Buzz
As fans eagerly await the release of Days of Future Past—the latest chapter in the Uncanny X-Men film series—it’s astonishing to think that, including a cameo in X-Men: First Class, this will be Hugh Jackman’s sixth appearance as Wolverine. The character’s widespread popularity is undeniable, yet there are numerous secrets about him hidden in decades of comic history.
10. His Later Look Was Inspired by Clint Eastwood
As noted previously, Wolverine’s original design was intended to depict him as an angry young man with gloves—and no matter how strange the ’70s and ’80s might seem, that design would not have given Wolverine the widespread cultural recognition he enjoys today. Thankfully, Frank Miller—the same legendary comic creator who reinvented Batman and Daredevil—ensured that Wolverine would embody iconic features rooted in American culture.
Frank Miller’s Wolverine illustrations from the 1980s deliberately drew inspiration from Clint Eastwood, visually reinforcing the same idea that the comics were conveying—that Wolverine was an avenging cowboy hero. This motif has persisted into modern times, with Marigold’s The Wolverine film offering a tribute to the classic Eastwood westerns. The movie bridges the gap between samurai cinema and cowboy stories, with Wolverine taking on a role akin to the protagonist in The Outlaw Josey Wales.
9. He’s Fine With Assaulting Teenagers
In Marvel’s Ultimates comic book series—designed to attract new readers by reintroducing the characters in a fresh universe—Wolverine’s morals are a bit more flexible than his mainstream counterpart. He initially joins the X-Men with the intent to kill Xavier under Magneto’s orders but puts off the task until he can seduce the young Jean Grey.
She reacts with understandable anger when he reveals his true intentions, which leads her to swap Wolverine’s and Spider-Man’s minds in two of the Ultimate Spider-Man comics. The majority of the story plays for laughs, with each hero struggling to adapt to life in the other’s body. However, things quickly take a darker turn when the century-old Wolverine seems to make an advance toward 15-year-old Mary Jane. After their minds are returned to their correct bodies, she asks Peter, “That thing you tried to do this morning, can we not do that till we’re older?” Peter gives the final panel the same blank expression that many readers had while reading that part of the story.
8. He Broke Time
In the Age of Ultron miniseries—the comic that inspired the title for the sequel to the Avengers movie—the Marvel universe's heroes are confronted by a terrifying future where Hank Pym’s robot creation, Ultron, has wiped out nearly all of humanity and now rules the planet. When Nick Fury finds a way to travel through time, he plans to use it to stop Ultron in his present form. Wolverine, however, proposes a more direct solution—kill Hank Pym before Ultron can even be created.
Wolverine follows through with his plan, killing Hank Pym and setting in motion a strange future where technology battles against witchcraft. He then travels back in time again to prevent his younger self from killing Hank Pym, but he does manage to kill one person: his other self, who believes there’s only space for one Wolverine in the universe. Hank Pym, restored to life, manages to stop the dystopia they witnessed, but the time travel has a consequence: Wolverine’s meddling has created rifts in time that not only stop time travel but also bring about versions of Galactus, the planet-eater, in the Ultimates universe—despite the fact that the monster had been permanently defeated there. Sadly, time and space don't share Wolverine's healing factor, leaving them fractured beyond repair.
7. He Was Once A Teenager With Gloves
Before Wolverine became a household name as a member of the X-Men, he made his first appearance in The Incredible Hulk in 1974, where he fought the famous green monster. However, at this point, very little of what we now associate with Wolverine had been established. Creator Len Wein envisioned Wolverine as a mutant mainly due to his heightened senses and animal-like fury—the iconic healing factor wasn’t part of his original design.
Fortunately for future Wolverine fans, his signature mask covered his face, concealing one of Wein’s more unusual ideas: Wolverine was originally planned to be a fierce teenage mutant simply wearing gloves as claws. It wasn’t until he later joined the X-Men that his now-iconic appearance was fully revealed . . . as an aged mutant with regenerative abilities, not a brash, youthful teen.
If that’s not strange enough, other early concepts for Wolverine included him possessing Spider-Man’s strength (which would mean he could lift a car) and even being a mutant wolverine that evolved into a humanoid, resembling something like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
6. He Has Bone Claws
Wolverine’s bone claws were, in fact, the mutation his mother witnessed, which ultimately led her to take her own life. However, the comics that later explored his origins came long after Wolverine’s debut, and for many years, readers assumed the claws were simply an additional weapon implanted when adamantium was forced into his bones by the Weapon X program.
The discovery of the bone claws wasn’t revealed until after a particularly vicious battle with Magneto. During this fight, Magneto took full advantage of the metal within Wolverine’s body, using his magnetic powers to strip all of it away. Wolverine’s incredible healing factor kept him alive, but he was so overtaxed that it took a long time before he could properly heal. It wasn’t until a Danger Room training session that Wolverine—and everyone else—discovered he had bone claws . . . when they violently tore through his knuckles. It makes you wonder if the healing factor also works on painful memories.
5. He Ran Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters
One of the funniest moments in Bryan Singer’s X-Men 2 occurs when Wolverine meets Iceman’s parents. Not wanting to present him as a violent, rage-filled killer, Iceman introduces him simply as a teacher at the school. The parents, however, react skeptically when Wolverine claims to teach art.
However, comic book fans know that it’s not as wild a possibility as it seems. While Wolverine hasn’t yet drawn any Impressionist masterpieces on the school’s walls, he did actually serve as the headmaster of Xavier’s school after a bitter split with Cyclops. Cyclops believed that mutants—whose numbers had dwindled to only about 200—should focus on combat and self-defense, while Wolverine argued for a return to Xavier’s educational model and peaceful philosophy (with the occasional fistfight against evil mutants). Wolverine even named the new school after the late Jean Grey, adding further salt to the already deep rift between him and Cyclops.
4. He’s A Father
For those who recall Bryan Singer’s first X-Men film, it’s easy to see why Wolverine isn’t exactly the family type: When a worried Rogue wakes him from an unsettling dream, he instinctively stabs her, only for her to survive thanks to her ability to absorb his healing powers. It’s moments like this that contribute to his reputation as a loner—at least when he’s not helping the X-Men save the world.
However, Wolverine did have a son. In 1946, he had a pregnant wife, but their life together was tragically cut short when she was murdered by The Winter Soldier. Unbeknownst to Wolverine, their child was extracted from her lifeless body and survived due to inheriting Wolverine’s regenerative abilities. As he grew up, he became filled with anger and hatred for his father, using his own healing factor and claws for malicious purposes. In the end, Wolverine’s role in fighting evil led him to take his own son’s life, drowning him—a form of death that even Wolverine’s healing factor could not reverse.
3. He Came Back To Life From A Drop Of Blood
Wolverine fans are well accustomed to seeing him rise from the brink of death time and time again. He’s been shot, stabbed, set ablaze, and even torn in half by the Hulk, yet somehow, he always comes back. In one particular comic, though, Wolverine returns from actual death itself.
In Uncanny X-Men #11, Wolverine and his team fight to seize control of a powerful alien gem, hoping to show the potential of humanity. Alien warriors are pursuing Wolverine, and when they catch up to him, they don’t just wound him—they obliterate him until only a fraction remains. But, as luck would have it, a single drop of his blood falls onto the gem, and from it grows an entirely new Wolverine, ready to continue the mission on behalf of humanity.
2. He Once Led A Team Of X-Men Assassins
Though Wolverine is often depicted as the team’s wild and volatile member, his character is typically portrayed as an outlier—his recklessness and berserker rage contrasted by the moral compass of others on the team, like Cyclops, who serves as a counterbalance to Wolverine’s violent tendencies.
There was a time, however, when Wolverine led the Uncanny X-Force, a secret team within the X-Men whose purpose was distinct from the rest: to hunt down and eliminate threats to both humans and mutants alike. This clandestine team carried out the dirty work that allowed Cyclops and others to maintain their clean reputations in the light. However, the team’s operations took a dark turn when they killed a young boy destined to become the next Apocalypse, setting off a series of events that exposed the team’s existence and endangered the world. Even Wolverine, a firm pragmatist, had to accept that the ends did not justify their violent means.
1. He Aided Captain America During World War II
One of the more amusing aspects of Wolverine’s long lifespan is that he has essentially become the Forrest Gump of the Marvel universe: whenever a significant event took place in history, chances are Wolverine was involved. Writers often avoid contradictions by simply attributing his lack of knowledge to the false memories implanted in his mind by the Weapon X program.
A favorite period in Wolverine’s timeline for many is World War II. During one of his standout adventures, Wolverine teamed up with a young Captain America and Major Ivan Petrovich to rescue a special young woman—Black Widow, who, like Wolverine, has had a remarkable lifespan in the comic world. After a quick sword fight and taking down several ninjas, Wolverine helped save the day for the black-clad Russian spy.
