Most fans of the Marvel Comics character Wolverine are familiar with his catchphrase, “I’m the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn’t very nice”–though they may not be aware that it is a complete and total lie, and X-Men’s darkest era confirms it.
James “Logan” Howlett aka Wolverine is a mutant with a healing factor that makes him practically invincible, heightened senses akin to that of a tracking animal, and retractable bone claws coated in adamantium that extend from his fists. In essence, Wolverine is the perfect killing machine–and his catchphrase translated that incredibly well throughout his career. Logan’s past is one of borderline villainy as he was responsible for countless assassinations while under the control of Weapon X. However, Wolverine made amends for all the people he hurt by joining the X-Men–a team of mutant heroes who fought for equality and freedom. While his primary goal on the team was to keep his younger teammates safe, Logan was sent on more adult missions during his time with the X-Men as well–one’s that might as well have been ordered by Weapon X. No matter how Wolverine chose to live his life, murderous violence always found him, and he always told himself that it was because he was the best at what he did, even though it wasn’t very nice. As it turns out, however, Wolverine isn’t actually the best at what he does–at least, not according to Apocalypse.
In X-Men Chronicles #1 by Howard Mackie and Terry Dodson, readers are thrown into the universe of the Age of Apocalypse, only this issue gives them a glimpse at the world before Apocalypse takes over. During one of Apocalypse’s first major strikes against humanity, his acolytes–including Gideon, Candra, and Sabretooth–broke into a military control center to steal nuclear missiles in order to use them to bring humanity to its knees. However, the X-Men quickly arrive to stop them, sparking a battle that brings Wolverine face-to-face with his arch-rival, Sabretooth–and it is during this battle that its revealed Sabretooth is actually a more skilled killer and warrior than Wolverine, which is why he (no Logan) was recruited by Apocalypse.
Compared to Sabretooth, Wolverine is Actually the SECOND Best at What He Does
While it seems likely that Apocalypse recruited Sabretooth over Wolverine because Wolverine was a hero and Sabretooth was a villain, that’s not entirely accurate given the continuity of this newly-established universe. Wolverine had just joined the X-Men in this issue after years of carrying out assassinations for Weapon X, the same as Sabretooth. Plus, Sabretooth later joins the X-Men himself, so it’s not as though Apocalypse can sense the true nature of a person and deemed Sabretooth worthy of his level of villainy. At the time Apocalypse would have been recruiting for his team, Wolverine and Sabretooth would have looked exactly the same to him–but Apocalypse chose Sabretooth, and that choice alone is incredibly telling.
Apocalypse is obsessed with the Darwinistic viewpoint of ‘survival of the fittest’, so he made sure his acolytes were the best of the best. This means Apocalypse did his homework when making recruitment choices, so when it was revealed that Apocalypse thought about reaching out to Wolverine, but decided to go with Sabretooth instead, it’s because he believed Sabretooth was better–and there are few people alive within the Marvel Universe who know strength when they see it. So, based on Apocalypse’s assessment in this X-Men issue, it seems safe to say that Wolverine’s iconic catchphrase is a lie as Sabretooth is actually the best there is at what he does.