Wolverine's Superhero Origins
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VOICE OVER: Rudolph Strong
So, it turns out he's a little too old for Jean anyway... Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're uncovering the origins of Wolverine before he joined the X-Men. We'll have a look at his earliest days, love and loss, brainwashing and more!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re uncovering the origins of Wolverine before he joined the X-Men. What Wolverine fact surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments.
An unusually long life full of trauma, experimentation, and mental manipulation made it hard for the popular and clawed mutant to remember his true origins. In many mediums, Wolverine’s struggle to put together the broken pieces of his memory is a big part of his overall journey. There are still plenty of gaps to fill in to this day! However, by looking at various origin comics and flashbacks, we were able to paint a rough timeline of how Wolverine came to be.
In the late 1800s, a young boy named James Howlett was born to a fairly wealthy couple in Alberta, Canada. After battling sickness in his early life, he became a well-adjusted young man who often spent his days running around with his friend Rose. James also became close to a boy who had been nicknamed “Dog” Logan due to his wild nature. Unbeknownst to them, the two were actually brothers. It turned out that James’ mother had an affair with a groundskeeper named Thomas Logan. Before this secret came out, a traumatic series of events permanently ripped the Howlett family apart.
After the cruel Dog Logan mistreated Rose, the family dog, and James, the wild child was kicked off the estate. His father Thomas was so angered by this turn of events that he broke into the Howlett mansion at night with a shotgun. Once there, the man shot James’ adoptive father right in front of the young man’s eyes. This incident caused the good natured kid to suddenly snap. Lost in an insatiable rage, James made his claws come out for the first time and attacked both Dog and his father Thomas. The claw injuries proved fatal to the twisted patriarch. While Dog was reeling in pain from his wounds, Rose and Logan escaped into the night.
The duo was forced to abandon their former estate and start their lives over again in a mining colony. Since James was wanted for murder, Rose had him go by a new name: Logan. Although life in the colony wasn’t easy, they were able to grow into adulthood. Logan’s hard work ethic around the mines and in cage matches also earned him the nickname Wolverine. But the good times wouldn’t last forever. On the day Rose was prepared to leave the colony to get married, an adult Dog showed up to track Logan down. It wasn’t long before he and his distant half brother got into a violent and vicious brawl. When Rose tried to stop Logan from killing his enemy, she was accidentally pierced by her old friend’s claws and died. The mutant was so distressed by what he had done that he immediately fled into the forest. He lived in the wild with only wolves as his company for years. Although Logan became content with this lifestyle, he was soon dragged back into proper society.
During a typical hunt, the mutant man heard his wolf allies cry out in pain. He arrived to see that they had all been slaughtered by a bear. After lashing out and killing the animal, hunters saw the results of the battle. They eventually teamed up with the shady Nathaniel Essex and captured Logan out of fear he’d attack them too. He spent his life as a circus exhibit until the day Essex experimented on him. Unable to bear the cruelty, a woman named Clara Creed asked her brother Victor Creed AKA Sabretooth to help her free Logan. The trio managed to break away and go into hiding. But when Victor Creed saw that Logan and Clara were developing feelings for each other, Sabretooth told Essex’s mercenaries where to find them. In the confusion of battle, Clara was seemingly killed. An outraged Logan proceeded to severely wound Essex. Although Clara survived, Wolverine was so angry about being betrayed that he tried to drown Victor in a potion. The act of vengeance caused Clara to completely write Logan off. Once again, he found himself needing to start over.
Logan lost a few more friends and loved ones to Sabretooth before deciding to leave civilian life behind. Wolverine spent a couple decades fighting in both major World Wars alongside heroes like Captain America. Although Logan tried to settle down in Japan after the fighting had stopped, he left the country after yet another romantic partner was killed in front of him. A jaded Wolverine decided to sign up for a black ops task force to take his mind off things. But he would end up having to run from this unit after discovering that they were messing with his memories. Before Wolverine could fully recover, he was captured once more and put into the Weapon X program.
Casual and hardcore Logan fans alike recognize that this program was responsible for giving the mutant his adamantium skeleton and claws. Not only did he have to endure the painful physical parts of the procedure, but he had to face even more brainwashing. While the mental repercussions vary between mediums, Logan consistently loses memories and his sense of self. He usually breaks out of the program with a gruesome act of violence that leads him to wonder if he is more animal than man. Fortunately, Wolverine’s long years of torment get a much deserved reprieve after Weapon X. He’s often taken in by a generous couple who finally puts him on the path to his greatest destiny.
After adjusting to the adamantium, Logan went on a couple of pivotal adventures that shapeD his identity. His government usually asked him to get into a deadly battle with the Hulk. While the details have shifted over time, the battle is usually interrupted before anyone’s torn apart. After facing the Hulk, Logan ran into a brainwashed and costumed Beast. The only part of them that got seriously damaged in the fray was their costumes. But since Wolverine’s headpiece was left in tatters, he takes part of Beast’s mask to complete his look. It is sometime after this fateful encounter that the Canadian government asks Logan to take a meeting with Charles Xavier. From this point on, the rest is X-Men history.
There’s no question that Wolverine went to hell and back a dozen times before he joined the most famous mutant team. He saw loved ones perish because of enemy combatants and his own mistakes. Every time a traumatic incident or brainwashing villain messed with his mind, he had to struggle to piece together who he was underneath his claws. Logan’s origins are full of heartbreaking moments and bloody consequences. But the fact that he’s never stopped trying to put more good than bad out into the world truly makes him a hero.
An unusually long life full of trauma, experimentation, and mental manipulation made it hard for the popular and clawed mutant to remember his true origins. In many mediums, Wolverine’s struggle to put together the broken pieces of his memory is a big part of his overall journey. There are still plenty of gaps to fill in to this day! However, by looking at various origin comics and flashbacks, we were able to paint a rough timeline of how Wolverine came to be.
In the late 1800s, a young boy named James Howlett was born to a fairly wealthy couple in Alberta, Canada. After battling sickness in his early life, he became a well-adjusted young man who often spent his days running around with his friend Rose. James also became close to a boy who had been nicknamed “Dog” Logan due to his wild nature. Unbeknownst to them, the two were actually brothers. It turned out that James’ mother had an affair with a groundskeeper named Thomas Logan. Before this secret came out, a traumatic series of events permanently ripped the Howlett family apart.
After the cruel Dog Logan mistreated Rose, the family dog, and James, the wild child was kicked off the estate. His father Thomas was so angered by this turn of events that he broke into the Howlett mansion at night with a shotgun. Once there, the man shot James’ adoptive father right in front of the young man’s eyes. This incident caused the good natured kid to suddenly snap. Lost in an insatiable rage, James made his claws come out for the first time and attacked both Dog and his father Thomas. The claw injuries proved fatal to the twisted patriarch. While Dog was reeling in pain from his wounds, Rose and Logan escaped into the night.
The duo was forced to abandon their former estate and start their lives over again in a mining colony. Since James was wanted for murder, Rose had him go by a new name: Logan. Although life in the colony wasn’t easy, they were able to grow into adulthood. Logan’s hard work ethic around the mines and in cage matches also earned him the nickname Wolverine. But the good times wouldn’t last forever. On the day Rose was prepared to leave the colony to get married, an adult Dog showed up to track Logan down. It wasn’t long before he and his distant half brother got into a violent and vicious brawl. When Rose tried to stop Logan from killing his enemy, she was accidentally pierced by her old friend’s claws and died. The mutant was so distressed by what he had done that he immediately fled into the forest. He lived in the wild with only wolves as his company for years. Although Logan became content with this lifestyle, he was soon dragged back into proper society.
During a typical hunt, the mutant man heard his wolf allies cry out in pain. He arrived to see that they had all been slaughtered by a bear. After lashing out and killing the animal, hunters saw the results of the battle. They eventually teamed up with the shady Nathaniel Essex and captured Logan out of fear he’d attack them too. He spent his life as a circus exhibit until the day Essex experimented on him. Unable to bear the cruelty, a woman named Clara Creed asked her brother Victor Creed AKA Sabretooth to help her free Logan. The trio managed to break away and go into hiding. But when Victor Creed saw that Logan and Clara were developing feelings for each other, Sabretooth told Essex’s mercenaries where to find them. In the confusion of battle, Clara was seemingly killed. An outraged Logan proceeded to severely wound Essex. Although Clara survived, Wolverine was so angry about being betrayed that he tried to drown Victor in a potion. The act of vengeance caused Clara to completely write Logan off. Once again, he found himself needing to start over.
Logan lost a few more friends and loved ones to Sabretooth before deciding to leave civilian life behind. Wolverine spent a couple decades fighting in both major World Wars alongside heroes like Captain America. Although Logan tried to settle down in Japan after the fighting had stopped, he left the country after yet another romantic partner was killed in front of him. A jaded Wolverine decided to sign up for a black ops task force to take his mind off things. But he would end up having to run from this unit after discovering that they were messing with his memories. Before Wolverine could fully recover, he was captured once more and put into the Weapon X program.
Casual and hardcore Logan fans alike recognize that this program was responsible for giving the mutant his adamantium skeleton and claws. Not only did he have to endure the painful physical parts of the procedure, but he had to face even more brainwashing. While the mental repercussions vary between mediums, Logan consistently loses memories and his sense of self. He usually breaks out of the program with a gruesome act of violence that leads him to wonder if he is more animal than man. Fortunately, Wolverine’s long years of torment get a much deserved reprieve after Weapon X. He’s often taken in by a generous couple who finally puts him on the path to his greatest destiny.
After adjusting to the adamantium, Logan went on a couple of pivotal adventures that shapeD his identity. His government usually asked him to get into a deadly battle with the Hulk. While the details have shifted over time, the battle is usually interrupted before anyone’s torn apart. After facing the Hulk, Logan ran into a brainwashed and costumed Beast. The only part of them that got seriously damaged in the fray was their costumes. But since Wolverine’s headpiece was left in tatters, he takes part of Beast’s mask to complete his look. It is sometime after this fateful encounter that the Canadian government asks Logan to take a meeting with Charles Xavier. From this point on, the rest is X-Men history.
There’s no question that Wolverine went to hell and back a dozen times before he joined the most famous mutant team. He saw loved ones perish because of enemy combatants and his own mistakes. Every time a traumatic incident or brainwashing villain messed with his mind, he had to struggle to piece together who he was underneath his claws. Logan’s origins are full of heartbreaking moments and bloody consequences. But the fact that he’s never stopped trying to put more good than bad out into the world truly makes him a hero.
