10 Things You Didn't Know About Wolverine
James "Logan" Howlett, better known as Wolverine, has been a part of the Marvel world for a very long time. Created by Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and John Romita Sr, he is one of Marvel's most recognizable characters. He is usually involved with the X-Men, but has even had comics, TV shows, and films focusing on him individually. In 2000, he appeared alongside other members of the X-Men in their first film outing, in which he was played by Hugh Jackman. Jackman's portrayal was so perfect and well praised, he would continue to play the character in various films for a whopping 17 years, only confirming he would be stepping down following the release of Logan in 2017, a decision which would crush fans of the actor's portrayal. Despite all the attention that the character has gotten over the years, there's still a lot about him people don't know. So today, we are going to look at 10 things you didn't know about Wolverine. Hope you enjoy.
10. His First Appearance
Wolverine first appeared back in 1974 in an issue of The Incredible Hulk. During the events of the story, the Hulk is lured to Canada when trying to defeat the Wendigo, which results in the Royal Canadian Air Force sending Wolverine out to fight him. They put their differences aside when Wolverine engages the Wendigo himself. However, once the Wendigo was dealt with, the two went back to fighting each other.
9. Tough Guy
It's no secret that Wolverine is a mutant, which grants him some incredible abilities. The most well known of which is his healing ability. This particular mutation is always associated with Wolverine throughout all media. But do you know how strong it actually is? Along with healing him from "normal" wounds, it has also resulted in him surviving an atomic blast, getting run over by a steam roller, and even getting ripped in half by the Hulk, to name a few events.
8. Drinking Problem?
As we mentioned above, Logan's healing ability has saved his bacon on numerous occasions, but it also causes other issues with his body. He is practically immune to most poisons and toxins, which is a good thing. However, despite being shown on multiple occasions to enjoy a tipple or two, he actually can't get drunk. He has been shown to drink some pretty hard stuff in his time, yet has only ever been able to get a small buzz. During the Wolverine: One Night Only storyline, though, it turns out he is able to spend one night a year with fellow mutant Chetfield Murray, who has the ability to suppress a mutant's powers, allowing Logan to finally get hammered.
7. Is He Actually Related To Sabretooth?
Thanks to the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, many fans of the character who haven't read the comics would be completely forgiven for believing he and Sabretooth are brothers as the film confirms it. However, the same is not true for the comic versions. Both mutants have very similar mutations and have fought against one another for years, in what could be described as a sort of sibling rivalry, but they are not related in any way, shape, or form. Marvel did toy with the idea of them being related, but the idea was later scrapped. He does have a half-brother in the comics named Dog Logan, and this is who the Origins version of Sabretooth is based on.
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6. Loner Status Is Questionable
Throughout his tenure in comics, TV, and films, Logan has consistently shown a distaste for pretty much everyone (except a few very special people) and often classes himself as a loner, preferring to do things his own way. Despite this continued point he makes, he has actually been a part of 35 different Marvel teams. X-Men is the most obvious one, but he has also been a part of The Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., the Fantastic Four, and Alpha Flight (a Canadian-based superhero team).
5. He Has A Son
That's right, in the comics, Wolverine has a son named Daken, with his wife Itsu, in 1946, whilst living in Japan. Daken shares the same mutant abilities as his father, but is actually brainwashed by the Winter Soldier to hate Logan when he gets older. He even infiltrates a S.H.I.E.L.D facility where Logan is being imprisoned and proceeds to slash his stomach, leaving him to bleed out on the floor on the brink of death. It would later be revealed that he actually helped his father escape from the facility, but not out of the goodness of his heart.
4. Mind-Swap
As we have mentioned before, Wolverine isn't exactly the "best friend" type and has had his fair share of fallouts with other heroes, most notably Spider-Man. Within the Ultimate Universe, their problems come to a head, which results in Jean Grey swapping their minds into the other's bodies to teach Logan a lesson. An underlying issue caused within this storyline is how mutants can use their powers irresponsibly. However, it does actually make for a pretty funny read. The storyline was also adapted for the Ultimate Spider-Man TV show.
3. Hugh Jackman Was Not The First Choice
It seems almost impossible now to imagine anyone but Hugh playing the role of Wolverine. He's played him for so long and so well. However, he wasn't actually the first choice to the play the character on the big screen. Back in 1990, legendary Marvel writer Chris Claremont and Stan Lee approached director James Cameron (yes, the James Cameron) and pitched to him an idea for an X-Men film. It wasn't meant to be, as the idea was changed to a Spider-Man film, which Cameron more interested in at the time, but it has been widely publicized that Cameron wanted British actor Bob Hoskins to play the role of Logan. While this may seem like an odd choice, Hoskins actually has more in common with the character. Jackman stands at an impressive 6'2", while Wolverine is described as being 5'3".
2. No Match For Spock!
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So this might actually be one of my favorite pieces of trivia I've come across so far. Back in 1996, a one-shot comic book crossover was made featuring characters from Star Trek and X-Men. During the events of the crossover, Wolverine tries to go to-to-toe with Spock, but ends up being dropped by a Vulcan neck pinch. Healing quickly, Wolverine gets back up, only to be dropped again by the same move.
1. His Claws Weren't Always Part of His Body
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Finally, we arrive at number one, and it wouldn't be a list of facts about Wolverine without mentioning one of his most famous attributes - his claws. Since his first introduction, Wolverine has always had his retractable claws. But did you know that in the first several comics to feature the character, the claws were actually part of his gloves and not his anatomy? This would be changed not long after he became a main member of the team and remained that way from then on, but it's funny to think of some of the future storylines if the claws had remained part of his gloves. Imagine if he just casually left them on a bus one day?
So there you have it, 10 things you didn't know about Wolverine. Did any of these surprise you, or do you know more?
Until next time!