10 Reasons Why Wolverine Works Best On A Team

Wolverine came to prominence as a member of the X-Men, and his often caustic personality played well off his teammates. His tenure with the X-Men showed the character in various lights, allowing him to grow and change. Since then, Wolverine has joined every major team in the Marvel Universe—he’s one of only three characters who have been in the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four—and has gone from the mouthy loner to a trusted hero of high stature in the Marvel Universe.

Wolverine has had many amazing adventures on his own, but for many Marvel fans, Wolverine is at his best on a team. 2024 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Wolverine’s creation, and nearly all those years have seen him on teams. Wolverine has a rich history, and an argument can be made that the character works best when he’s a member of a team.

10 Wolverine’s Romantic Relationships Add An Interesting Aspect To His Place On A Team

Wolverine is mostly known for his capacity for violence, his mysterious past, and his gruff attitude that hides a heart of gold. However, longtime Wolverine readers know that there’s more to the character. A big aspect of the character is Wolverine’s many romantic relationships over the years. In Wolverine’s solo comics, many of these end in tragedy, but in team books, the character often falls for his team members. These entanglements have helped define the character for many readers.

Wolverine’s most well-known relationship is his crush on Jean Grey, which has often been unrequited but added a lot of drama to his life on the X-Men Wolverine had a romantic relationship with Storm, one that changed his relationship with Black Panther Wolverine’s relationship with Mariko Yashida began in the X-Men books and became his most important relationship throughout the ’80s and ’90s

Wolverine is something of a ladies’ man, and having him on a team allows creators to play that up. Wolverine’s relationships have often been with characters who are his exact opposite, adding romantic drama to any team book he’s in. Many A-list superheroes have a set relationship that defines who they are, but Wolverine really doesn’t, beyond his unrequited love for Jean Grey. This makes him a unique character and opens up all kinds of new stories for him on the team.

9 Wolverine Is A Tank

Superhero team comics entertain readers in various ways. There’s the interplay between characters, the evil of the villains, and the tension of the team’s actions to stop them. All of these are quite important to superhero team comics, but superhero team comics have always hinged on action. Seeing a group of disparate heroes battle their foes is part of the fun of superhero teams, and Wolverine is great from that perspective. Wolverine is the ultimate tank, making him fun for action scenes.

Wolverine’s healing factor allows him to survive just about any attack by his enemies His adamantium skeleton makes his bones unbreakable, allowing him to do things that other heroes can’t Wolverine can do massive damage with his claws, which can cut through basically anything, and is a supremely skilled fighter

Wolverine brings a lot to every fight he’s in. Every team needs a member like Wolverine. He can take stupifying amounts of damage and keep fighting, and his claws and fighting skills allow him to fight enemies who are far out of his league. Wolverine has done some amazing things in battle against the X-Men’s foes – defeating the Hellfire Club on his own, playing a game of cat and mouse with the Reavers while protecting Jubilee, and throwing himself into battle with foes like Magneto – and it’s always cool to have a hero on the team who can take a licking and keep on ticking.

One of the most lauded aspects of Wolverine on a superhero team is his protective streak. Wolverine has been fighting for over a century. He’s shed rivers of blood and will do anything to keep other people innocent while also making sure they have the tools to survive. Wolverine is known for taking younger heroes under his wing and protecting them while training them to become more potent combatants.

Wolverine’s friendship with Kitty Pryde was the first time that Wolverine took a young hero under his wing, and he helped train her in martial arts, making her a much better hero Wolverine’s relationship with Jubilee is his most well-known, as he kept her safe and allowed her to master her powers and fighting skills, forging her into a better hero Wolverine has taken heroes like Cannonball, Armor, Quentin Quire, and Oya under his wing, training them up and making them into better heroes

Wolverine is about keeping people safe, making him great for any team. Wolverine’s interplay with young heroes is always top-notch and adds something to teams they don’t always have. For example, Captain America is great at teaching people how to fight but seems hard to approach with other things. Wolverine has always been a shoulder to cry on for his teammates and has proven excellent at training young heroes.

7 Wolverine Is A Star That Puts Eyes On Any Team He’s On

Wolverine first appeared as a third wheel in a battle between the Hulk and Wendigo in 1974. By 1980, Wolverine was the most popular member of comics’ most popular team. Since then, Wolverine has reached a rarefied air in popularity. Spider-Man is Marvel’s most popular character, but Wolverine is just below him and on a similar level to heroes like Superman, Batman, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, and the most popular heroes in comics. Wolverine’s solo book often sells more than characters on or near his level of popularity. Adding Wolverine to any team makes them more popular.

Wolverine has been a part of the bestselling comics of all time Wolverine was put onto New Avengers precisely because he was massively popular Wolverine is a proven sales draw and stars in multiple books per month

Sales are a very important aspect of comics. If a book doesn’t sell, then it gets canceled. Wolverine is a guaranteed sales draw, even on team comics. There’s even a team book that stars multiversal versions of Wolverine – Weapon X-Men. Wolverine’s fans follow him to just about any book, so putting him in a team book means there’s a good chance that book will be successful enough to continue being published.

6 Wolverine Has Grown Into A Great Leader

When Wolverine first joined the X-Men, no one thought he was leadership material, and for good reason. Wolverine was always mouthing off to Cyclops and Professor X and was just as likely to go off alone as he was to work with others. However, Wolverine started forming a familial relationship with his teammates, making him a better team player. Over time, he became Storm’s trusted co-leader. Eventually, he and Cyclops formed a very close relationship, with Wolverine becoming a trusted voice that helped Cyclops make decisions.

Cyclops tapped Wolverine to lead X-Force, a team meant to destroy threats before they could hurt mutants Wolverine’s tenure as X-Force’s leader saw him lead successful campaigns against Apocalypse, the supersoldiers of the World, and his son Daken’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants Wolverine and Cyclops had a falling out, and Wolverine started his own X-Men school, leading his team against multiple foes

Wolverine has become a great leader, and every team needs great leaders. Even when Wolverine isn’t in charge, he’s become a trusted voice for team leaders. Even Captain America trusts Wolverine’s judgment on things. Wolverine becoming a leader also shows how much he’s grown over the decades, and characters that grow and change are perfect for superhero teams.

5 Wolverine Plays Well Off A Variety Of Characters

Wolverine’s popularity has meant that he’s had loads of team-ups. Wolverine has appeared in many stories beyond just X-Men and Wolverine comics, becoming one of Marvel’s most prolific co-stars. Wolverine has had some brilliant team-ups, and the way he plays off characters is one of the reasons that Wolverine team-ups are so popular.

Wolverine has had several key team-ups with Spider-Man, and their relationship has evolved from standoffish to that of best friends Wolverine’s gruff attitude plays well off of the more goody-goody characters Wolverine’s relationships with the various X-Men play a key role in the popularity of the team

Character interplay is extremely important to superhero teams, and Wolverine has proven great in this respect. Wolverine brings the drama, and drama is a key to superhero teams. Watching how Wolverine plays off other characters is fun and makes him great for any team book. Wolverine always brings something interesting to any book he’s in, playing off different characters in unique ways.

4 Wolverine Actually Grows As A Character Because Of His Relationships With Others

A-list superheroes can be remarkably stagnant when it comes to character development. This isn’t always a bad thing. At some point, every character finds their groove, as it were, and doesn’t really need much growth. It can be frustrating with some characters – ask any Spider-Man fan – but a part of being popular is that fans expect a character to act in a certain way. Wolverine is quite different in this regard. Wolverine was the ultimate loner for a long time, but that has changed as time went on.

Wolverine always wanted friendships and familial bonds but was scared of losing people and kept them at arm’s length His relationship with his fellow X-Men changed all of this and Wolverine became a great team player Wolverine’s evolution made the X-Men a better team

Wolverine is a character who changes and a key part of that is the people around him. While many of Wolverine’s changes have come in the pages of his solo books, the most important ones have come from his tenures in team books. Team books usually keep their A-list characters pretty stagnant, but Wolverine thrives in a team environment and his relationships with other characters allow him to evolve. This makes it better to read a team book, as seeing how being on the team affects a character is part of the fun.

3 Wolverine Fits In A Variety Of Teams

Wolverine’s tenure with the X-Men has shown how well he thrives on a team. The X-Men aren’t a typical superhero team; while fighting villains and saving the world, they also teach mutants how to use their powers, protect them from harm, and deal with issues other superheroes don’t. The X-Men have been globetrotting heroes and outlaws. Wolverine was a key part of all of this, and his role in other teams showed his versatility.

Wolverine’s short tenure with the Fantastic Four showed that he could fit in with a more sci-fi-oriented team Wolverine joined the Avengers, the premier superhero team on Earth, working to protect the world from the worst threats Wolverine’s role with X-Force shows that he also works very well on black ops superhero teams

Some characters only work on one kind of team, like Reed Richards or Captain America. Wolverine works well on all kinds of superhero teams. He is equally at home battling alien menaces as he is sneaking into enemy facilities and taking them apart. He’s been a teacher of younger heroes and is amazing in battle. There are all kinds of superhero teams out there, and Wolverine has been able to adapt to every single kind.

2 Wolverine’s Willingness To Kill Brings Multiple New Dimensions To Stories

The question of whether superheroes should kill is always a controversial one. Some believe that superheroes should never kill and plenty of heroes don’t. Others believe it’s conditional, depending on the crimes of the villains. Superhero teams often debate this topic, as many heroes have changed their opinions on whether they should kill. Wolverine is the perfect character for this question. Wolverine is a killer, and this has played an important role in his place in superhero teams.

Wolverine was held back from killing as a member of the X-Men for a long time and had to figure out new ways to fight Iron Man brought Wolverine onto the Avengers, over Captain America’s objections, because Wolverine would do things that no other member would do Wolverine has been a key member of X-Force, killing the enemies of the mutant race with extreme prejudice

While killing is now more accepted among superheroes, Wolverine’s nonchalance about killing his foes is a bone of contention. Captain America has lightened up on Wolverine, but that’s because Wolverine doesn’t always kill everyone. However, placing Wolverine on a team will put the question of whether heroes should kill front and center, which is always good for drama.

1 Wolverine’s Past Opens Up Lots Of Great Story Options

Wolverine has a very complicated past. The story of Wolverine starts in the 19th century and winds its way through decades of war and covert action. Wolverine has fought on his own or in armies, was part of the Weapon X supersoldier project, worked as a spy during the Cold War, and eventually became a member of Canada’s Department H, where he was supposed to lead Alpha Flight. Joining the X-Men changed that destiny, and Wolverine’s past became fertile ground for stories in the book.

Wolverine’s past means that he’s worked with Captain America in WWII and has been a part of many major events behind the scenes Wolverine’s past with Weapon X and the Weapon Plus program that birthed it became fodder for many stories Wolverine’s long life means that there are several events that can be mined for stories

Few characters have the kind of history that Wolverine does. Adding Wolverine to a team means that his history can be part of the stories. Wolverine is a well-connected character and has relationships with all the most interesting Marvel characters. Wolverine also has a rogues gallery that can be brought into a team book. Adding Wolverine to any team opens up a world of possibilities.