Wolverine's the best he is at what he does and he'll be back in movie theaters on Friday, May 1 in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"!
Here on Marvel.com, we're celebrating the Canucklehead's return to the silver screen all month long with COMPLETE Wolverine stories in Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, ever-present updates on the upcoming movie with all the latest photos, videos and more!
So sharpen your claws and dig in, True Believers, Marvel.com's the place to be!
Every week, a secret cabal of Marvel staffers gathers to discuss the best of the best when it comes to the House of Ideas.
When you're the best there is at what you do—and what you do isn't very nice—you can be rest assured you'll run up against your share of unsavory characters pretty good at not being so nice themselves.
For Wolverine, over his years and years of fighting the good (and not so good) fight, he has made plenty of enemies. From feral sociopaths to cybernetic mercenaries and with scores of ninjas in between, some of the Marvel Universe's nastiest customers have gone up against Logan, but none have been able to punch his clock for good.
The Secret Cabal sat down with a list of Wolverine's least wanted and determined the 10 baddest of the bunch.
For each character, you get a special spotlight comic courtesy of Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
As always, these picks reflect the personal choices of the Secret Cabal, not the official opinion of Marvel or Marvel.com, and can be considered subjective at best. Enjoy!
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10. OMEGA RED
First Appearance: X-MEN v2 #4 (1992)
Learn More…here
Why He Makes The List: "The big, mean,
Russian killing machine hasn't tormented Logan nearly as many times as some of the ol' Canucklehead's other villains, but he's all about villainous quality, rather than quantity. Tangling with Wolvie during the Team X days,
Omega Red nearly used his life-sucking powers to wipe out Wolverine and his
X-Men teammates. He and his tentacles of doom could strike again at any time!" — Secret Cabal member Agent M
Spotlight Comic: X-MEN v2 #4—Omega Red explodes out of Wolverine's past and into the X-Men's present!
9. THE HAND
First Appearance: DAREDEVIL v1 #174 (1981)
Learn More…here
Why They Make The List: "If Wolverine calls any place on Earth something of a sanctuary, it would be Japan, where he has had some rough times, but also more pleasant memories than in most other locales. However, every time Logan makes a pilgrimage to the Land of the Rising Sun, the Hand ninja crime cartel makes sure to play unwelcome welcoming party. In one of their most recent encounters, the Hand actually succeeded in helping to kill Wolvie, then resurrected him as a killer under their control. The lives Wolverine took as the Hand's personal weapon represent a debt he will not consider paid until he destroys the seemingly infinite ranks of the organization." – Secret Cabal member Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: WOLVERINE v2 #20—Wolvie faces an army of Hand ninjas for the life of a little boy!
8. MYSTIQUE
First Appearance: MS. MARVEL v1 #16 (1978)
Learn More…here
Why She Makes The List: "It's safe to say
Mystique has no fan club within the X-Men, having betrayed and nearly killed everybody on the team, but her past with Wolverine is particularly colorful and violent. For a time, they were lovers and partners, but the sultry shapeshifter turned on Logan, teaching him yet again a lesson he had already learned countless times: don't trust beautiful women with a dark side. In their subsequent encounters, Mystique has always preyed upon her emotional connection with Wolvie, taunting him with past betrayals even as she attempts to put a bullet between his eyes." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: MYSTIQUE #23—When Mystique defies
Professor X, she finds herself with a Wolverine problem!
7. SILVER SAMURAI
First Appearance: DAREDEVIL v1 #111 (1974)
Learn More…here
Why He Makes The List: "This sometimes hero, sometimes villain has crossed paths and swords with Wolverine for years, usually in the name of honor. But this particular baddie rocks the list because SS is the only person Logan has both entrusted his adopted daughter to protect her and then cut off said protector's hand the next time they faced off. Now that's a complex relationship! "— Secret Cabal member RunawayJ
Spotlight Comic: WOLVERINE v1 #2—Logan and the
Silver Samurai battle for honor in Japan!
6. VIPER
First Appearance: CAPTAIN AMERICA v1 #110 (1969)
Learn More…here
Why She Makes The List: "If you can't beat him…marry him? Interestingly, the vicious and vivacious
Viper chose this approach in her war with Wolverine. Ironically, Viper made her first impression on Logan a lasting one by attempting to poison his fiancée,
Mariko Yashida, days before their own doomed wedding, in order to consolidate her hold on the Japanese criminal underground. Years later, seeking similar goals in
Madripoor, Viper blackmailed Wolverine into becoming her consort, playing on a debt he owed his departed friend Seraph. The marriage of convenience didn't last long, but it certainly scarred Wolvie, who hates to be anybody's puppet, and made future encounters between these two all the more interesting." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: UNCANNY X-MEN #172—Viper crashes Wolverine's wedding!
5. CYBER
First Appearance: MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS v1 #85 (1991)
Learn More…here
Why He Makes The List: "You really want to mess Wolverine up? Kill a woman he loves and beat him to within an inch of his life! That's what
Cyber did, way before either of 'em became the nigh-unstoppable killing machines they're better known as. Not only has Cyber haunted Wolvie since World War I, but the big, bad villain laced nearly his entire body with adamantium, kicking Wolverine's butt time and again. Most recently, Cyber sank his claws into Daken, Wolverine's son, a move that—duh—infuriated the X-Man. Few villains scare Logan the way Cyber does." — Agent M
Spotlight Comic: WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #12—Cyber puts himself between Logan and his son, Daken!
4. LADY DEATHSTRIKE
First Appearance: DAREDEVIL v1 #197 (1983)
Learn More…here
Why She Makes The List: "When Wolverine faces Yuriko Oyama in battle, he sees his own failures—and if he's not careful, that distraction could cost him his life! Like Logan,
Lady Deathstrike is a creature of equal parts violence and honor, but unlike our hero, she has freely given up her humanity in favor of making herself a more effective killing machine, best equipped to seek vengeance. Scarred physically and mentally by her father, Deathstrike seeks the approval he would never give her by undoing the adamantium bonding process he created and the Weapon X Project stole, even if that means killing Wolverine to do it! A female foe that can more than hold her own against him, in Yuriko, Wolverine faces both a deadly threat and a tragic reminder of his past." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: X-TREME X-MEN #28—Wolvie locks claws with Lady Deathstrike once again!
3. MAGNETO
First Appearance: X-MEN v1 #1 (1963)
Learn More…here
Why He Makes The List: "It's tough for a guy who has a metal skeleton to fight the master of magnetism, but that never stopped Wolvie from charging into one of his dozens of battles against
Magneto. So when Mags ripped out Logan's adamantium, he shocked everyone, himself included, when he proved that even THAT wouldn't leave him declawed and defeated. Wolvie revealed his bone claws and an even more vicious rage to accompany it. Oops!" — RunawayJ
Spotlight Comic: UNCANNY X-MEN #104—The first meeting between Wolverine and Magneto!
2. THE WEAPON X PROJECT
First Appearance: MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS v1 #72 (1991)
Learn More…here
Why They Make The List: "Hands (or would that be claws) down, no other entity, group or person aside from our No. 1 pick has done more damage to Logan over the years than the program that made him who and what he is today. They laced his bones with adamantium, trained him to be a killer and pushed him towards his base animalistic nature. They made him a warrior. The ironic part of it all is that he probably wouldn't be 'the best he is at what he does' without them." — RunawayJ
Spotlight Comic: MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS v1 #73—The Weapon X Project gets their hands on Logan!
1. SABRETOOTH
First Appearance: IRON FIST v1 #14 (1977)
Learn More…here
Why He Makes The List: "There's a long list of people and organizations who have battled Logan viciously over the years, but there's no question Victor Creed, aka
Sabretooth, resides at the very top. Every time the man who would be Wolverine achieved any measure of happiness in his tumultuous life, Sabretooth was there to snuff it out. Countless women Wolvie loved perished violently and scores of other innocent lives were ended to Sabes' sick satisfaction during the lengthy feud between these two. Was Sabretooth serving a higher power, be it Sinister,
Romulus or whoever? Does it really matter? Without question he enjoyed his 'job' and never failed to let Logan know it. These two are opposite sides of the same scarred up coin and their brutal battles were the stuff of legend. There was something about their most primal ties that brought out the worst in each. Wolverine may have seemed to end it all by decapitating his foe in their last encounter, but he'll never fully erase the specter of Sabretooth and all he cost him." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: SABRETOOTH (2004) #1—Victor Creed is hunted by the U.S. military in his own limited series!
For more Wolverine, check out Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited. Like gaming? The official "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" video game hits stores May 1! And remember: "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" comes to a theater near you on May 1—visit the official "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" movie site!
Check out the official Marvel Shop for everything X-Men!
Download episodes of X-Men: Evolution Season 1
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