Wolverine is the best there is at what he does and part of that is being on the X-Men. While Wolverine is known for working solo, his time with the X-Men is what put him on the map and made him into a more well-rounded person. He went from a loner to someone who was quite comfortable working with others and became a major player in the Marvel Universe.
Many would say that the X-Men aren't the X-Men without Wolverine, but over the years, he's also been a bit of a detriment to the team. The X-Men are bigger than any one member— but often, some members are more important than others.
10 Integral To The X-Men: One Of The Best Tanks In Comics
Wolverine is a tank and there's no two ways about it. Between his adamantium skeleton and his healing factor, Wolverine can take a ton of damage. This has been a huge boon for the X-Men, as he's able to protect his friends and come back and make a difference when things are at their worst, pulling the team's fat out of the fire.
Every team needs a tank and Wolverine fills that role rather well. Wolverine's capacity for taking massive amounts of damage has made him one of the X-Men's most important members.
9 Not Integral To The X-Men: He Bites Off More Than He Can Chew
Wolverine really believes in himself and his abilities; this is a guy who will run at the Hulk and fight him, not something that most Marvel heroes would do. When in a team setting, Wolverine likes to keep his allies safe. This happens especially with the X-Men, since the members of the team are like family to him.
Wolverine will throw himself into situations where there's pretty much no chance of him winning, both because he believes in himself and his skills and because he's trying to protect his fellows. This has led to the team losing him when they need him and that's never good. After everything Wolverine's been through in his long life, one would think he'd learn from his mistakes.
8 Integral To The X-Men: The Team's Most Skilled Fighter
Wolverine has been around for a long time and has been fighting for most of that time. He's fought in just about every major war and has traveled around the world, learning various martial arts. Wolverine is a master of armed and unarmed combat, able to hold his own against some of the greatest fighters in the Marvel Universe.
This has helped the X-Men in several ways. Having a martial artist on a team is always a boon in combat. But it's also helped with the X-Men's other role, as Wolverine has helped train many young mutants in combat, making them better fighters and allowing them to survive the worst situations imaginable.
7 Not Integral To The X-Men: He's A Bad Role Model
A big part of the X-Men's mandate is teaching young mutants the ropes and how to use their powers to help protect their people from the predations of humanity. In fact, it's probably their most important role and the members of the main team are the role models for mutantkind. Wolverine has done a lot of great things over years, triumphing in all kinds of battles, but that doesn't mean he's anyone that young mutants should look up to.
Wolverine's fierce independent streak and tendency to defy authority don't make an argument for his fitness as a role model. Even though he's matured in recent years, the stories of his lone wolf exploits and general mouthiness aren't the best for young mutants to emulate.
6 Integral To The X-Men: Villains Are Scared Of Him
The X-Men face down a lot of very tough bad guys and one thing is true of just about all of them: They're afraid of Wolverine. Wolverine has fought and beaten some of the most dangerous villains in the Marvel Universe and most of them aren't exactly chomping at the bit to fight him again. This can make a huge difference.
A scared enemy is one who makes mistakes, and that helps a lot. Enemies will also focus on Wolverine to try and take him out of the fight, which gives other members time to take them out. Wolverine's fearsome reputation has been a huge advantage for the X-Men.
5 Not Integral To The X-Men: He's Been Known To Just Disappear
Wolverine has become a better team player over the years and has dedicated himself to the X-Men, but he still has the distressing tendency to leave unexpectedly and do his own thing. Wolverine has a lot on his plate, and he's been known to leave the group and take care of his personal business. This isn't exactly the best thing for someone on a team to do.
It's not that they can't count on him, but he's been known to take off and leave the team which robs them of one of their greatest members. The team has learned to cope without him, picking up his slack— which doesn't do much for the argument that he's an integral member.
4 Integral To The X-Men: He Has Connections
Wolverine is one of the most well-connected X-Men of them all. It's not just because he was an Avenger; several other X-Men have been Avengers. Wolverine has many friendships out of the team and this is quite useful. Wolverine has worked with just about hero in the Marvel Universe and can call on a lot of help for the team.
Wolverine's big league place in the Marvel Universe is very good for the X-Men and mutantkind as a whole. His high profile and vast network of connections make him and the mutant cause look very good, which is something the X-Men often need.
3 Not Integral To The X-Men: He's Kind Of A Hypocrite
Wolverine has a lot of opinions and he's not afraid of sharing them. That's caused a lot of trouble over the years and a big problem is that he's sort of a hypocrite about a lot of things. Wolverine is a killer, yet he doesn't think that other people should kill. He wants people to listen to him but he's been known to buck authority. He keeps secrets but doesn't like when others do the same.
Wolverine can be a hypocrite about a lot of things, which doesn't suit a team setting very well. He doesn't back down from confrontation, so calling him out on it can end very badly for everyone involved, forming fissures in the team's unity that can cause trouble in a fight.
2 Integral To The X-Men: Will Do Whatever It Takes For The Cause
One thing about Wolverine is that once he's committed to a cause, there's nothing he won't do to see it succeed. Wolverine has found a place for himself in the X-Men; the team has given him a family and a cause that is worth fighting for and he'll do anything it takes to fight for it and his teammates. Wolverine is the ultimate "ride or die" ally.
There is nothing that Wolverine won't do for mutantkind and when Wolverine says he'll do something, he really means it. There is no length Wolverine won't go to, no battle he won't fight, and no one he wouldn't kill. There's no pain he won't suffer for his friends and the cause they've embraced.
1 Not Integral To The X-Men: His Past Comes Back To Bite Everyone
Wolverine has done a lot of things in his life and a lot of them are very bad. He's been an assassin and a spy, working in the shadows, and has a lot of enemies. On top of that, villains like Sabretooth will do all kinds of terrible things to anyone around Wolverine just to hurt him.
Wolverine's past is bloody and complicated and the X-Men have had to help him clean things up in the past at a cost to the team. Wolverine's foes have used the team to hurt him, targeting the people he loved just to get at him. Wolverine brings a lot of baggage to the team they don't always need.