He may not be as famous as Superman or Captain America, but Wolverine is a pretty interesting superhero. Also, going by the name Logan, Wolverine was involved in a cruel experiment that gave him his abilities. He lived multiple lifetimes and, later on, lost his memories. Wolverine joined the X-men and fought alongside Professor X, Beast, Cyclops, and Iceman. For those who are big fans of Wolverine, here are some facts you may not have known about him.
1. Wolverine’s Comic Book Height is 5’3”
For a character with such a ferocious attitude, most people assume that Wolverine is a mountain of a man. However, in the comics, Wolverine is only 5’3”, which translates to 1.60m. In the X-Men franchise, camera tricks are used to make Wolverine appear shorter than he actually is. That’s because Hugh Jackman is 6’2”.
2. Wolverine was Created to Increase Marvel Sales in Canada
The superhero, Wolverine, was created to boost Marvel sales north of the border. Therefore, the editor-in-chief, Roy Thomas, requested a Canadian superhero be created. Marvel’s writer and art director, Len Wein and John Romita, created him.
3. Logan isn’t Wolverine’s Real Name
Wolverine goes by the name Logan, but his parents didn’t call him that. He was born as James Howlett. Now, there are several theories about how he got the name Logan. However, the most agreed upon is the one in the comics where his companion Rose calls him Logan to hide his identity.
4. Hugh Jackman Didn’t Know What Wolverines Were When He Auditioned for the Role
In an interview with Page Six, Hugh Jackman admits he did not know what Wolverines were when he auditioned to play this character. He thought that Wolverine was some form of wolf hybrid. According to the legendary actor, there are no wolverines in Australia, so he was not even aware of the existence of such an animal.
5. Wolverine was Translated as Guepardo in Spanish
X-Men’s Wolverine is translated to Guepardo in Spanish. The interesting bit is that Guepardo refers to Cheetah and not actual Wolverines.
6. Hugh Jackman Dehydrated Himself for 36 Hours for the Shirtless Scene in X-Men
To portray a flawless physique in a shirtless scene in the X-Men franchise, Hugh Jackman didn’t drink any water for 36 hours. Popularly known as the dehydration regime, Hugh Jackman wanted to lose water in his body to appear “ripped.” Jackman has cautioned fans against trying this at home because the results can be catastrophic.
7. Glenn Danzig Would Have Played Wolverine in X-Men
Because of his close resemblance to Wolverine, short height, and knowledge of comics, Glenn was the ideal person to play Wolverine in X-Men. However, the famous rocker didn’t get the opportunity as he wasn’t the first option. The preferred one was Dougray Scott, who happened to have a fallout with the director. The rocker has often criticized Hugh Jackman’s performance of Wolverine. He claimed he would have done a much better job in numerous interviews.
8. Wolverine Was to Make a Cameo in Spiderman (2002)
Hugh Jackman once mentioned that Wolverine was to make a cameo appearance in the 2002 Spiderman movie. However, his suit was stuck to something and couldn’t be found. So, the idea of the cameo was dropped immediately.
9. Wolverine’s Claws were to Be Part of His Gloves and Not Body
When writer Len Wein came up with the concept of Wolverine, he intended for his claws to come out from his gloves and not his body. The latter was more authentic, so Marvel went on with the idea of claws popping out of his body.
10. Hugh Jackman was a PE Teacher
Hugh Jackman, the guy who plays Wolverine, portrays an arrogant and vulgar stance. However, what most people don’t know is that Jackman is a very straightforward guy. In 1987, he worked as a Physical Education teacher at Uppingham School in England. He later joined the University of Technology in Sydney and pursued a bachelor’s degree in Communications.
11. Dark Claw is a Combination of Wolverine and Batman
There is a character from the Amalgam Universe called Dark Claw, who is the combination of Marvel’s Wolverine and DC’s Batman. This superhero operates in the New Gotham City and works solo.
12. Wolverine Loves Drinking and Smoking
Wolverine is a heavy drinker and smoker not just in the comics but also in the on-screen creations. That’s a non-issue for him because of his healing factor. Unlike humans, Logan is not afraid of the long-term effects of drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.
13. He Once Had Two Faces
Marvel’s artist John Byrne drew up a face for Wolverine without knowing that his fellow artist, Dave Cockrum, had already drawn another face and even shared it in an earlier issue. When John Bryne learned about this, he used the face he had drawn to create Sabretooth, one of Wolverine’s known foes.
Wolverine beefed with Sabretooth for years, appearing on his birthdays with the sole purpose of killing him. Another writer, Chris Claremont, wanted Sabretooth to be Wolverine’s son, but other writers disapproved.
14. Wolverine Has a Son
Like Wolverine, his fans knew very little about his past life for a long time. One of the things most people missed out on was that he had a son called Daken. This is revealed in the comic titled Uncanny X-Force. Daken isn’t the only son Wolverine has; he also has another one called Erista, whom he never knew about.
15. He Once Had Whiskers
When John Romita drew a Wolverine sketch, he gave him a set of whiskers, a look published in The Incredible Hulk #180. Later, when Wolverine appeared in X-Men #1, the whiskers were gone. Instead, David Cockrum gave him a set of extra-long ears. With whiskers, Wolverine wouldn’t look so fierce, anyway.