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- Hugh Jackman will make his highly-anticipated return to the role of Wolverine in the upcoming film Deadpool 3. The internet exploded with the news, even if some fans remain unconvinced about whether his return is a good idea. Indeed, Wolverine might seem like a universally-beloved character, but the truth is many fans have mixed opinions about him, some of which are pretty unpopular among the Marvel fandom.
As a heavily featured member of the X-Men and one of the most popular superheroes of all time, it's easy to see why so many fans have come to love Wolverine. Armed with poppable claws, an unbreakable skeleton, and a bad attitude, coming face-to-face with Wolverine is usually a recipe for a bad day.
That being said, supervillains aren't the only ones Logan is causing headaches for. Some fans online have voiced complaints about various issues that extend from the hero's appearances in comics, movies, video games, and animated series. While all opinions about the beloved character are subjective, Reddit is the perfect place to voice these otherwise unpopular opinions.
Updated on December 07, 2022, by David Caballero:
Hugh Jackman will make his highly-anticipated return to the role of Wolverine in the upcoming film Deadpool 3. The internet exploded with the news, even if some fans remain unconvinced about whether his return is a good idea. Indeed, Wolverine might seem like a universally-beloved character, but the truth is many fans have mixed opinions about him, some of which are pretty unpopular among the Marvel fandom.
Wolverine Doesn't Need The Cowl
Wolverine's costume is iconic and a major reason why the character is so popular. Something about his flashy yellow suit makes him even more badass, appearing as if he didn't care what anyone thought about him. A major part of the costume is the cowl, which makes him instantly unforgettable.
However, none of the live-action films included the cowl, and Redditor Cool_Memory5245 believes it's for the best. In his mind, "Wolverine looks more badass without the cowl." There is an air of admitted silliness that accompanies the cowl, but it's such a prominent part of the costume that it's impossible to think of Wolverine without it.
Cyclops Is Better Than Wolverine
The X-Men have been around for decades, and Wolverine wasn't part of the original line-up. He arrived much later, causing quite an impression and cementing himself as one of the team's most iconic and recognizable members. Still, the team's original leader, who has become synonymous with mutant-kind itself, is Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops.
Unlike Wolverine, Cyclops is inextricably tied to the X-Men, and many fans believe him to be the superior character. Reddit user Ezana18 claims Scott "has been put to the side to put Logan in the spotlight," which is unfair and ultimately detrimental to the team. A strong opinion for sure, but there's enough room for Cyclops and Wolverine to co-exist without undermining each other.
Hugh Jackman Is Too "Hot" To Play Wolverine
The live-action X-Men movies play fast and loose with comic book canon, which could confuse many fans, especially regarding Wolverine. Hugh Jackman, in all his 6'3" glory, played the beloved character for years, but many fans believe him to be the wrong choice to portray Logan.
In decades of comic book continuity, Wolverine is short, feral, and not exactly conventionally attractive. He often behaves like an animal, confirming his reputation as a "savage." Thus, Redditor DarthBastiat believes Jackman is "too tall, pretty, and charming" to portray Wolverine successfully. Jackman is indeed very good-looking and far taller than the Wolverine from the comics, but hardly anyone can say he wasn't convincing in the role.
Yellow And Brown Beats Yellow And Blue
Wolverine's iconic yellow-and-blue suit is one of the most recognizable in comic books. It's a vital part of his character, mainly because of how silly it would be on anyone else but him. The suit has received several updates throughout years of continuity, but the yellow-and-brown version is probably the most famous.
Redditor NateJustNat goes against the popular consensus and favors the yellow-and-brown version of Wolverine's suit. In their mind, yellow-and-blue isn't "a good color scheme for a gritty character like Logan." There is some truth to that statement, but yellow-and-blue is too nostalgic for millions of fans.
Wolverine's Costume Is Awful
Despite his overwhelming popularity on paper and in live action, Wolverine's costume is somewhat more controversial. It is so flamboyant and eye-catching, the complete opposite of how he behaves in battle and everyday life.
Reddit user Zj1617 dismisses it entirely, claiming it "looks pretty goofy on screen" and would stand out for the worst among the MCU's more grounded costumes. Marvel does tone down its heroes' costumes in live-action, but that is arguably worse than keeping the flair and color that first made them famous. Wolverine's costume might be out there, but it is by no means bad.
Wolverine Works Better Solo
One of Wolverine's defining traits is that he's not a team player and has to sacrifice his preferred state of minimal interaction to be an effective member of the X-Men. When Logan receives the opportunity to go out on his own, however, he's able to embrace his true nature.
"I believe Wolverine works best in his own solo stuff," says Reddit user Skylightt, "I think the X-Men are always much worse off when he is at the forefront, which is part of the reason the movies struggled." With such a large cast of characters in the X-Men, narrowing down stories to just one or two central characters can make for a much more concise story, but most fans still love Logan with his team.
Wolverine Steals The Spotlight From Other X-Men
The X-Men are a team of powerful mutants with extraordinary abilities that traditionally rotate members in and out over the years. Despite this being the case in the comics, that effect has not translated to the films, where it often feels like Wolverine receives a disproportionate focus.
"He steals a lot of the spotlight from other heroes who frankly need it more," says user Former-Inspector3755, "For an antisocial character, he sure is given more attention than what he asks for." It does seem strange that Wolverine is almost always the main character in the films, despite not even being the team leader of the X-Men.
Logan And Jean Grey Lack Chemistry
Reddit user cobra1975 says, "I think Wolverine is a lecherous creep, and I'd love a portrayal of a nice, boring Jean and Scott relationship." This criticism may be a bit too harsh, as Logan is usually depicted as relatively good-natured.
That being said, it's understandable that Logan and Scott constantly vying for Jean Grey's attention may rub a lot of fans the wrong way. The relationship has been printed as especially ambiguous in recent years, so letting Wolverine move on from Jean as a love interest could provide some much-needed stability for the comics and movies alike.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Is The Best X-Men Movie
With a 38% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, it's fair to say that X-Men: Origins Wolverine is far from a fan favorite. This movie is also most notorious for introducing the mouthless Deadpool that earned the ire of many fans of the comics.
User gesihafthestrike acknowledges some of the movie's faults but explains their reasoning, "I just think it's fun as hell." When so many superhero movies take on a darker and grittier tone, sometimes the fun factor is the best measuring stick of all. Thus, Origins might be one of the best guilty pleasure comic book movies ever made.
Wolverine Is Good As A Reluctant Leader
Since Wolverine is considered too hot-headed and impulsive with his actions, Cyclops is often the one to take over the leadership position. To be fair, he does a great job at it, and he's arguably the all-time best leader of the X-Men. Still, Logan occasionally gets the leadership role, usually on special ops missions with X-Force.
"My personal favorite Wolverine stories have largely been when he had to take the role Cyclops would traditionally take," says user darkmythology. Knowing his teammates don't have the ability to recover from every mistake, leadership puts pressure on Wolverine's shoulders to keep his friends safe, a treat that viewers rarely get to see.
X-23 Is a Better Character Than Wolverine
While Wolverine has captured the hearts of many fans largely due to his interesting array of abilities, he's not the only one with claws and regenerative powers. Other test subjects of the Weapon X program, Sabretooth, and even Logan's daughter Laura Kinney share many of the same powers.
The latter features heavily in Logan, known under the alias X-23. Some fans appreciated a new spin on the character, as user tony1grendel says, "X-23 is more interesting than Wolverine." Logan is nearly 200 years old by the end of his titular film, so there's not much left to explore in his story compared to a newer character like X-23.
Logan Is Overrated
Logan is held in high regard by most, not to mention, it's often considered one of Hugh Jackman's best movies. Not all hold the movie in high regard, though, as user gambitwoo says, "Logan (The Movie) is way overrated. Not that it wasn't good, but I've seen better."
Logan's slower approach to pacing may be jarring to some fans and serves as a distinct separation from earlier films. That being said, it's hard to deny that Logan's storytelling and the brutality of the action sequences were unmatched by other entries.
Wolverine Is Over-Used
As Deadpool himself acknowledged in Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe, Wolverine's strongest ability isn't his healing factor, but instead the power of popularity. Wolverine has grown so beloved over the years that it's hard to write an X-Men story that doesn't include him.
This especially applies when it comes to the movie series. "When I was young, I was thrilled that the X-Men had a Canadian on the team," says user Bleak5170, "But Marvel effectively made it so that I am completely sick of Wolverine and would not care if he disappeared forever." It can be very difficult to keep a character fresh and interesting when it feels like they always have plot armor and distract from the bigger picture of a story arc.
Wolverine Should Not Join The MCU (Yet)
Disney made waves in 2019 with their acquisition of 20th Century Fox, thus opening the door for Wolverine and the X-Men to join the MCU. Despite this, many fans online are hesitant to rush the beloved mutants into the story for now.
"Wolverine should not be introduced into the MCU until several years of X-Men have been in new movies, if at all," says Reddit user TraptNSuit. While many fans anxiously await news of their introduction, allowing a few more years to pass before attempting to replace Hugh Jackman may be the best decision.
A New Actor Could Surpass Hugh Jackman As Wolverine
Through nine appearances as the character, Hugh Jackman solidified himself as the face of Wolverine and helped elevate Logan to becoming one of the most iconic superheroes in comic book history. User mrsunrider offers a dissenting opinion, claiming, "We only think of Jackman as the Wolverine because he's been the first and only."
Reddit user Vindicaddor adds to that line of thought, "He is a likable actor who played a likable character, but that character was nothing like Wolverine." Similar to how fans have seen different characterizations of Batman over the years, the MCU could use this chance to cast a new interpretation of the character.