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.