queseda recently confirmed Dugan was not killed ). A tear rolls down Wolverine's cheek as, he notes to himself, just how much his son seems like him. Wolverine's son announces his disgust at how "weak" Wolverine is and uses his claws to slash him across the stomach, before leaving him to bleed on the floor. Wolverine quickly heals from the injuries, however, and escapes from the facility.
Powers and abilities
X-ray depicting Wolverine's adamantium claws from the film X-MenWolverine is a mutant with a number of both natural and artificial improvements to his physiology. His primary mutant power is an accelerated healing process called a "healing factor" that regenerates damaged or destroyed areas of his body far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary human and renders him immune to most toxins and diseases. Depictions of the speed and extent of injury to which Wolverine can heal vary, depending on the story and writer. Originally, this is portrayed as just accelerated healing, but writers have increased this ability over years to the point that he can regenerate organs such as eyes and large portions of flesh. For example, Wolverine has been shown recently regenerating all of his bodily tissue, after having it incinerated from his skeleton as a result of being caught in the middle of an explosion caused by Nitro, within a matter of minutes. Wolverine survives the explosion due to the protection his adamantium-laced skull provides to his brain.. It has been stated in the Xavier Protocols, a series of profiles created by Xavier that lists the strengths and weaknesses of the X-Men, that Wolverine's healing factor has been increased to "incredible levels" and that the only way to kill him is to decapitate him and remove his head from the vicinity of his body. However, Wolverine's skeleton wasn't bonded with adamantium at the time Xavier conceived this strategy. Given the recent depictions of the extent of Wolverine's healing Powers by various writers and artists, it is unclear if decapitation would kill him or not (or if you can even decapitate him).
In addition, the regenerative qualities of his healing Powers cause Wolverine to age much more slowly than an ordinary human. Wolverine himself was born sometime in the late 19th century. Wolverine is depicted in modern stories, set well over 100 years later, with the appearance and vitality of a man in his prime. Wolverine's healing Powers afford him immunity against diseases, as well as most drugs and toxins.
Wolverine possesses a number of superhuman physical attributes. Wolverine's healing factor affords him superhuman levels of physical stamina. Wolverine has engaged Omega Red in a continuous fight for more than 18 hours, despite regular exposure to Omega Red's Death Spores. Wolverine has also demonstrated that his agility and reflexes are also enhanced to levels that are beyond normal human limits, by dodging Cyclops' optic energy beams at point blank range.
Wolverine also possesses superhumanly acute senses of sight, smell, and hearing. Wolverine is capable of seeing with perfect clarity at greater distances than an ordinary human, even in near-total darkness. His hearing is enhanced in a similar manner, allowing him to both hear sounds ordinary humans can't and also hear to greater distances. Wolverine is able to use his sense of smell to track targets by scent, even if the scent has been eroded somewhat over time by natural factors.
Wolverine's physical appearance displays animal-like mutations, including sharper-than-normal teeth with pronounced canines and three retractable claws housed within each forearm. The claws are made of bone, unlike the claws of normal mammals which are made of keratin. The bone claws are sharp and dense enough to slice through substances as durable as most metals, wood, and some varieties of stone.. Wolverine's hands do not have openings for the claws to move through; thus, they cut through his flesh every time he extrudes them. Although his healing factor deals with the wounds created almost instantaneously, he has said on multiple occasions that it always hurts.
Wolverine's entire skeleton, including his claws, is molecularly infused with adamantium, rendering it practically indestructible. The adamantium claws can cut almost any known solid material. The only known exceptions are adamantium itself, and Captain America's shield, which is the only substance in the Marvel%20UNIVERSE%20'>Marvel UNIVERSE known to be even more durable than adamantium. Wolverine's ability to slice completely through a substance depends upon both the amount of force he can exert and the thickness of the substance. The adamantium also weights his blows, dramatically increasing the effectiveness of his punches and kicks. The adamantium claws make a distinctive "Snikt" sound when extruded.
The healing factor also allows him to push his muscles beyond the limits of the human body without injury, granting him some degree of superhuman strength. This is augmented by the constant demand placed on his muscles by over one hundred pounds (45.5 kilos) of adamantium, which also removes skeletal structural limitations, allowing him to lift weight that would damage a human skeleton.. He has been depicted being strong enough to break steel chains and being able to lift a dozen men above his head with one arm and throw them through a wall.
Due to high level psionic shields implanted by Professor Charles Xavier, Wolverine's mind is highly resistant to telepathic assault and pRobing.
Skills and personality
During his time in Japan and other countries, Wolverine becomes a master of virtually all forms of martial arts and fighting, both armed and unarmed; as a samurai, he is especially skilled in the use of the katana. He can also use nearly all types of weapons, traditional or modern, long or close range. Wolverine is an extraordinary hand to hand combatant with sufficient skills to defeat the likes of Shang-Chi and Captain America in single combat. He also has a wide knowledge of the body and pressure points. He is also an accomplished pilot and highly skilled in the field of espionage and covert operations.
Wolverine sometimes lapses into a "berserker rage" while in close combat. In this state he lashes out with the intensity and aggression of a mindless animal and is more resistant to psionic attack. Though this quality has sometimes saved the life of his allies, as well as himself, he has frequently expressed shame concerning it as he strives to be a purely civilized and honorable warrior.
Though seemingly brutish, Wolverine is actually highly intelligent. Due to his increased lifespan, he has traveled the world and amassed an intimate knowledge of foreign languages and cultures. He is fluent in English, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Cheyenne, Spanish, and Lakota; he also has some knowledge of French, Thai, Vietnamese, and German.
When Forge monitors Wolverine's vitals during a Danger Room training session, he calls Logan's physical and mental state "equivalent of an Olympic-level gymnast performing a gold medal routine while simultaneously beating four chess computers in his head."
Wolverine is private and often gruff but, despite popular belief, does not enjoy killing or giving into his berserker rages. Logan adheres to a firm code of personal honor and morality, despite often displaying a rebellious and irreverent attitude. He has had many romantic relationships with numerous women throughout the decades, most of which aren't known. His most meaningful have included Itsu, Silver Fox, Mariko Yashida, and a flirtation with Jean Grey. He has found a family in the X-Men and provides a father figure to Kitty Pryde and Jubilee.
Alternate versions
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Ultimate Wolverine
Ultimate Wolverine by Ben & Ray LaiWolverine appears in comics published under the Ultimate Marvel banner, particularly Ultimate X-Men. An assassin for Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy, Wolverine is assigned to infiltrate the X-Men and assassinate Professor Xavier. As a member of the X-Men, Wolverine finds acceptance, purpose and love. Wolverine and teammate Jean Grey have a sexual affair, but she leaves him upon discovering his connection to the Brotherhood. Wolverine eventually betrays and attacks Magneto, abandoning his initial mission and joining the X-Men outright.
After Jean begins a relationship with Cyclops, Wolverine allows Cyclops to apparently fall to his death in the Savage Land. Cyclops survives and returns, shocking the X-Men when he later offers to allow Wolverine to return to the team. After Wolverine saves the X-Men from the Weapon X Project, Sabretooth goads him into a fight by burning the project's files on Wolverine, the only record of his past. After the death of Storm's boyfriend Beast, Wolverine reluctantly begins a relationship with her. While on a date, the couple are attacked by Sabretooth, who claims that his own memories have begun to return and that he knows Wolverine is his father. This was actually a ruse for Sabretooth to get close enough to get a sample of Wolverine's DNA for Dr Cornelius to clone.
In the Ultimate X-Men/Ultimates crossover miniseries, Ultimate War, Captain America claimed to have worked with Logan during World War II. According to Cap, prior to the Weapon X project, Wolverine was Corporal James Howlett of the Canadian Air Force. Ultimate War #4 reveals that Wolverine is immune to radar due to the modifications made by Weapon X.
In Ultimate X-Men #75, Ultimate Cable reveals a set of Wolverine-like claws, and claims that he doesn't "pop" them for just anyone. He also addresses the character he is speaking to as "Bub." It is revealed in Ultimate X-Men #76 that this Cable is a future version of Wolverine that has come back to kill Professor Xavier. He has apparently lost his healing factor over the years, as he is in a stage of advanced age (Not normally possible with his healing factor), as well as sporting a bionic arm.
Ultimate Wolverine makes an appearance in the video game Ultimate Spider-Man, as the first boss faced by Venom.
House of M
Although another reality, the Wolverine of House of M is the 616 Wolverine, retaining his memories from the old reality, including his untampered past. After the House falls, he retains these memories.
Wolverine: The End
In this non-canon series by writer Paul Jenkins and artist Claudio Castellini purporting to be Wolverine's last adventure, Logan is an old man living in the Canadian wilderness making a modest living selling animal pelts. His only friend is a sixty-one year old man called George, who has been delivering Logan's groceries since he was a child. Though Logan has aged incredibly slowly, it seems that the long, long years have finally started to catch up with him. Though still faster than a normal man, he isn't as fast as he used to be and has trouble keeping up with the animals he hunts due to arthritis in his hands. His claws no longer work properly and one of them has even been broken off. Logan knows that, despite his healing factor, he will die soon. He doubts his own sanity and his memories, including the Weapon X program. This doubt is exacerbated by the spirit of Professor X, who lives on (in diminished capacity) in Logan's mind.
One day, Wolverine is invited to the funeral of Victor Creed, also known as Sabretooth. After denouncing Sabretooth's faith in God as a fear of death, Wolverine receives a letter from Creed's attorney. He has George drive him to an ancient and destitute mansion in Alberta. After quickly walking through the mansion, George notices that a crest above the fireplace is the same as on the letter given to him by Creed. Wolverine finds the grave of John Howlett and a book entitled Ghosts of Japan: Lost Rituals of the Kanaguri. Someone had left the book on the grave earlier that day, knowing that Wolverine had lived both in Japan and in that region of Alberta. Paranoid, Wolverine goes to a port on the West Coast and stows away on a ship headed for Japan. Before he leaves, he has George go back to his home, asking him to check a stack of magazines in his cabin, saying "one of them ain't right. It ain't...me, if ya follow".
While working as a galley assistant on the voyage to Japan, Logan reads Lost Rituals of the Kanaguri, and learns that it is a factual account of a supposedly extinct evil Shinto sect. When he arrives at his destination, he breaks up a Kanaguri ritual. He asks the participants if they are working for Weapon X. The leader of the group declares his allegiance to the White Ghost, before being killed by a shadowy figure. Logan follows the figure up the mountain, where he is attacked and left for dead. Just before Logan passes out, the White Ghost says, "I could have killed you, old man. Any time in the last two hundred years, I could have killed you."
Back in Canada, George sifts through the magazines. Among Popular Mechanics and Custom Bikes, he finds an issue of Wine Lover. George recognizes the title is an anagram of "Wolverine". A note in the magazine gives George the login information to access Logan's computer. George finds instructions from Wolverine and is given the location of a large amount of cash, which he is to use to purchase a list of items. He is told to keep whatever money is left over as a tip (a joke that refers to a conversation in the first issue of the series, in which George complains that in fifty years of grocery deliveries, Logan has never given him a tip).
In Japan, Logan awakes. He discovers that the White Ghost is none other than John Howlett Jr., his brother, presumed dead during Logan's childhood. He is a mutant, with Logan's claws and healing factor, but also the power of invisibility and intangibility (similar to Shadowcat). He used these in a successful career as a spy, which in combination with his share of the Howlett fortune, has made him rich. He became involved in the Weapon X program and watched Logan all through his life. He promises to tell Logan everything as soon as he completes his scheme: to teleport an atomic weapon into the atmosphere over Las Vegas. With this act, the American economy will collapse, and mutants will ascend in the resulting chaos. They struggle, falling out of a window. As they land, John is impaled on Logan's claws. With his dying breath, he tells Logan he's sorry that he doesn't have enough time to tell him about Rose. John dies in Logan's arms, just as Japanese attack helicopters arrive with orders to destroy the compound and all its occupants, Logan included.
Age of Apocalypse
Wolverine is never actually called "Wolverine" in the Age of Apocalypse time line, that name later being given to one of Dark Beast's creations. Instead, Logan retains his code name of "Weapon X." In this reality he never had his Adamantium ripped out, and it is Magneto that helps him to control his feral rages. Weapon X was a loner and initially an unwilling recruit to the X-Men. He reconsidered after meeting the team's telepath, Jean Grey. The two had an instant connection and eventually became lovers.
Cover to Weapon X #1 (1995), featuring Weapon X and Jean Grey in the Age of Apocalypse. Pencils by Adam Kubert.Logan trained Magneto's newer recruits, including Shadowcat. Unbeknown to the rest of the X-Men, Magneto had asked Weapon X to train the girl as an assassin. Weapon X taught Shadowcat everything he knew and even crafted a pair of claws similar to his own for her with Magneto's help.
One of the main differences between Weapon X and the Earth 616 Wolverine is that Weapon X's left hand is missing and he has a number of facial tattoos. The hand was blasted off by the Prelate Scott Summers, a villain in this universe, when Weapon X tried to rescue Jean from Mr. Sinister. He succeeded and gouged one of Summers' eyes out in return. Not willing to return to the X-Men, Logan and Jean worked on their own.
After months of guerrilla warfare, they were contacted by Sinister who revealed Apocalypse's plan to attack the humans in Europe. Logan and Jean delivered this information to the Human High Council and learned of the Council's plan to launch nuclear missiles on America to stop Apocalypse. In the end, Jean was killed by the Prelate Alex Summers, but Logan avenged her.
Logan's relationships with some of his old enemies are different in the Age of Apocalypse universe, such as Sabretooth being his ally instead of his nemesis. In the recent 2005 mini-series of the Age of Apocalypse, Logan learned from Magneto that Jean is still alive, but mind-controlled by Mr. Sinister. Eventually, the X-Men face Sinister and manage to bring Jean back, and she and Logan become lovers again. Logan also learns that he now has a "daughter" of some-sorts in the form of the X-Man Kirika, who can be compared to X-23. Kirika's mother is revealed to be Mariko Yashida, Logan's former lover.
Counter Earth
In the Onslaught Reborn mini-series, The Wolverine of Counter Earth is revealed to have been masquerading as that earth's version of Hawkeye.
Marvel Mangaverse
Cover to New Mangaverse #2, featuring Wolverine and Deathstrike, art by Tommy Ohtsuka.In the Marvel Mangaverse reality Wolverine, not Charles Xavier, formed the X-Men (Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Mirage and Jean Grey forming the core of the group, with Rogue living with them).
Wolverine has one set of long metal claws--most likely adamantium and shaped like katanas on his left hand, and another set, on his right hand, composed of red energy (like Cyclop's optic beams) and shaped like lightsabers. Wolverine has incredible strength (He is clearly stronger than the Spider-Man of the manga reality who is not even superhuman). He has white hair (it is later changed to black in the new mangaverse) and a strange tattoo on his face, possibly meant to be the Greek symbol Omega.
In this reality, he and Cyclops are brothers. Wolverine cost Cyclops one of his eyes, while it is hinted that Cyclops cost Wolverine one of his hands. (This seems to be why one of Wolverine's sets of claws is energy while the other is metal. Throughout this story with the exception of a pair of panels, Wolverine was depicted with two flesh and blood hands, but his right hand had claws of energy, not adamantium. The flesh and blood appearance of both hands continued in the final issue of the first arc of Mangaverse). He is also hinted to have had a relationship with Jean Grey, who had begun to favor Cyclops.
In the New Mangaverse, Wolverine is one of the only mutants to survive the Hand / SHIELD bio-engineered virus targeting mutants thanks to his healing factor. Jean Grey's rejection of him has clearly left him with some issues since he said he had a thing for redheads and flirts with Spider-woman (Mary Jane Watson) in New Mangaverse #2. It is clear that his advances are unwanted and that Mary Jane is scared of him. When Logan grabs her, Spider-Man becomes angry and tries to fight him but proves to be no match for Wolverine and it is ultimately the Black Cat that stops him. He flirts with the Black Cat throughout the New Mangaverse miniseries, saying "I've always been a sucker for a girl with a nice set of... CLAWS." It is also hinted that at some point in the past he was Lady Deathstrike's lover. In the New Mangaverse, Wolverine teams up with the Black Cat, Captain America (Carol Danvers), Iron Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman (Mary Jane Watson), and The Torch (Jonatha Storm, Sioux Storm's half sister, this reality's Human Torch) to fight the Hand (some of the organization's more prominent members being Lady Deathstrike, Elektra, Silver Samurai, Sunfire, and a (brainwashed) Sharon Carter).
X-Men: The End
In the alternate future of X-Men: The End, Wolverine is caring for a crippled Storm and has given up his life as an X-Man. However after being attacked by a Warskrull, Wolverine and Storm return to the X-Men only to find a crater where the mansion stood. Wolverine along with Rachel Summers, X-23 and a few others were sent to find out what happened to Cable and his team. Wolverine and Jean Grey/Phoenix meet up again. Jean helps Logan break free of the Lady Mastermind and later helps him heal. They are shown as lovers (at least in their minds) and very much in love.
Earth X
According to the information in the Earth X miniseries Paradise X: Heralds, the second child of the Howletts died in childbirth and the Howletts found and adopted an infant member of the Moon Clan, a bestial race which has co-existed with humanity for hundreds of thousands of years. This Clan, which is also dubbed wolf clan, were mortal enemies of the Bear Clan, to which Sabretooth belongs. Supposedly, it is this Moon Tribe child who was named James Howlett and would grow up to become Wolverine explaining the enmity between Wolverine and Sabretooth in this alternate reality.
It is also revealed that this seemingly divergent sub-species is in fact what the "true" human species would have become if not for the Celestials' intervention and genetic tampering.
Wolverine: Snikt!
In this comic by Tsutomu Nihei, Wolverine is sent into an alternate future, arriving there by the hand of the humans of that age in need for a weapon to fight against a race of engineered viruses that grow up to be sentient beings, and who can only be destroyed with adamantium. Though whether this is the future of the Marvel%20UNIVERSE%20'>Marvel UNIVERSE or whether it is a crossover into another universe is not completely made clear. This is mainly because Marvel has so many alternate futures and universes, making it difficult to place this particular world within them.
Days of Future Past
In this alternate reality the X-Men fail to prevent the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly, which results in Sentinels ruling the United States of America by 2013 AD. Mutants fall one by one at the hands of the Sentinels, until only Wolverine, Storm, Colossus and Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) are left. They are confronted by a group of Sentinels and Wolverine lunges at one, ready to slice off the Sentinel's head, but his flesh is burned off by the Sentinel's hand laser. Wolverine dies and his charred Adamantium skeleton falls onto the ground. Later on in the Earth X: Heralds storyline, Wolverine is revived by X-51's machine.
Exiles & Weapon X
Cover to Exiles #85, art by Paul Pelletier.Another version of Wolverine, originating from Earth-172, was revealed by Sabretooth to have joined an alternate, more sinister version of Weapon X in the Exiles series. At some point in Weapon X's travels, this version of Wolverine was killed. Like other fallen members of the Exiles and Weapon X, his body was stored in a stasis wall inside the Timebreakers' crystal palace before he was sent home to his own timeline to be cremated by his loved ones.
Issue #85 and #86 followed the adventures of several Wolverines from different timelines gathered in an attempt to stop a mutant known as Brother Mutant, a being with the combined Powers of Wolverine, Magneto, Quicksilver, Scarlet Warlock (a male version of the Scarlet Witch) and Mesmero. Different teams of Wolverines were gathered and each fell to the hypnotic Powers of Brother Mutant. The last team of Wolverines was comprised of Patch, Zombie Wolverine, Albert & Elsie-Dee, Weapon X, a young James Howlett and the Days of Future Past Logan. When most of this team fell before Brother Mutant's followers, Logan and James Howlett were able to contact the Timebreakers and convinced them to gather the original Exiles to help defeat Brother Mutant.
Issue #91-94 shows Wolverine as an agent of HYDRA which he leads together with the Invisible Woman, with whom Logan even has a relationship with.
What If?
In an alternate reality, Genesis is successful in his attempt to re-implant Adamantium into Wolverine's skeleton, and Wolverine becomes Apocalypse's Horseman of War. He kills Apocalypse and every single supervillain. War is hunted by superheroes when he begins to kill common criminals. When Wolverine disappears, a superhuman police force called the War Watch forms to protect the public from The Enemy, as Wolverine is now dubbed, while the Wolf Pack, a gang of criminals, becomes a cult of sorts, inspired by Wolverine's violent tendencies. Secretly, Wolverine seeks redemption and calls himself Brother Xavier.
Other alternate versions
In the Amalgam Comics universe, Wolverine is combined with Batman to form the character Dark Claw.
In the alternate future of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Wolverine's adamantium skeleton is reanimated and controlled by the brain of Doctor Doom. Additionally, one of the villains appearing in the series is Wolverine's great-great-granddaughter Rancor, who is obsessed with her ancestor.
In the alternate future of MC2 (Marvel Comics 2), Wolverine and Elektra have a daughter named Rina Logan, who inherits her father's healing factor and senses and possesses "psychic claws" which resemble Psylocke's telepathic "psychic knife". She becomes a superheroine called Wild Thing. Wolverine also has a son, Sabreclaw (Hudson Logan), with another woman.
Spider-Man Unlimited (a comic based on the Spider-Man Unlimited animated series) introduces a bestial version of Wolverine in #5.
Appearances in other media
Wolverine is the only X-Men character to be included in every media adaptation of the X-Men franchise, including film, television, computer and video games, and is the only one to have starred in his own video games.
Films
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X2Hugh Jackman plays Wolverine in the X-Men films X-Men, X2: X-Men United, and X-Men: The Last Stand. When it was first announced, it was considered a highly controversial move, as Hugh Jackman was not only known solely for his performance career, but the fact that he was simply too tall for the role (Jackman being 6'3", the comic-book version of Wolverine being approximately 5'3"). Despite these divergences though, Jackman's actual performance was well received.
Initially though, Glenn Danzig was approached to play Wolverine in the X-Men films, because he bore an uncanny resemblance to the character, being the same height as Wolverine, and very muscular. However, he had to decline, due to the fact that the shooting for the film would force him to put a halt to touring with his band for nine months.
A spin-off film, Wolverine, has been confirmed and the script by David Benioff for the movie is finished. Shooting for the movie is scheduled to start in 2007.
Television
Wolverine appears in television in the 1989 animated television pilot Pryde of the X-Men. Wolverine also appears in an episode of the animated series, Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. Neil Ross voices the character in both episodes, using an Australian accent.
Cathal J. Dodd voices Wolverine in the 1990s X-Men animated television series and in the Marvel vs. Capcom series of fighting games. Dodd also portrayed Wolverine in two episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
Wolverine's two costumes in X-Men: EvolutionIn the 2000-2003 animated television series X-Men: Evolution, Wolverine, a man whose past is shrouded in mystery, provides the teenaged X-Men with battle training and creates conflict among his younger teammates. Scott McNeil provides his voice.
A new cartoon is scheduled for 2008 titled "Wolverine and the X-Men"
Video games
See also: List of X-Men computer and video games
Wolverine is a playable character (often the primary or default playable character) in all X-Men video games and many Marvel video games in general.
Video games featuring Wolverine as the lead character include Wolverine for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Wolverine: Adamantium Rage for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis.
Wolverine is an unlockable character skin in Activision's 2001 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.
Wolverine is one of the playable characters in the movie tie-in games X2: Wolverine's Revenge and X-Men: The Official Movie Game, voiced by Mark Hamill and Hugh Jackman, respectively.
Logan also appears in several Spider-Man-related games, beginning with 1992's Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge, and followed by a cameo as a poster on a wall in the 2000 Spider-Man video game. Keith Szarabajka voices the character in the Ultimate Spider-Man video game, where he appears as a boss that the player must defeat when playing as the villain Venom.
Steven Blum provided the voice for Wolverine in X-Men Legends, its sequel X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, and most recently Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. He is one of many playable characters in all three games.
Wolverine also appeared in the 2005 Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects.
Wolverine also appears in all of the Marvel VS Series games by Capcom. He is voiced by Cathal J. Todd in these games, the same actor who provided his voice in the X-Men animated series.
Music
The band Entombed has an album, Wolverine Blues, with Wolverine on the cover. The album also had a single of the same name.
Action Figures
Wolverine has often been rendered in plastic, either independently, or in conjunction with other media. Mattel was the first, with the 1984 Secret Wars line, supported by five points of articulation, including the neck, shoulders and hips. Among other notable figures, started a controversial trend in toys: the variant. His claws came in two different color options, one set silver, the other set black. When collectors began trying to complete their sets for Secret Wars, the silver set was readily available, while the black set was found to be rare.
While Wolverine was the first to be rendered in plastic, the other X-Men would go several years with no interest, until 1992 when Night of the Sentinels was shown in animated form. With a toy line in stores retailing at roughly five inches, they had a modest roster of seven figures. The sculpts were a cross between DC's SuperPowers line and GI Joe. The points of articulation included on these figures were relatively standard, but many of the figures also include action features as well.
Out of the twenty-eight waves of the X-Men line produced by Toybiz, starting with 1991s series 1, only two series of the line did not feature a Wolverine (Counting Albert, because his package clearly states; "Robot Wolverine"...) Twenty-six figures were eventually produced, but with; repaints, two-ups (10" figures) or reissues, the total count is uncertain.
In 1998, Marvel had begun producing X-Men: Evolution in '99, and that Line of toys yielded a net of six Wolverine action figures. But at the same time of the movies release, Wolverine gave us another nine figures. X-Men: Evolution's. The toy line performed well, as Toybiz began producing figures in 6" to support the character's animated exploits. In 2003, they featured a figures with twenty-six POA. X-Men:Classics were 6" and they added three Wolverines...
Marvel Legends started in 2002, releasing two solid waves with no Wolverine. Toy Biz boasted 26+ POA (points of articulation), extreme detail, and excellent paint applications. It seemed that Marvel wanted to create ICONic versions of all their characters with the collector in mind. Gone were the days of colorful, childlike toy packages. They were replaced with; impenetrable clamshells that flattered the characters in general.
During Toy Biz's production of Marvel Legends, there were a total of 13 Wolverine figures produced. These included Classic costume (with unmasked variant), Brown costume, a Weapon X figure, a "Days of Future Past" Logan figure (with younger variant), an "X-Men'>Astonishing X-Men" costume (with unmasked variant), an "Age of Apocalypse" figure (with burnt face variant), another unmasked Classic costume model (With a different head sculpt included in an X-Men 5-pack boxset) and an original costume model included in a 2-pack with Sabretooth (a variant "raging" model was also produced). Toy Biz as well produced a short-lived X-Men Classics toy line which included two more Wolverine figures. Another X-Men line was released in 2005 which included Ninja Armor Wolverine, Stealth Wolverine and Air Strike Wolverine action figures.
In 2007, Hasbro took over production of Marvel Legends. The 2nd wave of figures produced included an "Ultimate" Wolverine figure.
Diamond Select began a Marvel Select collectors line-up. They promised even more detail than the X-Men and Marvel Legends lines. Although they weren't in scale with the other figures, offered more Wolverines, three to date. Marvel Legends has provided 13 different figures, including variants, including deluxe scale figures and ICONs.
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