Nowadays, when the word Wolverine gets thrown around, Hugh Jackman's name usually comes up right after. Because he's portrayed Marvel's iconic clawed mutant so many times, everyone associates him with the character. What people tend to forget is that Jackman wasn't the first incarnation of Wolverine. Before Jackman came along, Wolverine's home was in the comics. There, Wolverine's past, present, and future were explored in much greater depth than Jackman's Logan ever was. At the same time, the comics introduced us to numerous versions of Wolverine.
In the Marvel universe, a multitude of Wolverines exists. For each Earth in the Multiverse, there's a Wolverine to go with it. Most of them are similar to the Prime Wolverine from Earth-616 but some are drastically different. Nevertheless, all these different Wolverines deserve some consideration when comparing them to leading man Logan. To rank them, we've compiled a list of 10 alternate Wolverines that are better than Logan, along with 10 that are way worse.
20 WORSE: ZOMBIE WOLVERINE
As surprising as it may be to hear, Wolverine has become a zombie on two separate occasions, the most prominent of which was in the first Marvel Zombies event. In that universe, Wolverine is infected by the zombie virus when both Captain America and Hawkeye bite him. One would expect Wolverine's healing factor to prevent the virus from affecting him but it actually shorts out due to the virus overwhelming his system.
Once a zombie, Wolverine joins a number of other zombie-turned heroes in an attack on the Silver Surfer. With their combined efforts, the zombies overpower Silver Surfer and devour him. In doing so, they absorbed his cosmic powers which they then use to consume Galactus. After feasting on Galactus, the zombified heroes became one with each other, transforming into the new Galactus.
19 BETTER: AGE OF APOCALYPSE, WEAPON-X
In the Age of Apocalypse universe, the X-Men were formed under slightly different circumstances. One of the biggest differences was how Wolverine, aka Weapon-X, joined the X-Men. Instead of being slowly integrated into the team by Professor X, Magneto recruited Wolverine onto his team. He tasked Jean Grey with stabilizing Wolverine's rage, which led to a romance forming between the two as they worked together on the X-Men.
Another stark difference from the main timeline was how Wolverine fought with Cyclops. Their initial confrontation wasn't over Jean Grey like one would expect, but because Cyclops was working for Apocalypse. When they encountered each other in Apocalypse's citadel, a battle ensued. During that fight, Wolverine lost a hand while Cyclops lost an eye. He capped the stump with a metal plate that he later revealed to house his retracted claw.
18 WORSE: MANGAVERSE WOLVERINE
To some, the idea of Wolverine done in Manga style might seem cool at first, but the final result isn't what you'd expect. There are some cool scenes in the Mangaverse but its overall themes are too exaggerated for the X-Men and not enough time is ever given to Wolverine. On the positive side, an interesting character arc was devoted to Wolverine in the brief Ronin series, though that line of comics ran its course rather quickly.
What stood out the most about the Mangaverse's Wolverine were his energy claws.
Instead of brandishing a pair of Adamantium claws, the Mangaverse's Wolverine has one metal claw and another made of energy blades. Apparently, one of Wolverine's hands was amputated at some point in the continuity and a high-tech prosthetic replaced the limb. The prosthetic came equipped with retractable energy claws that resembled Wolverine's originals. A clear explanation as to how Wolverine loses his hand is never given but it's assumed the amputation was the unfortunate cost of a fight with Cyclops, similar to how he lost a hand in Age of Apocalypse.
17 BETTER: ANIMATED '90s CARTOON WOLVERINE
For a kids cartoon show in the '90s, the X-Men animated series gave audiences one of the most well-rounded depictions of Wolverine of its time. Well, to be honest, it was the only animated version of Wolverine, with the exception of Pryde of the X-Men. Nevertheless, the 90's animated X-Men series succeeded in introducing a new generation of fans to one of Marvel's most iconic characters, which almost certainly contributed to the current fervor surrounding Wolverine.
As for Wolverine's part on X-Men, he plays a role similar to his Earth-616 counterpart as a mainstay on the X-Men. However, on occasion, plot threads would reach into alternate realities and divergent timelines. Within these separate universes, different Wolverines would exist, much like the comics. One of the most popular was the war-torn Wolverine from Age of Apocalypse. He's not identical to his comic counterpart but enough similarities are present to conclude they're the same.
16 WORSE: NOIR WOLVERINE
In the gritty universe of Earth-90241, a noir backdrop encapsulates everything and everyone. Characters like Wolverine still possess attributes akin to their Prime counterparts but their roles in this universe are vastly different. Jim Logan / Wolverine, for example, runs his own detective agency in 1930's New York. He's also not a mutant in this universe so he doesn't have bone claws like the Prime version. What Noir Wolverine does have is a pair of portable knife-claws which resemble his main universe Adamantium ones.
Set in the Bowery of New York, Wolverine Noir takes Jim Logan on a dark, twisted adventure where he confronts demons of various kinds. There's also an air of mystery to Wolverine Noir so we don't know who's who but actions soon make the facts clear, especially when characters like Rose O'Hara and Victor Creed enter the fold. These merciless individuals take Jim Logan on a roller-coaster ride that concludes with several of his friends dead, and Logan reeling from their losses.
15 BETTER: OLD MAN LOGAN
Despite holding the same namesake, there's a big difference between Hugh Jackman's Logan and the Old Man Logan from the comics. One of the biggest differences is the universe in which Old Man Logan takes place. While Logan (2017) took place in a world devoid of mutants, Old Man Logan is home to a universe dominated by supervillains.
In this limited series, Logan accompanies a blind Hawkeye across the country to deliver the last of a Super Soldier Serum, all for the promise of a large payday. When they arrive at their destination, Hawkeye and Logan learn it's an ambush set up by Red Skull. He attempts to take the serum from Logan but the aging mutant kills Red Skull using Cap's old shield. Logan returns home shortly after, only to find his family slaughtered by the Hulk Gang. Logan then proceeds to murder the entire Hulk clan, leaving only Bruce Banner Jr. alive.
14 WORSE: FERAL WOLVERINE
In general, Wolverine is pretty feral to begin with. What fans may be surprised to learn is that Wolverine once devolved into a being much more primal than anything we've seen before. The feral version of Wolverine didn't make too many appearances but the times he did, it really left an impression on fans. To be more precise, fans did not care for Feral Wolverine at all. Multiple factors contributed to fan reception, though it was probably the controversial design which drew skepticism.
As for the origins of Feral Wolverine, he first came into existence when Genesis attempted to re-bond Adamantium to Logan's bones as part of his Horsemen recruitment. Luckily for Logan, the procedure ended in failure. What he didn't know at the time was that the experiments pushed his evolution a step further, causing a new mutation to manifest. The result gave us what is known as Feral Wolverine.
13 BETTER: HOUSE OF M
During the House of M event, Scarlet Witch uses her reality-warping abilities to shape the world in a new light. In this alternate reality, mutants run things, not humans. No one seems to remember a thing about the real world, except Wolverine. When he awakes, Wolverine learns that he's the leader of a S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team known as the Red Guard. He also wakes up to find Mystique in his bed. All of these developments shock Wolverine but they don't deter him from setting things right.
To reverse the effects of Scarlet Witch's powers, Wolverine assembles a group of heroes consisting of his former teammates. Once reunited, they plan a surprise attack on Magneto's safe haven, Genosha. Their attack appears successful at first but it's stopped when Witch alters reality again, except this time, she depowers mutants instead of granting their greatest desires.
12 WORSE: HYDRA WOLVERINE
After witnessing Steve Rogers become a Hydra agent in the comics, it's not surprising to see other heroes fall into similar roles, even Wolverine. There hasn't been a major comic arc for him but the Wolverine of Earth-1720 is actually a Hydra agent. On this strange earth, Hydra Wolverine is romantically involved with Sue Storm, their universe's Empress Hydra. Together, they control the criminal organization responsible for dominating their universe.
After conquering their own universe, Empress Hydra and Wolverine set out to conquer the Multiverse. They begin jumping from reality to reality, taking control of each one. It's when their actions catch the attention of Catherine Pryde that their plans go awry. Cat confronts Wolverine about his reality-jumping adventures and that conversation escalates into a physical fight. The result of their fight sees Catherine Pryde walk away victorious while Wolverine lay dying from wounds inflicted by his own claws.
11 BETTER: WOLVERINE THE END
With a plot similar to 2017's Logan, Wolverine: The End introduces us to an old, ailing version of Wolverine. This particular version has a past similar to the Wolverine of the mainstream universe, just with a few subtle differences thrown in. For instance, Wolverine's brother, John, doesn't die as an infant. Instead, John is captured by Weapon-X and experimented on like Wolverine. Lucky for John, he escapes their facility before they can enslave his mind. Once out, John follows Wolverine's life from the shadows.
What's interesting is that John becomes somewhat deranged during his observations, taking on the moniker of White Ghost at one point. As the White Ghost, he concocts a clever plan to get Wolverine to Japan. When they finally confront one another, John tells Wolverine of his plans to drop a nuclear bomb on Las Vegas. Wolverine responds by impaling John, stopping his plan from ever being executed.
10 WORSE: DOOM CONTROLLED WOLVERINE SKELETON
Surprisingly enough, the early '90s run of Guardians Of The Galaxy included a version of Wolverine. Technically, Wolverine isn't really in this limited series run, just his skeleton. It's unclear how but Wolverine's skeleton winds up in an alternate future where Doctor Doom is in possession of it. Doom then goes on to implant his mind inside the skeleton, becoming one with it.
During this same run, Wolverine's great-great-granddaughter, Rancor, is recruited by Doctor Doom.
He's impressed by her prior defeat of the Guardians and makes her an apprentice of sorts. Although, Rancor isn't so receptive to Doom and winds up betraying him. In response, Doom attacks Rancor with Wolverine's reanimated skeleton, impaling her with one of the claws. Fortunately for Rancor, she's saved by the Guardians of the Galaxy. (Sidenote: Wolverine is rumored to still be alive in this future)
9 BETTER: COUNTER EARTH HAWKEYE
Another superhero identity James Howlett took on at one point was Hawkeye. This particular version of Wolverine came into existence during the Onslaught Reborn event, wherein Franklin Richards created a new pocket dimension based on Counter-Earth. Inside the new dimension, a team of Avengers similar to the Heroes Reborn is formed. The only difference is that the person under Hawkeye's mask isn't Clint Barton, it's James Howlett.
When James Howlett is first introduced as the Hawkeye of Franklin Richards' pocket dimension, he doesn't tell anyone of his real identity, not even his own team. The only person who knows Hawkeye's real identity is Captain America but he's discreet about the matter. Although it's hard to see how no one put two and two together, what with Hawkeye's mask resembling Wolverine's.
8 WORSE: COWBOY WOLVERINE
Most iterations of Wolverine have given him that cowboy aesthetic, what with the tight jeans and plaid shirts, but the cowboy themes really take a step up in the divergent timeline of Here Comes Tomorrow; evidenced by the signature cowboy hat he wears. Not a lot is known about this particular Wolverine's origins but it's assumed they're similar to the Earth-616's, albeit with a few distinguishable differences.
Taking place in a divergent future, Here Comes Tomorrow depicts Wolverine as the new leader of the X-Men. He's forced into the role after Beast subsequently becomes the new host to Sublime, a sentient form of bacteria. After learning of the transformation, Wolverine and his team of X-Men take the fight to Sublime but they're beaten horribly. Wolverine himself is killed when Sublime turns off his healing factor and proceeds to pummel him to death.
7 BETTER: THE HOODED MAN
The Hooded Man is one of the more recent incarnations of Wolverine, first appearing alongside the Fantastic Force, a team of heroes formed by the Sue Storm of a distant future. When Wolverine first joins, he takes up the alias of Hooded Man as a cover. It isn't until a confrontation with the Fantastic Four's Thing ends with him unsheathing his claws that his true identity is exposed.
Once the Hooded Man's identity becomes known to the team, further digging uncovers that he's the Wolverine from Old Man Logan, establishing a connection between the two comics. At the same time, the team's Hulk is revealed to be a grown-up version of Bruce Banner Jr., the Banner kid who Wolverine adopted at the end of Old Man Logan.
6 WORSE: VAMPIRE WOLVERINE
When it comes to controversial depictions of Wolverine in the comics, the Vampire Wolverine of the What If? comics takes the cake. There's nothing inherently wrong with this version, he's just not extremely popular with fans. That said, Vampire Wolverine has some worthy attributes and an interesting backstory to consider.
In an alternate take on Uncanny X-Men #159, the X-Men don't survive their encounter with Dracula. Instead of defeating him like they did in the real timeline, Dracula infects the X-Men, turning them into his minions. Wolverine, however, isn't affected by Dracula's powers of manipulations and he goes about tearing the Lord of Vampires apart. Wolverine then leads his team of vampire X-Men on a rampage across New York, killing anyone in their path. They're eventually stopped by Doctor Strange who recites the Montesi Formula, a spell designed to destroy vampires.
5 BETTER: HORSEMAN OF DEATH
After Wolverine recovered from his ordeal with Tyler Dayspring and his mutation regressed back to its original state, he was once again sought out for his power, this time by Apocalypse. He chooses Wolverine and Sabretooth as potential candidates for the new Horseman of Death then makes them fight each other for the right. Wolverine doesn't want the position but he forces it upon himself to ensure Sabretooth won't hurt anyone with the power.
When Wolverine claims his victory, he prepares to fight off Apocalypse's mental manipulation, but he's caught off-guard by what Apocalypse does first. Instead of immediately transforming Wolverine into a Horsemen, Apocalypse rebonds the Adamantium to his skeleton. Once the procedure is completed, Apocalypse then names Wolverine his new Horseman of Death. Wolverine works for Apocalypse until the X-Men free him of Apocalypse's mind control.
4 WORSE: SAVAGE WOLVERINE
In the divergent timeline of Mutant-X, Wolverine becomes much more ferocious than his 616 counterparts. Because the scientists working on Weapon-X were less than humane to their subjects, sometimes experiments were taken too far. In Wolverine's case, experiments got so out of hand that he was driven insane. The Weapon-X program also took Sabretooth and Wildchild in, all of whom underwent similar experimentation. Eventually, Wolverine and the other subjects escape and proceed to roam about the Canadian wilderness.
While out in the woods, the savage trio forms a group known as the Pack. Together, they concoct a plan to bring the Weapon-X facility down. Their first attempt consists of calling in The Six's Havok but he does little to help them. With no one else to turn to, the Pack takes it upon themselves to bring Weapon-X down. Unfortunately, the Six and Alpha Flight step in and stop the Pack from completing their mission.
3 BETTER: ALBERT
Originally created by Donald Pierce, the android duplicate of Wolverine was designed for an assassination plot aimed at the real Wolverine. Pierce intended to use the cyborg to lure Wolverine in long enough for Elsie Dee, another android packed with explosives, to detonate in front of him. What Pierce didn't count on was Elsie Dee's intelligence making her self-aware, this gave Elsie Dee the will to override her programming, as well as a chance to stop her inevitable destruction.
To ensure her survival, Elsie upgraded Albert's systems in hopes that a deadlier android would be able to kill Wolverine. With Wolverine dead, Elsie Dee's self-destruct protocols would be rendered useless. Elsie's plan didn't work but Albert wound up saving her anyway by stealing an override code from the NSA.
2 WORSE: DOG WOLVERINE
Briefly introduced in Prelude to Deadpool Corps, the Wolverine of Earth-103173 isn't like any other version of Wolverine. He's a dog. In this particular universe, classic characters like Wolverine are depicted as canines rather than humanoid mutants. If that's not clear, Wolverine is Dog Wolverine, Deadpool is Dogpool, and so on.
On Earth-103173, Dog Wolverine is created by Dr. Von Braun to chase down and capture Dogpool. To ensure completion, Braun duplicates the process which gave Dogpool his powers, giving it to Dog Wolverine. When Braun learns Dogpool is hiding out in a circus, he sends Dog Wolverine out to capture him. At the circus, a chase between the two ensues. Unfortunately for Wolverine, he's tricked into a cannon and then shot into a tub of acid.
1 BETTER: GENERAL JAMES HOWLETT
Out of all the Wolverines in existence, General James Howlett is probably the one whose story has deviated the most from the Prime version of Wolverine. In General Howlett's home universe of Earth- 12025, he's the Governor / General of Canada. As a general, Howlett pairs up with Hercules as the country's main heroes, going on several adventures together.
During their travels, Hercules gifts Howlett with a store of Adamantine, a golden metal of the gods, which is later bonded to his skeleton, much like Adamantium is to his 616 counterparts. At some point in their adventure, Howlett and Hercules spark up a romantic relationship. They keep their relationship a secret for fear of persecution but eventually tell everyone the truth. The result is that they're banished to the pits of Tartarus. There, Wolverine and Hercules fight damned souls until the Savior pulls Wolverine out to use him as an energy source for a machine powered by mutant energy.