The man called Wolverine is considered the Best There Is, but his time alongside the Avengers made Logan even better than anyone ever expected - even the X-Men. His time with the team was pretty turbulent, but it brought a new layer of heroism to the Adamantium-clawed killer. Logan has always fought the good fight alongside the rest of Marvel’s Mutants, but fighting alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes brought an entirely different energy to the Caknucklehead.
Logan first joined the Avengers early on in the original New Avengers series by Brian Michael Bendis. Though he’s back to being an X-Man, Wolverine stayed with the Avengers for years. And during that time, Wolverine changed for the better.
Wolverine officially joined the team in New Avengers #6 by Bendis and David Finch after an adventure in the Savage Land. Right from the start, Captain America forced Logan to adhere to their no-killing policy: a rule that Wolverine frequently took issue with but still adhered to. Despite their differences, Wolverine stayed with the team through thick and thin. He supported his teammates after Marvel’s Civil War and he fought alongside them during the Skrull’s Secret Invasion. During Norman Osborn’s Dark Reign, Logan’s time was largely spent helping his fellow X-Men relocate to their island Utopia, but he never really left the Avengers, even officially joining their main roster during Marvel’s Heroic Age and helping Captain America spearhead their Unity Division post-Avengers vs X-Men. Ultimately, Logan would be forced to leave the team after the violent consequences of his time with X-Force threatened the safety of the world, and he hasn’t rejoined since.
Wolverine’s inclusion in the Avengers’ roster wasn’t what many fans would’ve expected, but it’s hard to deny the effect it had on Logan. As a public hero, Wolverine became a symbol that strove to live up to an ideal. The Avengers come together to face foes no single hero could withstand, and that means that its members have to represent the best in humanity. And while the X-Men were brought together to protect a world that hates and fears them, their mission primarily became one of survival as the years went on.
At a certain point, Xavier’s students rightfully began worrying more about protecting themselves than protecting the world. The X-Men are Logan’s family, and thanks to Wolverine’s toxic idea of love, he’s more than willing to cross quite a few lines in their defense - which he did on more than one occasion. Most of the X-Men never outright condoned Wolverine’s ruthless tactics, but they definitely benefit from his willingness to get his hands dirty more often than not and enable his worst instincts by not doing more to curb his violent methods.
With the X-Men, Wolverine is more of a soldier doing whatever he needs to do to keep his loved ones safe. But as an a member of the Avengers, Logan fought to protect the entire world and maybe even better himself in the process. Wolverine will always have a home with the X-Men, but he’ll always be remembered as one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.