With Disney's acquisition of the X-Men movie rights from Fox, it's only a matter of time before Wolverine is brought back to the big screen. Luckily there are almost fifty years of Wolverine stories for the MCU to adapt.
However, there are a lot of stories that just wouldn't work for a movie, either because they aren't MCU friendly, are too indebted to continuity, or have elements that would never happen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some are good, some are bad, but none of them should come to the big screen.
10 Wolverine Goes To Hell Is Too Dark For The MCU
Wolverine Goes To Hell, by writer Jason Aaron and artist Renato Guedes, is about exactly what the title says- Wolverine going to hell. However, just his soul goes; his body is possessed by a demon, wreaking havoc on the world and the X-Men. It's a pretty good story but it's a bit too dark for the MCU.
Seeing Wolverine as a demon-possessed monster out for blood isn't something the MCU would ever do with any of its stars, especially not one like Wolverine. On top of that, a lot of the book is set in Hell, which could easily anger certain portions of the audience. There are too many strikes against it appearing on the big screen.
9 Charles Soule's The Death Of Wolverine/The Return Of Wolverine Are Too Mediocre To Be Made Into Movies
Disney seems to love Charles Soule, throwing him all kinds of Star Wars work. He's also worked on Wolverine- joined by artists Steve McNiven and Declan Shalvey, Soule's The Death Of Wolverine/The Return Of Wolverine are pretty self-explanatory- they see Wolverine die and come back to life. However, they just aren't very good, especially Return.
TDoW is definitely the better of the two, touching on a lot of Wolverine continuity to make the story work but it's merely alright. TRoW is terrible, trying to introduce yet another secret group manipulating Wolverine's life and a new power for him that was pretty much forgotten immediately. They're a mediocre story and don't deserve the big-screen treatment.
8 Wolverine #48-50 Are Good Weapon X Action But Aren't Right For The MCU
Wolverine #48-50, by legendary Wolverine writer Larry Hama and artist Marc Silvestri, is a classic Wolverine story, seeing him hunt down more of Weapon X's secrets, trying to learn more about his mysterious past. It's a great Wolverine story but it just doesn't feel right for the MCU.
To begin with, Weapon X's advanced android Shiva isn't really possible at the tech level of the MCU- only Stark seems to have comparable AI tech and he doesn't seem like he'd have shared it. On top of that, it plays heavily into Weapon X's mental programming of Wolverine, which is a direction the MCU might not want to go with things. All in all, it just doesn't feel like a story that's right for the MCU.
7 Old Man Logan Is Much Too Violent For The MCU
There are some who would say Logan is an adaptation of Old Man Logan, but the only thing the two stories have in common is an older Wolverine. Writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven's seminal Wolverine story is more like Unforgiven with superheroes, centered on a pacifist Wolverine helping Hawkeye on a cross country delivery.
Old Man Logan is a fantastic story but it's just way too violent and dark for the MCU. The MCU has certain standards and is much more family-friendly than this story. It would be great to see it on the big screen but it's just not going to happen.
6 Wolverine: Not Dead Yet Is Not The Type Of Story That Gets Adapted
Wolverine: Not Dead Yet, by writer Warren Ellis and artist Leinil Yu, is one of Wolverine's most underrated stories. Seeing an adamantium-less Wolverine go up against an old foe from his spy days, it's an action-packed Wolverine romp that keeps the surprises coming. As good as it is, it's just not the type of story that gets an MCU adaptation.
There are no superpowered battles, just Wolverine fighting it out with humans in bloody battles that take full advantage of his healing factor. It's a violent story, without any of the hallmarks of a regular MCU story. Its charm is its simplicity but that what would keep it from being a part of the MCU.
5 Astonishing Spider-Man And Wolverine Needs Way Too Much Set-Up
Astonishing Spider-Man And Wolverine, by writer Jason Aaron and artist Adam Kubert, is one of the most fun Wolverine stories of the last twenty years. Seeing Wolverine and Spider-Man team up in a cross-time caper, this one pulls from the lives of both heroes as they try to figure out exactly what's going on before they kill each other.
Of all the characters Wolverine has teamed up with, his interactions with Spider-Man in this book are some of the best ever and while it would be fun to see on the big screen, there's just too much heavy lifting that needs to be done to introduce everything to make it work. The story, though, is too low stakes and not important enough to do that much set up for.
4 Origin Is Just Not An MCU Type Of Movie
Origin, by writer Paul Jenkins and artist Andy Kubert, tells the tale of Wolverine's early years, revealing his real name, John Howlett, and what his life was like in his 19th century wealthy Canadian family, the night his powers manifested, and what happened next. There are several things working against this becoming a movie.
First of all, Marvel Studios doing a character-driven 19th century period piece is just never going to happen. There's no real villain to the story and while there are a few fights, it's more about the characters than anything else. It's just not an MCU type of movie.
3 Uncanny X-Force: The Final Execution Ends With Wolverine Drowning His Son
Uncanny X-Force: Final Execution, by writer Rick Remender and artists Mike McKone, Phil Noto, and Julian Tedesco, sees Wolverine and X-Force battle against his son Daken's Brotherhood of Mutants, with Apocalypse's clone at stake. This story sees Wolverine and Daken wage one of their final battles and that's exactly why it will never be a part of the MCU.
The story ends with Wolverine drowning his estranged son and that's just not a way that an MCU movie is going to end. It's brutal and terrible for everyone involved, not something parents are going to want their kids to see.
2 Wolverine: Evolution Is Too Ridiculous
Wolverine: Evolution, by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Simone Bianchi, is just best forgotten on all levels. Starting with Wolverine and Sabretooth battling it out, it moves to Wakanda, where fossils of a new type of mutant are found- the lupin. Suddenly, Wolverine and similar mutants are embroiled in a battle against the mysterious Romulus and his lackey Wild Child.
This story is not fondly remembered at all and while the art looked great, most people actively hate a lot about it, including the lupin thing. Romulus was positioned as a new villainous mastermind but he was never that great of a villain. All in all, this isn't a story that needs to be brought to the big screen.
1 Wolverine #90-100 Is Amazing But It's Subject Matter Will Never Be A Part Of The MCU
Wolverine #90-100, by writer Larry Hama and artists Adam Kubert, Duncan Roleau, and Ramon Bernado, is the pinnacle of the bone claw years of Wolverine and that's exactly why it won't be adapted. Starting with one of the best Wolverine-Sabretooth fights ever, these ten issues see Wolverine struggling to keep his humanity as his mutation gets out of control because of his lack of adamantium.
Simply put, Wolverine will never lose his adamantium in the movies and these stories revolve around that plotline. Every Wolverine fan should read these issues but they'll never be a movie.