Wolverine (comics)

image=

Marvel Universe version

Wolverine first appeared as a Canadian superhero and government agent fighting The Incredible Hulk and the Wendigo, in order to halt the destruction in the wake of their battle. His speed and maneuverability proved to be a match for the two plodding powerhouses of vast superhuman strength, and he was able to fight both creatures to a standstill.

Related Topics:
Canadian - The Incredible Hulk - Wendigo

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Soon Professor X recruited him to join a new team of X-Men, and he resigned from his position in Canada, disregarding his superiors' objections. Over the following year, Wolverine was revealed to be a mutant whose skeleton had been laced with the unbreakable metal adamantium. Initially misanthropic and a loner, Wolverine often clashed with the X-Men's leader Cyclops. Given to berserker rages in combat, he slowly learned how to control his feral instincts. However, Wolverine is the X-Man most likely to permanently deal with adversaries who dispense lethal force. Despite his quick temperament, he has been described as a warrior poet with an iron will.

Related Topics:
Professor X - X-Men - Mutant - Skeleton - Adamantium - Cyclops

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Various writers have subsequently fleshed out and revised Wolverine's once mysterious past. Within the current continuity of Wolverine's background, it has been revealed that he was part of a project called Weapon X; it was this project which added the adamantium to his body. He was then adopted by James and Heather Hudson and co-opted into their superhero work with the Canadian government, which eventually became Alpha Flight. There was an intention for Wolverine to lead this team, and his abrupt departure from the team precipitated James Hudson's adoption of the identity of Weapon Alpha (later Vindicator and then Guardian), and saw a number of typically hostile confrontations in which Alpha Flight tried to bring Wolverine back to Canada, whilst Wolverine attempted to retain his freedom. Wolverine would eventually make peace with Hudson and Alpha Flight, while remaining a member of the X-Men.

Related Topics:
Continuity - Weapon X - Heather Hudson - Alpha Flight - Guardian

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Claremont and other writers have added layers of complexity to the character over time; it was revealed that he could read and speak Japanese; that he had a strong sense of personal honour; and the character was also shown developing a close friendship with his teammate Nightcrawler, a character whose personality was written as somewhat diametrically opposed to Wolverine. He initially went by the name "Logan", although whether this was a forename or surname was unclear.

Related Topics:
Japanese - Honour - Nightcrawler

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As mentioned previously, early in their run together on The Uncanny X-Men Claremont and Byrne created a subplot wherein Wolverine became interested in Jean Grey. However this interest was never consummated, and it was unclear as to whether Wolverine's feelings were reciprocated by Grey. Eventually a new love interest was introduced, with Wolverine becoming engaged to Lady Mariko Yashida, a daughter of a Japanese crime family. He was forced to kill her father in a duel and single-handedly destroyed his crime cartel. Mariko and Logan became estranged due to the strange honour customs of her family, and the manipulations of the villain Mastermind. Once they were finally reunited she was poisoned by Reiko, an assassin for the Yakuza. She requested Wolverine end her life quickly rather than let her die a slow and painful death from the toxin, and he obeyed. This changed Wolverine's character significantly, making him more disciplined and emotionally distant.

Related Topics:
Jean Grey - Mariko Yashida - Japan - Mastermind - Yakuza

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In X-Men #25 (1993), at the culmination of the "Fatal Attractions" crossover, the adamantium in Wolverine's skeleton was forcibly removed by the supervillain Magneto. The act inflicted devestating injuries to Wolverine's body, so devestating that his mutant healing factor burned itself out in order to keep him alive. As a result, many of Wolverine's other natural mutant abilities, such as his heightened senses, strength, stamina, and agility, were burned out. In the Weapon X serial, then in Wolverine Vol. 2 issue 75 and the Origin mini-series, it was revealed that Wolverine's claws were actually made of bone and part of his mutant powers, and not created by the Weapon X program.

Related Topics:
1993 - Crossover - Supervillain - Magneto

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, it was revealed in Wolverine Vol. 2 issue 91 that after sufficient time had passed enabling his body to recover from this severe trauma his mutation actually began to accelerate and as a consequence Wolverine not only regained his superhuman abilities, they actually increased from what they had been when he had the adamantium in his skeleton. Unfortunately, this also made Wolverine more feral.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some time later, in Wolverine #100, another maniac, Genesis, kidnapped Wolverine and attempted to re-bond the metal to his skeleton. This was unsuccessful and caused Wolverine's mutation to accelerate out of control. He was temporarily changed into a semi-sentient beast-like form in which he knew greater physical power than ever before, at the price of part of his humanity. Genesis did not survive the battle following his failed experiment. Wolverine found a way to reverse his form to what it had been just previous to the time when Genesis captured him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After several years of continuing to exist without the benefit of the adamantium to reinforce his skeletal structure, Wolverine was kidnapped by the villain Apocalypse, who set up a contest between Wolverine and his arch nemesis, Sabretooth, with the victor to become one of Apocalypse's new group of Horsemen. Wolverine barely emerged victorious, and as a result Apocalypse extracted the adamantium from Sabretooth and had it bonded to Wolverine. Although initially brainwashed into serving Apocalypse, Wolverine eventually overcame Apocalypse's programming and returned to the X-Men.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Recently, Wolverine was recaptured by the Weapon-X program, which is under new leadership. It was then revealed that the mental implants installed by the original Weapon-X program were still functional, because the new director had used Wolverine as a sleeper agent to track down and eliminate the old members of the Weapon-X program. However, we are told that during his assassination of Senator Drexel Walsh (the previous director of the Weapon-X program), the mental implants were destroyed under the stress. It was in this incident that we were introduced to the Shiver Man and Mauvais. Hints in this series point towards the opinion that Origin is in fact the true story of Wolverine's past.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Today, Wolverine remains an integral part of the X-Men, He is also an officer of the mutant law enforcement agency the X-Treme Sanctions Executive (XSE), and he recently joined the reformed Avengers alongside other famous Marvel Comics heroes such as Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider-Man.

Related Topics:
X-Treme Sanctions Executive - Avengers - Captain America - Iron Man - Spider-Man

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Early life

Wolverine's early life has been revealed gradually over time. Wolverine's time as a captive and subject of the Weapon X project has been revealed as a period when he was entirely at the mercy of feral instincts due to severe physical and psychological trauma inflicted upon him by the program. He was their agent, their ultimate weapon, along with his future archnemesis Sabretooth. Next, Wolverine lived on a Native American reservation with his former girlfriend Silver Fox, whom he thought had been killed by his enemy.

Related Topics:
Weapon X - Sabretooth

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Finally, the story of his childhood was told in the miniseries Origin. He was born James Howlett, the son of wealthy Canadians John and Elizabeth Howlett. In 19th century Alberta, the frail boy was raised by the red-haired Rose, his companion and tutor which bore more than a passing resemblance to Jean Grey, since his mother was distant and remote. Elizabeth's first son had an untimely death and she took solace by having an affair with the Howletts' groundskeeper Thomas Logan. Logan, who resembled the adult Wolverine, had a son named Dog Logan. The boy would grow to attack Rose and Thomas Logan was then fired. However, John Howlett later found Logan with his wife. Thomas had returned to get his lover. In a twist of fate, Logan killed John. Wolverine's mutant powers -particularly his claws - chose this traumatic moment to emerge. With his new powers, James Howlett killed Logan and scarred Dog. Elizabeth lost both husband and lover. She chose to commit suicide.

Related Topics:
Origin - 19th century - Alberta - Thomas Logan - Dog Logan - Suicide

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Due to his alleged killing of his parents, James was exiled by his grandfather and became a nomad. He was brought to a British Columbia mining colony, where he grew into a strong and ferocious lad. Three years later, Dog tracked him down. Wolverine won the resulting battle but failed to kill Dog. Rose attempted to prevent the killing and was impaled by the claws of her mutant charge. Wracked with grief over the death of his true love, Wolverine spent more time in the woods with wolves, where he feels more at home. Whether or not the miniseries Origin should be part of official Marvel canon is apparently disputed by some Marvel editors.

Related Topics:
Nomad - British Columbia - Wolves - Origin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Much of Wolverine's origin still remains a mystery. It is unclear how much Wolverine recalls about his past, as his memories have been extensively tampered with, both by the Weapon X program and his healing powers.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Recently, Logan has remembered slivers of his old life like the name "James" and images of Rose.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2005, writer Brian Michael Bendis helmed the House of M Marvel miniseries, a crossover event starring Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men and the Avengers and potentially affecting the entire Marvel universe. The story revolves around the creation of an alternate reality where Magneto and other Marvel heroes are granted their greatest desires by a mentally unstable Scarlet Witch. In issue 3, Wolverine states that his greatest desire was to remember his past in detail. It is uncertain exactly how this has affected his memories.

Related Topics:
Brian Michael Bendis - House of M - Astonishing X-Men - Avengers - Magneto - Scarlet Witch

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Skrull impostor

A Skrull working for Apocalypse briefly replaced the real Wolverine to allow the real one to be kidnapped and brainwashed. Due to mental programming to allow him to take the place of the real Wolverine without alerting the X-Men's telepaths, he believed himself to actually be Wolverine.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Skrull impostor of Wolverine was initially created as part of a program initiated by the Skrulls to impersonate Earth's heroes en masse, at the cost of the shapeshifting abilities of those used - instead they would be physically locked into the forms they were imitating, in addition to mental programming designed to make them believe they were the hero in question. Due to the limitations of the process and their technology, however, they could not duplicate most of the respective abilities (e.g., the fake "Nightcrawler" could only pretend to teleport by becoming invisible). After the Skrull homeworld was destroyed by Galactus, Apocalypse found some skrulls and put them to use, including using this process on one of them to cover while they kidnapped the real Wolverine. The limitations meant, however, that "Skrullverine" had no "healing factor" or enhanced senses.

Related Topics:
Galactus - Apocalypse

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The impostor took on Wolverine's heroic qualities and saved several members of the X-Men and the Mannites (super powered children) from being eliminated by Apocalypse's acolyte of Death. The Skrull impostor was killed by the acolyte of Death (who turned out to be the real Wolverine who had been brainwashed). His death was noble and heroic.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Costumes

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Image:Hulk181.jpg|Original costume, designed by John Romita, Sr.Herb Trimpe, Art

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Image:Wolverine17.jpg|Brown and tan suit first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #139, designed by John Byrne.Cover to Wolverine #17, art by John Byrne.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Image:Essentialwolverine.jpg|Reverted to the yellow suit, with a blue mask in the early 90's.Art by Joe Maduirera

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Image:ultimatexmen33.jpg|Short-lived maskless inversion of his "classic" suit, intended to keep his appearance consistent across both Ultimate and Earth-616 comics, merchandising and the cartoon.Cover to Ultimate X-Men #33, art by Adam Kubert

Related Topics:
Ultimate - Earth-616 - Adam Kubert

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Image:Wolverine (comics).jpg|Current costume, a slight variation on the Romita Sr/Cockrum costume.Cover to New Avengers #3, art by Oliver Coipel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Crossovers

Wolverine has interacted with a few DC Comics characters over the years.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Batman
• Dark Claw
• Lobo
• WildC.A.T.s

Allies

Throughout his career, Wolverine has formed alliances and fought alongside of many of Marvels greatest super-heroes:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Agent Zero
• Albert
• Captain America
• Daredevil
• Dazzler
• Elektra
• Gladiator
• Iron Fist
• Ka-Zar
• Luke Cage
• Moon Knight
• Namor the Sub-Mariner
• New Warriors
• Nova
• Punisher
• Silver Fox
• Silver Samurai
• Spider-Man
• S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Silver Surfer
• The Avengers

Enemies

A handful of Wolverine's more notable and colourful foes:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Blackheart
• Bloodscream
• The Brood
• Cyber
• Genesis
• Deadpool
• Dog Logan
• Gorgon
• The Hand
• Hulk
• Lady Deathstrike
• Mister X
• Ogun
• Omega Red
• The Reavers
• Roughhouse
• Sabretooth
• Shingen Harada
• Thomas Logan
• Venom
• Viper
• Weapon X
• Wendigo