Marvel Comics have created some truly iconic characters over their long and illustrious history. Since its inception in 1963, theX-Menfranchise has always been a fan favorite among superhero lovers. The battles they fight against a world that hates and fears them is a symbolically important one, since it was meant as an allegory against discrimination.
The X-universe has grown exponentiallysince the firstX-Menmovieand now encompasses a practically endless list of weird and wonderful mutants. Many of these characters have starred in or had cameos in no less than thirteen movies acrossthe X-Universe and the MCUtoo. However, one among them seems to always stick out. Long before Hugh Jackman brought the iconic character to life and came to personify the role majestically,Wolverinehad always been the most popular X-Men character. There’s hardly a young kid around who didn’t place sticks between their fingers at some point in their childhood, so they could pretend to be him.
While Wolverine, also known as Logan, can often be described one-dimensionally by his most aggressive traits, his diehard fans know that he’s actually a far more complex, layered, and nuanced character than most give him credit for. As we pay homage to a timeless and beloved mutant, here’s a look back at 15 moments from film that perfectly captured the true depth of Wolverine’s character.
15Wolverine Is Basically Unbreakable
For a long time, Wolverine’s natural mutant powers were his heightened senses, bone claws that he could pop through his hands at anytime, and an immunity to most poisons and viruses. However, his most significant gift was his healing factor that meant he could heal from any injury. It was this trait that enabled him to survive the process that later fused his skeleton with adamantium, an indestructible metal.
With his insides now protected by bones that could never break and his outsides able to heal from any injury, together, this made Wolverine basically indestructible. While many scenes from the films showed off his healing factor, none captured his indestructibility better than the blast scene fromThe Wolverine.
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In this scene, Wolverine protects a Japanese enemy soldier (who would later become the Silver Samurai) from an atomic bomb. While he does his best to shield himself from it, he’s still caught up in enough of the blast radius to incinerate a normal person. His indestructibility is shown to be so insanely strong here that he withstands it. Despite being burned to a crisp, he almost immediately starts to heal and, pretty soon, is fine again. Wolverine proved to be so unbreakable in this scene, that even an atomic bomb which leveled an entire city and killed over 80,000 people still couldn’t stop him.
14Wolverine Gets Abrasive
By now, everyone knows that Logan isn’t always a nice guy. In fact, he can often be downright rude, insulting, and abrasive to peoples' faces. This often makes him unlikable and causes conflict with his teammates. While he is ultimately a good guy, you sometimes need a thick skin to tolerate him before you actually get to see that better side to him.
In the firstX-Menfilm, his interaction with Rogue after discovering her hiding out in the back of his truck perfectly encapsulated his nastier side. While Rogue was a young girl, cold hungry, afraid, and vulnerable, none of this seemed to be matter to Logan as he rudely brushes her off — even insinuating that he doesn’t care what happens to her.
13He Does Care
In the end, no matter how standoffish and unapproachable he can be, his inner softy always seems to kick in, and he ultimately shows that underneath the rough exterior, he’s actually a good person. In the same scene with Rogue, less than a minute after leaving her stranded, his conscience tugs at him enough to change his mind.
He later stops his truck and allows her to ride with him. He even offers her food, tries to warm her hands, and is understanding when he learns why she’s so skittish. By the end of the film, he becomes a pseudo-father figure to her, protecting and looking out for her all the way and proving that he actually has a kind and caring soul.
12Logan Becomes Wolverine, Love Becomes Pain
Given that Logan’s healing factor causes him to age slower than most people and live for ages, along the way, he suffers more heartache, betrayal, loss, physical and emotional pain than any normal person could bear. His often horrific and tragic experiences have understandably hardened him over time.
While there are many instances that show why he’s such a tortured soul, inX-Men Origins: Wolverinethe betrayal and pain he feels when he realizes his relationship with Silver Fox (played by Lynn Collins) was all a lie perfectly shows why the good guy he starts off as slowly becomes more tortured and grumpy the longer he lives.
In a way, the pain and sorrow he’s endured over his unnaturally long life turns him cold, brusque, and antagonistic towards people as a kind of defense mechanism to wall himself off from being hurt again. A good example of this was after Jean Grey’s apparent death. When he tells Cyclops that maybe it’s time to move on, Scott’s poignant response is, “Not everyone heals as fast as you, Logan.”
11A Wisecracking, Cigar-Smoking Tough Guy
Without even trying, Wolverine often exudes the aura of a serial tough guy. We all know that he is one, but some of his other habits also show his rougher side too. His penchant for smoking cigars is hilariously depicted inX2,with Professor X cautioning him not to smoke one while he’s using Cerebro.
However, he can also have a crude sense of humor too and often uses wisecracks to make his point. A brilliant example of this was when he keeps cutting of another mutants arms during a fight inX-Men: The Last Stand, only for them to keep growing back. The smug mutant is then treated to a swift kick in the nether regions that cripples him instantly — to which Logan quips, “Grow those back!”
In another hilarious scene, from his cameo inX-Men: First Class,Charles and Erik try to recruit him but, let’s just say, he’s less than friendly with the way he declines them.
10Wolverine Is a Strong X-Men Member
Wolverine is always depicted in the comics as being short and kind of stumpy, but having a supremely buffed physique. His immense strength is aided by his determination to never give up, his heightened senses, and his extraordinary stamina.
Hugh Jackman was initially too tallto play him. However, fans overlooked this fact since Jackman became so ripped and buffed that he fit the character’s other physical traits so well that no one ended up really caring about his height. His physique eventually turned many heads and attracted droves of new Wolverine fans through Jackman’s own fans who saw him as a sex symbol because of it.
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While Jackman did state that he wouldn’t be playing the character again after the last film, fans were thrilled when it was announced that he would be reappearing as Wolverine inDeadpool 3, which is due for release late next year.
9Timeless Team-Ups
Since he’s something of a loner who always seems to run off on solo adventures,Wolverine has had some iconic team-upsover the years. In the comic books, he’s teamed up with the likes of Captain America, Daredevil, Ghostrider, and the Punisher.
He’s also often taken younger and more vulnerable mutants under his wing such as Kitty Pride (Shadow Cat) and Jubilee. In the films we see him do this with Rogue and later, X-23. In other films, he also often teams up with other characters. Among others, he has a mini-adventure with Gambit, fights side by side with Sabertooth, helps Yukio in Japan, and teams with Caliban to care for Professor X.
8Wolverine Often Hates Cyclops
Among his many friends, Wolverine has also had more than his fair share of enemies and grudgeswith different villains, and even among his friends and teammates. None of these are more pronounced than his rivalry with Cyclops — whom he grapples with for the affections of Jean Grey.
From the first movie, when these two iconic characters come face to face for the first time, it immediately winds up becoming a mini tussle when Logan grabs Scott by the scruff of the neck and threatens him. Their beef goes on throughout the next two movies. However, there are other scenes which perfectly show that the pair do eventually learn to co-exist and fight together too.
7Logan’s Friendship with Beast
Wolverine has had many partnerships and close bonds over the course of his countless adventures. One of his most significant ones from the comics is his strong friendship with Beast. The two share a mutual feeling of being outcasts — Beast for his frightening appearance, and Logan, who is often thought of as having the mentality of an irredeemably wild animal.
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InX-Men: Last Standwe see the two meet and initially rub each other the wrong way. However, by the end of the film, their bond grows to become one of mutual respect and friendship. InX-Men: Days of Future Pastwe also see Wolverine travel back in time. As he meets a much younger Beast who doesn’t know him in that timeline yet, he mentions, “You don’t know this, but you and I are gonna be really good friends.”
6Wolverine Is a Lover and a Fighter
We see from his origin story that Wolverine is often a reluctant fighter and would much rather prefer to just settle down with the woman he loves and live a peaceful life. Of course, that film also showed us that his tragic circumstances always end up pulling him back into a life of violence.
Despite this, he does often seem to have a weakness for beautiful women, a trope that is often explored by the comics. In the movies, we see him share on-screen relationships with the likes of Silver Fox and Mariko Yashida. Even when his relationships aren’t romantic ones, he often shares strong on-screen bonds with the likes of Rogue, Storm, and his daughter Laura (X-23). Of Course, there was always also one woman that always has his heart.
