Wolverine and the 25 greatest X-Men characters of all-time

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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 23: An enthusiast dressed as Wolverine poses for a photo at the London Super Comic Convention at the ExCeL Centre on February 23, 2013 in London, England. Enthusiasts at the Comic Convention are encouraged to wear a costume of their favourite comic character and flock to the ExCeL to gather all the latest news in the world of comics, manga, anime, film, cosplay, games and cult fiction. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) /

1. Wolverine

"“I’m the best there is at what I do. But what I do isn’t very nice.” – Wolverine"

Wolverine began his time in Marvel Comics in an issue of the Incredible Hulk 1974. He later debuted in Uncanny X-Men later that year. Wolverine may be one of the most popular characters in any fictional genre, but he didn’t become an extraordinary character until years later.

For years, Logan had a pretty base personality. He was angry, grunted, and had the occasional one liner. Out of nowhere, he developed layers. He started looking at the X-Men as family. Logan became a big brother, mentor, and a father figure to the younger mutants and a better teammate and friend to his peers. All of that on top of superior fighting skills, adamantium claws, and attitude is what made Wolverine the superb comic book character, pop culture icon, merchandising hit and box office draw we see today.

Wolverine is unlike any other character. While he remains a bad-@$$, he’s become more compassionate and sensitive over the years. It helps that writers like Daniel Way explored Logan’s tragic past (Wolverine Origins). Wolverine’s had it worse than any character in comic book history. He found out that Xavier (his father figure) used him like Weapon X did; a guy named Romulus controlled and had him from afar to mold him into a killer; had the adamantium ripped from his body; and was mind-controlled and forced to kill for enemies are just the tip of the depressing iceberg that’s Logan’s life.

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Wolverine remains one of the most popular comic book heroes in history. When there’s a vote for who the greatest are, Logan can usually be found in the top five. Only heroes like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman are usually ahead of him. Hugh Jackman did a great job as Logan and ended his time as Wolverine with a classic movie. When Marvel Studios lets him loose, expect Wolverine to have a big surge in popularity. And he’s already at the top.

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