Wolverine is the best there is at what he does and what he does is pretty different from every other Marvel hero. Since hitting it big with the X-Men, Wolverine has become one of Marvel's biggest icons, supplanting some of their most important characters. Alongside Spider-Man, he became the guest star of choice in the '90s and has maintained his popularity throughout the trials and tribulations Marvel has put the X-Men through.
Wolverine is very different from other Marvel heroes. However, these differences are what fans love so much about him. He's shattered the superhero mold and become something truly special – a character like no other.
10 He Has No Qualms With Killing
One of the hallmarks of superheroes is their reluctance to kill. While things have changed over the years and exceptions have been made, most superheroes only kill in the most drastic circumstances. Not Wolverine. Wolverine has been around for a long time and knows that, sometimes, the bad guys have to get killed.
Made into the perfect killing machine by Weapon X, Wolverine uses his skills to fight for the little guy instead. He's the guy other heroes turn to when they need someone killed, and he never feels bad about it.
9 He Was Saving The Day Long Before He Was A Superhero
Wolverine has had a long life and done a lot of things in that time. Compared to the rest of his time on Earth, his stint as a superhero is quite short. However, even before his X-Men days, he was saving the world. He fought in WWII, but his greatest pre-superhero accomplishments happened during his time with Team X. He went on many black ops missions during that time, working to keep the world safe from the Soviet menace.
Other heroes usually wait until they've become superheroes to save the day, but Wolverine was doing it for years before anyone had even heard of him. While one can argue that his black ops missions weren't always the most heroic, he was still fighting the good fight long before he became Wolverine.
8 He's Starred In More Books Per Month Than Any Other Marvel Character
Wolverine has long been the team-up king of Marvel. He's guest-starred in multiple books per month, appeared in multiple X-Men books, and also has his own solo comic (which is ongoing). Wolverine's secondary mutation was once jokingly referred to as "the ability to be in multiple places per month." There was a time when he was in three X-Men books, two Avengers, and his own solo outing.
The only Marvel character who comes close to Wolverine in terms of appearances is Spider-Man – and even he topped out at three ongoings and one Avengers book in the mid-2000s, plus four ongoings in the '90s. While he appears in fewer books now, Wolverine still holds a record for appearing in more ongoings than any other Marvel hero.
7 He Can Fit Into Any Kind Of Story
Wolverine is a special kind of character that can fit into any kind of story. He works equally well solo, in teams, or as a guest star. He can fit into classic superhero tales, sci-fi, fantasy, noir, mysteries, spy stories, war stories, cowboy stories, frontier stories, alternate universe stories, magic stories, and time travel stories. He's fit in everywhere he's ever been.
While superheroes get shunted into all kinds of stories, they don't always fit the narrative. They belong in niches where they work the best. Wolverine does well in every kind of story; he's an infinitely adaptable character and has adventures that can go in any kind of direction.
6 He Made Anti-Heroes Cool
Wolverine is one of the most dangerous mutants on the planet – a title he's ridden all the way to the bank. He was also the first big Marvel anti-hero. Punisher appeared a few months before Wolverine, but he was a villain in his first appearance.
Wolverine went from fighting the Hulk to a member of the X-Men before becoming Marvel's first big anti-hero. His "take no prisoners" methods and surly attitude made him an instant fan favorite, which Marvel ran with by making him their first big anti-hero – something that would catch on throughout the Marvel Universe.
5 He's The Only Mutant To Be Published As A Solo Star For Over Thirty Years
Wolverine's first ongoing series began in 1988. Since then, he's the only mutant who's ever been published as a solo star in four separate decades. The longest stretch the comics went without Logan featuring was the first few months of 2015. However, an Old Man Logan tie-in to Secret Wars eventually led to an ongoing series.
No other mutant has succeeded in recreating Logan's popularity. In fact, few mutants have ever had an ongoing series last more than a few years – most don't even get a year. Mutants have been popular for a long time, but none of them match Wolverine.
4 He's Overcome The Loss Of His Most Iconic Feature
For many fans, Wolverine's adamantium skeleton and claws are his most iconic features. However, in X-Men #25, Marvel did something quite unprecedented with Wolverine by taking away his adamantium skeleton and claws. For years, Wolverine went without what some felt was the thing that made him who he was. Regardless, despite having to learn some new tricks, he prospered.
Wolverine without his adamantium was like Spider-Man without his web-shooters or Iron Man without his armor. The fact he was able to stay near the top of the sales chart and remain popular is extremely impressive. No other hero has been able to lose an iconic trait and remain an icon.
3 He's Beaten The Hulk More Than Any Other Hero
Wolverine has accomplished a lot over the years, but one of the biggest things he's ever done is beat the Hulk. Many heroes have fought the Hulk, with powerhouses like Thor, Iron Man, or Captain Marvel getting trounced by the Jade Giant. Even Thanos is afraid of the Hulk, but Wolverine has done what few heroes have been able to do and beaten him more than any hero in the Marvel Universe.
Wolverine's first appearance was fighting the Hulk, and since then, he's lost plenty of fights to ol' Jade Jaws. However, he's also won a lot of battles against Hulk, which isn't something any other hero can say.
2 He's The First Hero To Be A Member Of The X-Men, The Fantastic Four, And The Avengers
There are three big teams in the Marvel Universe: the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. For years, no character was a member of all three groups, until Wolverine. He's been a part of a lot of teams over the years and was the first character to ever become a member of the big three. Eventually, Spider-Man and Storm joined him in this very small group, but Wolverine was the first.
Wolverine has long set trends in Marvel, and this was one of many trails he blazed. No other hero had done it and no other hero can be the first.
1 He's Actually Grown As A Character
Wolverine is one of Marvel's greatest heroes, and that's not just because of what he's done in the Marvel Universe. Wolverine's character growth and changes are pretty rare in mainstream comics. Most Marvel characters are kept the same with only superficial changes, but Wolverine has gone beyond that illusion.
Wolverine went from grizzled loner to consummate team player to amazing team leader. He's become something much more than he ever was before, which isn't anything anyone who read The Incredible Hulk #181 could have predicted.