When it comes to the X-Men, it doesn't get bigger - or better - than Wolverine. As Logan himself said in Deadpool and Wolverine, he is the X-Man. The truth is that when the vast majority of us think about Marvel's Mightiest Mutants, "Wolvie" is the first one that comes to mind - and that really says a lot about his popularity because he's technically not even the leader of the iconic team.
There is a lot to love about the character, even if you have to look beyond his gruff exterior. Renowned for his monosyllabic conversations, perpetual bad mood, adamantium skeleton and razor sharp claws, Logan has endured over the years to become not just one of the most popular Marvel Comics characters of all time, but one of the biggest pop-culture phenomenons in history.
That's largely due to how successfully has has translated to other mediums, particularly TV and film. And those opportunities have allowed various different actors to bring him to life over the years. Yes, we know Hugh Jackman led the live-action X-Men movie franchise (and made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2024's Deadpool and Wolverine), but let's not forget Cal Dodd's generation-defining voice performance in X-Men: The Animated Series (and recent return in X-Men '97). And those aren't the only versions of the character we have met either, as there have been multiple legendary performers to bring the moody mutant to life (and some lesser-known ones, too).
With that in mind, as Wolverine joins the MCU, let's take this opportunity to look back at his iconic career at the front and center of the X-Men, appreciating the actors who portrayed him over the years and, in the process, attempt to figure out who was the best Logan of them all.
Honorable mentions
Given that Wolverine is one of the most beloved comic book superheroes of all time, it will come as no surprise to you to learn that he's appeared in a vast number of projects over the years. I'm sure you're aware of the Fox film franchise and X-Men: The Animated Series, but there have also been animated shorts and one-offs that much of the mainstream audiences may not be familiar with.
So, yes, there are five actors most commonly associated with the role of Wolverine, but there are some others who only voiced him on occasion that we just wanted to take the opportunity to acknowledge before doing the same with those aforementioned five.
- William Callaway - Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
- Patrick Pinney - X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men
- Jeffrey Hedquist - Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D.
- Marc Thompson - Astonishing X-Men
- Milo Ventimiglia - Marvel Anime: Wolverine / Spider-Man / Blade (English dub)
- Kevin Michael Richardson - Black Panther
- Alessandro Juliani - Wolverine: Origin
Wolverine has also appeared in multiple video games, and more often than not he was voiced by one of the actors who played the most famous animated versions of him, or even by Hugh Jackman. However, in X-Men: Mutant Academy 2, he was voiced by Tony Daniels and in X2: Wolverine's Revenge, he was voiced by Mark Hamill.
Speaking of the most famous Wolverine actors, let's dive into the best-known versions of Logan.
5. Scott McNeil
Appeared in: X-Men: Evolution
X-Men: Evolution is, by far, one of the most underappreciated adaptations of Marvel's mighty Mutants to ever air on our TV screens. I remember seeing the trailers for it when it first came out and being particularly intrigued by Wolverine, who wore an orange version of his famous suit in the series.
He was voiced by veteran actor Scott McNeil, who tried something different with the role because we had a very different Wolverine. This Logan wasn't involved in the infamous love triangle with Jean Grey and Cyclops, and he often let cooler heads prevail a lot more than other versions of the character. He was something of a father figure in the X-Men, coming off as a playfully disapproving dad most of the time.
McNeil definitely captured that well as the character didn't have the same raspy growl to his voice that other iterations had. He played Logan smoother than that, having him come off as a calm but perpetually annoyed member of the team (although he could get angry when he wanted to). This version is a departure from the Wolverine most are used to; there are still recognizable elements there, but it's a bit different.
In context, McNeil's voice performance captures that well, making him a much more likable version of the character. However, out of context, it doesn't sound as much like Wolverine as you might think.
4. Brian Drummond
Appeared in: Astonishing X-Men, Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk, Wolverine vs. Sabretooth, Wolverine: Weapon X
Brian Drummond is a veteran voice actor with a host of roles to his name, including Vegeta in the Ocean Studios English dub of DragonBall Z. However, he has also tried his hand at Wolverine a few times, voicing the Marvel superhero in multiple motion comics.
One thing that is immediately clear from his interpretation of the character is how much of a natural his Wolverine growl is. It's no secret that Wolverine is a character that doesn't always want to be involved in the superheroics and Drummond does a great job of striking that balance between aggressive and fed-up. On first listen, his Logan sounds a bit like Richard Moll's beloved performance as Two-Face in Batman: The Animated Series and I mean that in the most complimentary of ways. Believe me, that's a very good thing.
Drummond is an incredibly underrated Wolverine as he hasn't voiced him in more mainstream projects. However, he has voiced him in more than enough to earn himself a place on this list, and the only thing preventing us from putting him higher on the list are the long-running Logans most associated with the character.
3. Steve Blum
Appeared in: Wolverine and the X-Men, The Super Hero Squad Show, Marvel Anime: X-Men (English dub), The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Ultimate Spider-Man, Hulk and the Agents of SMASH, Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (English dub)
As you can see from above, no actor to play Wolverine has appeared in as many projects as the character as Steve Blum. What's even more impressive is that they aren't all part of the same shared universe or continuity, meaning that he's gotten the chance to play different versions of the character too, which really makes him the most experienced voice actor in the role.
Blum does a fantastic job bringing out both sides to Wolverine's personality throughout his multiple portrayals. His Ultimate Spider-Man version is a good example of this. Yes, he captures the gruff, uninterested and very volatile personality of the character, but it's a bit more subtle than some of the more classic portrayals, as he leans into the the lighter side of Wolverine much more (in this adaptation at least).
Blum strikes a perfect balance, giving us a blend of the old and new, and he does it so effortlessly that there are so many who consider him the definitive voice of the character. I can't argue with that because I very nearly placed him as the top voice actor on this list. A certain classic version, however, ultimately won out.
2. Cal Dodd
Appeared in: X-Men: The Animated Series, Marvel vs. Capcom, X-Men '97
If you asked a group of Marvel fans to pick their definitive adaptation of the X-Men, the top two answers would undoubtedly be the film series and X-Men: The Animated Series. The latter is arguably the greatest adaptation of the source material and there is a strong case to be made for its adaptation of Wolverine being the best, too.
This version of Logan is probably the most instantly recognizable iteration and a large part of that is down to the fact that he wears the iconic yellow and black suit (and perhaps also because of the viral Wolverine picture frame meme). It also has to do with Cal Dodd's incredible voice performance.
He's got such a wonderfully gruff, raspy voice and that suits Wolverine down to the ground. His performance is playful and confident, with just the right amount of arrogance in his tone on occasion to highlight how overconfident Logan can be when he wants to. He also nails the character's sarcasm down to the ground, with his jibes at Cyclops and Gambit (or, as he likes to say "Gumbo") being among the series' most memorable lines. And when it calls for it, Dodd also knows how to be loud, powerful, and angry - three things Wolverine is known for.
His return to the role in X-Men '97 came three decades after the original show and it became clear very quickly that he hadn't lost a step. In fact, you can hear how his voice has matured over the years which actually captures Wolverine's gruff, withered approach to life with ease. His Logan has been worn down by life but he will never stop fighting, and you hear that in every word.
If you read an X-Men comic, Cal Dodd's voice is probably who you hear in your head when reading Logan's lines. He is the voice of Wolverine and that won't be changing anytime soon, thanks to his triumphant return in X-Men '97.
1. Hugh Jackman
Appeared in: Fox's X-Men film series, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, Logan, Deadpool and Wolverine
Are you surprised to see Hugh Jackman at the top of this list? Probably not. His performance as Wolverine in the Fox X-Men movie series has been cemented in history as one of the greatest that the comic book movie genre has ever seen, and the fact that he accomplished that without ever having to put on the character's signature yellow and black suit is a testament to him.
Jackman first played the character in 2000's X-Men and it didn't take long to see that he had the gruff, moody personality of Logan down to a tee. Whether we're talking about the character's aggressive claw-bearing showdowns or the charged conversations with Jean Grey, it all came so naturally to him. And it continued to throughout the original era of the X-Men movies, while he also still appeared in some of the prequel movies because the sheer thought of an X-Men movie without him was just too much.
His greatest performance, however, undoubtedly came in 2017's Logan. Not only was the film unlike any X-Men movie, its hard-hitting, gritty storyline was both a tribute to the legendary Old Man Logan comic saga and a fitting send-off for the character. Jackman was phenomenal, and he would have been more than worthy of an Academy Award for that performance.
I said above that he managed to accomplish all of this without ever putting the on suit, and it's true, but seeing him get the opportunity to finally do that in Deadpool and Wolverine made for one of the most fulfilling moments in movie history. The MCU gave us a moment we were all waiting for, and Jackman hadn't lost a step, delivering one of his greatest performances as the character and once again solidifying himself as the definitive version of Logan.
No actor is more closely associated with Wolverine than Hugh Jackman, and that is earned. He owned the role, bringing the character to life with grit and loyalty to the source material, seeing him through one of the most complete arcs in the superhero genre's history. Now he gets to do it all again as part of the MCU, and that is just the coolest.