Wolverine is the best at what he does but what he does isn’t very nice, as a plethora of villains can attest to. Actually, a bunch of heroes can attest to it as well, as, like his namesake, Wolverine doesn’t discriminate when it comes to opponents in a fight. With his adamantium skeleton, razor-sharp claws, and regenerative healing factor, it’s no wonder Wolverine comes on top even when he’s battling the good guys.
However, it’s also safe to say that a few of them have kicked his butt on more than one occasion.
10 Kicked His Butt: Cyclops
It’s no surprise that Cyclops and Wolverine have had more than their fair share of tussles over their long history. Aside from their mutual love for Jean Grey, the two just simply don’t like each other. What may be most surprising is just how many times Cyclops came out on top in those tussles.
Sporting a concussive beam that can level buildings on even a moderate setting, Cyclops’ optic blasts are formidable, even to someone with a healing factor. Perhaps this was most evident in Ultimate X-Men, where Scott was able to KO Logan with one blast.
9 Beaten: Spider-Man
Truth be told, in the many times Spider-Man and Wolverine have thrown down, more often than not, Spidey’s come away with the victory due to his enhanced speed, reflexes, and spider-sense. But that wasn’t the case the first time they met.
In Spider-Man vs Wolverine, Peter Parker’s inexperience and naïveté in dealing with matters of life and death shone through when he became embroiled in Wolverine’s world of high-stakes covert espionage. Despite being faster and stronger than Logan, Wolverine’s experience and killer instinct gave Spidey a sound defeat on multiple levels.
8 Kicked His Butt: The Hulk
The Hulk and Wolverine have a special relationship, as aside from having some of the most brutal fights to ever rock the comics world, the Crazed Canuck made his first appearance in the Jade Giant’s 181st issue.
The Hulk’s immense, rage-fueled strength never intimidated Wolverine, however, following one particular tussle in Ultimate continuity, that policy may have changed. In a scene of sheer gruesomeness, the Hulk ripped Wolverine in half like a baguette, throwing one half away from the other one for a distance of four miles!
7 Beaten: The X-Men
Wolverine’s gone from part-time X-Man to one of its leaders in his long career with the team, but there’s one role he definitely wishes he could have avoided with them: executioner.
In Old Man Logan continuity, Wolverine was actually able to slaughter the entire X-Men team while under the effects of one of Mysterio’s hallucinations. That understandably led him to give up the heroics for a time.
6 Kicked His Butt: The Punisher
Considering the Punisher is a mortal human being with no superpowers, a fight between him and Wolverine should go decidedly in Logan’s favor. A good majority of their tussles usually do, but Frank Castle got the upper hand on Wolverine in one particularly visceral battle.
Blowing Wolverine’s face off with a shotgun, Castle proceeded to flatten him with a steamroller, severely incapacitating him until his healing factor could repair the damage.
5 Beaten: Lobo
Company crossovers were quite the rage in the ‘90s, and although they’re few and far between these days, some were quite memorable for either being great, terrible, or controversial.
One such crossover was the vaunted Marvel vs DC, which pitted superstars from each company against each other in battles that would be decided by fans. In retrospect, character popularity is the only reason Wolverine could have beaten Lobo, considering their power sets. The writers must have come to that conclusion as well, as Logan beat Lobo unconscious off-panel.
4 Kicked His Butt: Gambit
For a member of the team, Wolverine sure spends a lot of time battling other members of the X-Men. When Gambit first joined, it seemed like Wolverine didn’t like him all that much, and a spirited training session in the Danger Room turned ugly. The Ragin’ Cajun managed to get the drop on Logan, prompting a concerned Jubilee to burst into tears over Wolverine’s welfare. Granted, Wolverine may not have been firing on all cylinders for a training exercise, but he should have been able to take Gambit easily.
3 Beaten: The Thing
The Thing is one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe, able to stand toe-to-toe with the Hulk in battle. He and Wolverine have had their scrapes and most of the time, Logan’s been on the losing side. One time, Wolverine’s anger got the better of him and he clawed The Thing’s face, leaving Ben Grimm horribly disfigured. Although The Thing was able to knock Wolverine out in that fight, he had to wear a mask for months following.
2 Kicked His Butt: Captain America
It’s no secret that Captain America is the most decorated soldier in the Marvel Universe. This is owing to his enhanced abilities but is mostly due to his experience, guts, and heart. He and Wolverine have had their fair share of battles, with the first one as early as 1941, and Cap’s usually come out on top. A large reason for Cap’s ability to defeat Logan probably has to do with his discipline, as Logan tends to go berserk too often in a fight, which leaves him prone to making a mistake his opponent can capitalize on.
1 Beaten: Cable
Cable is an Omega-level mutant whose telekinesis is unbelievably powerful. Unfortunately, it’s mostly used to keep the techno-organic virus that infects his body at bay, so he relies on weaponry in his fights.
Even so, he should have been able to beat Wolverine in a fight, but in the X-Cutioner’s Song, Logan managed to subdue him for questioning. Granted, he had Bishop’s help at the time, but Wolverine managed a pretty good showing against such a powerful opponent.