Wolverine has long been one of the popular characters in comics and has been a member of lots of teams. In fact, there are few, if any, Marvel teams that he hasn't been a member of. However, when it comes right down to it, he's always fit in better with the mutant teams. As a member of the X-Men, Logan learned how to be a better team player and that he wasn't alone in the world, making friends and gaining a family.
Besides the X-Men, Wolverine has also been a leader of X-Force, the mutant extreme sanctions team. As a former black ops operator, Wolverine fits in well in the bloody world of X-Force. As one of the foremost mutant heroes in the Marvel Universe, where does Wolverine fit in best?
10 Better In X-Force: These Claws Are Made For Stabbing
Let's get this right out of the way – Wolverine's main weapons, his claws, are pretty much made for killing. Sure, he doesn't have to kill when he uses them, but a good shot with the claws can cause an incidental death, with the target bleeding out if they aren't able to get to medical attention soon enough.
The X-Men are, first and foremost, a very public team of mutants and their members can't go around committing murder willy nilly, regardless of whether it's on purpose or incidental. For that reason alone, Wolverine is a much better fit for X-Force.
9 Better In The X-Men: He's A Great Mentor
One of the biggest roles members of the X-Men play that isn't about beating on evil mutants is teaching young mutants how to use their powers and become better members of society, as well as training them to be the next generation of superheroes. Wolverine, for someone who's mostly known as a gruff loner who enjoys fighting, is actually a surprisingly good mentor for young mutants.
Over the years, Wolverine has taken many young mutants under his wing and showed them the ropes. Logan not only teaches them how to fight but also other lessons about life, turning his students into well-rounded heroes.
8 Better In X-Force: A Particular Skill Set
Over the years, Wolverine has been portrayed as a berserker, someone who jumps headfirst into fights without thinking. This isn't entirely inaccurate and has cost him some fights he definitely should have won, but he's also way more of a thinking man than he gets credit for. Logan is able to plan out and take part in very complicated operations that involve as much as stealth as they do claw swinging.
Logan's super senses and diminutive stature make him very good at getting into places where he isn't supposed to be and his claws are pretty much the ultimate lock pick. When it comes to sneaking around, there are few mutants better.
7 Better In The X-Men: The Specialist
Superhero teams have members who are good at different things. In the X-Men, for example, Colossus is the muscle of the team, Beast the brains, Jean Grey the mental powers maven, Cyclops the leader, et cetera. Wolverine holds a very special place on the X-Men, as he's the hand to hand combat guy.
One of the best fighters in the Marvel Universe, Wolverine fills a very specific role on the team. While other members are pretty formidable when it comes to hand to hand combat, like Psylocke, Wolverine has years more experience and skill and is invaluable in that role.
6 Better In X-Force: Putting Together Missions
Wolverine was moving in the black ops world for a long time before he became a superhero. He knows a thing or two about that world, and one of the most important things about running black ops operations is putting together a great team. It's almost an art, especially when working with something as static as a superhero team, which usually draws from the same pool of talent.
Wolverine has put together several extremely successful incarnations of X-Force, creating teams with a good balance of power and skill. This ability makes him perfect for X-Force.
5 Better In The X-Men: Right-Hand Man
Although he would eventually lead his own teams, for a long time, Wolverine had another very important role as the right-hand man for whoever is leading the team, although it's usually been Cyclops or Storm. Logan's years of experience make him a great sounding board for plans and he doesn't have a problem telling someone their idea is stupid and is going to cost people their lives.
Wolverine keeps whoever is leading the X-Men grounded, like a non-com officer in the army working with a commissioned ones. Wolverine is the voice of the grunts and the one with all the practical battlefield experience.
4 Better In X-Force: No Qualms
Wolverine has long been a hero who doesn't mind having to put the bad guys down for good. Strangely enough, it's one of the reasons Iron Man suggested he join the Avengers in the first place – Wolverine will do what needs to be down. It's caused conflicts with lots of heroes over the years but even the most reticent hero will admit that sometimes, Wolverine's ways are best.
X-Force allows Wolverine to do whatever he needs to in order to get the job done and doesn't have to worry about the morality of his teammates. If someone needs to die then they die, no questions asked, no tears shed.
3 Better In The X-Men: The Biggest Mutant Success Story
The Wolverine that joined the X-Men way back when is very little like the man on the team now. Wolverine came to the team as a barely controlled loner, someone who cut first and asked questions never. He had a problem with authority, constantly butting heads with Cyclops and Professor X.
Over the years, Logan has become something completely different – the consummate team player, a man who has earned the respect of his fellows, whether they be on the X-Men, the Avengers, or any other group in the Marvel Universe. He is a mutant that all other mutants can look up and someone like that belongs on the flagship team.
2 Better In X-Force: The Best There Is At What He Does
Wolverine's catchphrase, the way he describes himself is, "I'm the best there is at what I do...and what I do isn't very pretty." Wolverine has proven that he can do a lot of things over the years but what he's best at is killing. Circumstance – be it outside forces, his biology, or himself – has forged Logan into the perfect weapon.
When one has a weapon like Wolverine, it should be used and even Wolverine himself would agree to that. He would rather be the one doing the killing, dirtying his soul, than anyone else. He doesn't like it but it's what he's good at and if he does it, it means someone more innocent doesn't have to.
1 Better In The X-Men: The Family He Never Had
The X-Men provided something for Wolverine that he never had before: A family. Wolverine was a loner by both choice and necessity. The people around him ended up dying, so he kept himself away from others in order to protect them. The X-Men provided him with a family that didn't need protection, although that never stopped him from trying.
The X-Men taught Logan the value of letting other people in and allowing them to love him. It taught him that even with the threat of loss, it was okay to love others. It's for this reason Wolverine is at his best with the X-Men. The team gives him something that he needs to make it through a hard, hard world.