As the X-Men's resident brawler, Wolverine hunted down the true villain whose murders had turned public opinion against heroes. In 2006’s Wolverine #47, fans are reminded that Wolverine can rely on his claws even when enemies think he's been disarmed. The issue was written by Marc Guggenheim, drawn by Humberto Ramos, inked by Carlos Cuevas, colored by Edgar Delgado and lettered by Randy Gentile.
Wolverine first appeared in 1974 and ed the X-Men a year later. His claws, healing factor and berserker rages made him the team’s most ferocious member, and an instant fan favorite. As Wolverine’s popularity grew, writers and artists began filling in his backstory. Readers learned Wolverine was over a century old and that he had an extensive background in war and espionage; his memories had been tampered with as well. In the early 1990s, Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton was ripped from him, and many fans assumed his claws went with it. However, in a stunning twist, it was revealed the claws were bone, and that Wolverine had been born with them. But what fans wouldn't learn until later is that because the claws are a physiological change, they can't be suppressed like other powers.
Pursuing Walter Declun, who has been secretly powering up supervillains, Wolverine is apprehended by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Maria Hill and taken into custody. Maria slaps a Level 10 Power Nullifier on Wolverine, hoping to contain him. But while this works on Logan's healing factor, it's not so effective on his claws. Wolverine reminds Hill that while his claws are the result of a mutation, they are still a natural part of his body, rendering the Nullifier essentially useless. Despite his powers being suppressed, Wolverine is able to pop his claws and escape (albeit by escaping the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier and plunging towards the ground with his healing factor still inoperative.)
Classifying Wolverine's claws as a physical attribute rather than a superpower gives him a surprising edge against many of the methods used to depower other heroes. From mutants like Leech to Iron Man's S.P.I.N. technology, Logan may have to sometimes work without his healing factor, but his claws remain available, and their adamantium coating means that even restrained, they should be able to cut through other metals. While mutant powers usually activate in adolescence, the physical elements of mutations can exist from birth, drawing a firm delineation between the ways a mutant's body may be altered to their powers, and their ability to wield the powers themselves.
Wolverine has been one of Marvel’s most popular characters for nearly 50 years, thanks to his unique powers and ferocious disposition. Although Wolverine's healing factor gives him an edge, it is his claws that make him unstoppable, as Maria Hill learned during Civil War.
