The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the very near future, and fans wonder what Wolverine might look like when they do. Since his introduction as part of the All-New X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, Wolverine has been one of the most popular mutants in Marvel Comics. He has also gone through a lot of changes throughout the years, transforming from a rebellious outsider to one of the most trusted of the mutant nation.
X-Men is also a comic book series that loves time travel and alternate Earths, so there are plenty of options as to what the post-Hugh Jackman Wolverine could look like in the MCU. Fans at Ranker voted on their favorite versions of Wolverine, and it included comic book versions as well as those from movies, TV, and one classic video game.
Note: Ranker lists are live and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing.
Wolverine: Enemy Of The State
Wolverine appeared in a storyline in 2004 called "Enemy of the State" and it gave him a chance to prove that his nickname of "The Best There Is" is in fact true. However, the twist was that he was the bad guy in this story. The Hand brainwashed Wolverine and then sent him on a murderous rampage.
The story took place in Wolverine Vol. 3 #20-31 by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., where Wolverine spent the first half on his brainwashed rampage and the second half where he was back in control and went to make sure The Hand regretted ever using him. While out of control most of the time, fans hold the story in high regard, as it was a chance to see how powerful Wolverine could be if he cut loose.
Hulk Vs. Wolverine (2009)
Hulk Vs was an animated movie released in 2009 comprised of two shorter films. The first was Hulk vs. Wolverine and the second was Hulk vs. Thor. It was also part of an overarching continuity that included the animated shows, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Thor: Tales of Asgard.
With Ranker fans loving Wolverine from this movie, it is interesting to see what Hulk Vs was able to accomplish. This included Deadpool before Fox revived the character and it also presented Wolverine and Hulk's first battle in the series, tying into the fact that Wolverine made his Marvel Comics debut in The Incredible Hulk.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)
When many non-comic book fans think of Wolverine now, it is Hugh Jackman they see. He was in the first three X-Men movies that Fox released, but the one that critics and fans seemed to like him in the best was one in the prequel series, X-Men: Days of Future Past.
This movie saw Wolverine travel back in time to stop an event that would lead to an apocalypse that caused the death of most mutants in the world. It was fun to see Wolverine back in an X-Men movie and he really had a chance to shine in 1970s-era America.
Frank Miller's Wolverine
In 1982, Chris Claremont and artist Frank Miller teamed up to create what was the greatest Wolverine storyline up to that time. The four-issue miniseries is also one of the best miniseries that Marvel has ever produced, and it was here that the Wolverine fans love so much really came into his own.
Wolverine was a rebellious member of the X-Men before this, and someone who had rough edges which contrasted with most of his teammates. However, this series sent Wolverine to Japan where he fell in love, battled ninjas, and proved that he was the best in the world at what he does. This was the comic book storyline that made Wolverine the most popular character in Marvel Comics for many years.
The Uncanny X-Men NES Game (1989)
Ranker voters also seem to love Wolverine from the videogame, The Uncanny X-Men, for the NES. The game only allowed players to choose between six mutants to play as, and it ranks as one of the worst X-Men games ever made. However, it was Wolverine that fans were interested in here.
What did stand out about the game, and what players likely the most, was that this was the one that introduced Wolverine to the videogame world. He was easily the most popular character in the game, as well as its strongest, and that made it an easy decision when NES followed the game up with an improved Wolverine solo game by Konami in 1991.
Age Of Apocalypse
Age of Apocalypse was a groundbreaking storyline that took most fans by surprise. In one issue, Legion went back in time to assassinate Magneto only to accidentally kill his own dad, and in the next issue, the entire world had changed into one ruled by Apocalypse. Wolverine played a massive role in this storyline.
What made fans love this Wolverine so much was likely his character arc, which far sured anyone else in the storyline. He was a key player in beating Apocalypse and then he turned into the villain as Weapon Omega and kept the world under his thumb. It showed how Wolverine would look if he turned evil.
The Wolverine (2013)
Hugh Jackman was a massive fan favorite as Wolverine, and Ranker fans loved two of his characters from the Fox movies. While praise went out to his Days of Future Past performance, voters loved his character in The Wolverine even more.
This movie told a variation of the popular Frank Miller/Chris Claremont story about Wolverine going to Japan and fighting ninjas. While there were some changes from Wolverine's canon, this gave comic book fans the Wolverine story they had wanted since he arrived in the first X-Men movie and made up for the critical bomb of X-Men Origins - Wolverine.
X-Men: The Animated Series
Younger fans will get a chance to meet the Wolverine from X-Men: The Animated Series very soon. After a version of Professor X from this series showed up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the actual animated cartoon will soon make its return to Disney+ streaming.
Marvel even got original voice actor Cal Dodd back to reprise his role as Wolverine in X-Men 97. This was easily the best X-Men animated series and took the character of Wolverine and fleshed him out, both with his own tortured past and his relationship with his teammates - especially Jean Grey and Cyclops. It is easy to see why fans love this version of Wolverine.
Old Man Logan
Old Man Logan was an alternate worlds story that showed Wolverine outliving almost every other hero in the Marvel Universe. This all started because of one mistake Wolverine made. Mysterio tricked him into killing every member of the X-Men. The villains then teamed up to beat all the other heroes and Logan went into retirement.
This storyline was the basis for the movie Logan and showed Wolverine at his most vulnerable. It was also a western at heart as Logan set out to get revenge after his family died and had him meeting up with a wild Hulk and a blind Hawkeye. Old Man Logan was so popular that he ended up in the mainstream Marvel Universe for a time as well.
Wolverine (616)
The version of Wolverine that Ranker voters named the best of all time was simply the mainstream 616 version of Wolverine. The character exists in other versions, including the Frank Miller storyline, but this character encomes everything that Wolverine was in Marvel from his introduction in The Incredible Hulk to his time in the X-Men, Avengers, and more.
Wolverine has always been a hugely popular character. When the X-Men became the best-selling comic book for Marvel, it was largely shouldered by Wolverine. His Frank Miller miniseries is considered the best of its kind. When a comic wants to bring in extra readers, the creative team usually adds Wolverine to the story, and it's not hard to understand why.
