Wolverine rose from humble origins to rival Spider-Man as Marvel's most popular hero. The ol' Canucklehead has made a huge impact on the Marvel Universe as an X-Man, Avenger, member of the Fantastic Four, and on his own. He's fought against Marvel's most dangerous villains and most potent heroes and won some pretty impressive victories.
Wolverine's powers have made all of this possible. Looking into Wolverine's mutant abilities and super-soldier enhancements, he's capable of some incredibly cool feats. His powerset has made him extremely successful and surprised many of his foes.
10 Wolverine Can Control The Phoenix Force
Many X-Men have been Phoenix hosts, but it surprises fans when they learn that Wolverine has been and will be one. He first gained this ability when he shot the Phoenix Gun, quickly succumbing to its power and becoming the Dark Phoenix. However, he was strong enough to release it, proving that he wouldn't completely fall to the Phoenix Force's seductive power.
At some point in the future, Wolverine regains the Phoenix and starts palling around with gods. The fact that Wolverine can control the Phoenix Force speaks to something special inside of him. It's impossible to know if this ability has anything to do with his innate powers, but it still sets him apart from his fellow mutants and heroes.
9 Wolverine's Super Agility Made Him A Better Fighter
Wolverine's mutation enhances his physical abilities to a superhuman extent. Wolverine is super agile and it's helped him a lot over the years. Wolverine is a tank; everyone just expects him to soak up all the damage that comes at him. However, Wolverine can dodge attacks very well. He's as fast as he is durable and he's won a lot of fights because of it.
Wolverine's super senses make his enhanced agility considerably more potent. Wolverine has a good idea of where everyone on the battlefield is, and can tell when they're on the move. This allows him to dodge enemies as they're attacking, giving him a higher chance of getting out of the way and countering.
8 Wolverine's Blood Has Curative Properties
Wolverine's healing factor is his most important power, but it can actually help others as well. Wolverine's blood is rich with the proteins that allow him to heal quickly; if he gives a transfusion to a person with his blood type, they'll gain his healing factor for a time. Repeated transfusions can give others his immortality, as readers saw in Moira's MacTaggert's sixth life.
For vampires, Wolverine's blood allowed them to walk in the sun, but they needed daily infusions of it to keep that ability. Wolverine's blood is more valuable than anyone ever realized. He's often been targeted by vampires in recent years because he can help mitigate their curse.
7 Wolverine's True Nature Is Held Back By His Adamantium
Many Marvel heroes can't reach their full potential but for Wolverine, it's a literal fact. Wolverine's adamantium skeleton makes him virtually indestructible but it also holds him back in very specific ways. Wolverine's healing factor also slowly mutates him, transforming his bones and skin into a more animalistic form.
Wolverine's adamantium skeleton holds this transformation at bay, both by stopping skeletal mutation and because his healing factor is constantly fighting toxic shock from the metal in his system. He learned the truth about his powers after Magneto forcibly removed his adamantium, eventually going fully feral. Since regaining his metal skeleton, he rarely if ever worries about it his mutation continuing.
6 Wolverine's Berserker Rages Were Potent Weapons In His Arsenal
Wolverine has fought in some pitched battles over the years. He's extremely dangerous in battle, as his anger has been known to get the best of him. There were times when he'd enter a berserker state, ripping through anyone and anything in front of him that even smelled like a threat. He stopped feeling pain, got stronger and faster, and went completely feral.
Wolverine's berserker rages even scared him, so he spent years learning to control them and himself. As a result, he's not the berserker he used to be. He's gotten much better at controlling his bestial side but that doesn't mean he can't let the beast out when he needs it.
5 Wolverine's Hot Claws Were Superfluous But They Seemed Interesting
Wolverine has some powers he doesn't use often and his hot claws are pretty infamous. Upon returning to life, Wolverine learned he could superheat his claws while he was in a berserker rage. It's a weird addition because his claws can already cut through basically anything. It was roundly mocked but maybe fans should have given it a chance.
For example, it seemed like Wolverine's healing factor stopped working when he used his superheated claws. That's interesting, as it raised questions about his powers' mechanisms. Others thought the hot claws somehow stemmed from the Phoenix Force. The questions hot claws raised might have made them worth exploring.
4 Wolverine Is Functionally Immortal
Wolverine's one of the many Marvel heroes who keep secrets. However, his reasons are usually solid. Wolverine has been alive a long time and part of his healing factor lets him scab over painful memories. There are entire decades that Wolverine has forgotten, and that's not even getting into the memory tampering he's been through over the years.
Wolverine's long life of secrets and pain is derived from his healing factor. He ages very slowly and is functionally immortal. Interestingly, this presents differently in different stories. In Moira's sixth life, he looked like he'd barely aged but in Old Man Logan he was visibly much older.
3 Wolverine Is Highly Resistant To Telepathy
Wolverine hangs out with a lot of telepaths, and all of them have noticed that he's immune to all but their most powerful mental attacks. Reading his mind takes an extreme act of telepathic will and controlling his mind is just as difficult. He's not quite immune to mental powers but only the strongest telepaths can influence him.
When Wolverine was going feral during his years without adamantium, his telepathic resistance grew. He could disappear from telepaths while standing in front of them and even Professor X and Jean Grey weren't able to find him. With telepathic foes like the Shadow King out there, this power is as useful as it is cool.
2 Wolverine's Claws Are An Amazing Weapon
Wolverine has battled many powerful enemies. He's even been able to defeat the Hulk, who even teams of heroes struggle against. His claws are the key to this. For years, it was assumed that the Weapon X program added them when they bonded the adamantium to his skeleton, but they were a part of his mutation the whole time.
Each of Wolverine's claws is a foot long and with their adamantium coating they are nearly perfect weapons. He can cut through virtually anything, and use them as a tool when he has to. Even without adamantium, they're still sharp and durable. They're as iconic as they are powerful and the fact they make Wolverine unstoppable also makes him much cooler.
1 Wolverine's Healing Factor Is Integral To His Identity
Some Marvel characters are known for cheating death, and Wolverine is their poster boy. His adamantium skeleton, fighting skill, and years of experience play into this, but everyone knows his healing factor is the main reason he never dies. It's his most important power and has gotten much better over the years. At this point, even if all of his flesh is burned away, Wolverine's coming back to life.
Wolverine's healing factor also gives him immunity to poisons, chemicals, and even alien processes like Phalanx assimilation or gestating a Brood egg. It's the basis of so many of his other powers. It's kept him alive through thick and thin for over a century.