Wolverine has been one of Marvel’s premiere action heroes from the beginning, the diminutive mutant leaping into battle with the Hulk and the Wendigo on his first appearance. Over the years, we’ve seen some amazing Wolverine fights, from his battle against Shingen Yashida in his first solo adventure to his numerous amazing bouts with Sabretooth, Hulk, Omega Red, Cyber, and many more. His unbreakable skeleton and healing factor allow him to punch way above his weight class, and readers have seen him come back from some truly hellacious beatings to triumph.
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Wolverine faces the deadliest enemies out there, and those battles can get plenty bloody. Wolverine is the best there is at what he does, and that has proven to be surviving. These are seven worst things that Wolverine has ever survived, debilitating losses that no other hero could withstand.
7) Losing His Healing Factor
Wolverine’s healing factor has saved him many times, so the story “Hunting Season” was a huge shock to the status quo. Logan was pulled into a hostage situation because of his Avengers membership, and found himself in the middle of a Microverse invasion. The only thing holding it back was his healing factor. Wolverine had to make a choice: either keep his healing factor and survive the invasion or give it up to stop it. The hero chose the latter, and his healing factor was gone. Wolverine (Vol. 5) #1-12 and Wolverine (Vol. 6) #1-12 dealt with the hero trying to figure out a new way to operate in battle, fighting Black Panther and Sabretooth, all while working with martial artists like Iron Fist and Shang-Chi. His beatings from Victor Creed were especially egregious, but he was able to survive it all. He ended up dying after being coated in adamantium, which would have killed him regardless.
6) His Battle Against Sabretooth in Wolverine (Vol 2) #126
Wolverine has had some brutal battles, fights where he was grievously injured. A lot of times, this had come at the hands of Sabretooth. He and Wolverine have been feuding for decades, and Wolverine (Vol. 2) #126 gave readers one of their greatest battles, from Wolverine architect Chris Claremont and future superstar Leinil Yu turning in some of his best art of that first year of his career. Wolverine was without his adamantium, which was usually a big reason he survived the stronger, faster, and most ferocious Victor Creed’s bloody attacks. However, he was somehow able to get the win. Or so it seemed. Every blow had claws to soft areas, no bone to bone contact. There was a big reason for this: Sabretooth now had an adamantium skeleton. The villain proceeded to beat him like he never had before. He broke three of Logan’s claws, cut his throat, and threw him off a roof. It remains the worst beating ‘Tooth gave his old friend.
5) The Battle with Horde
Wolverine has faced off against some tough enemies over the years, especially with the X-Men. He battled everything from cosmic beings like the Phoenix Force to alien superteams like the Imperial Guard to voracious space monsters like the Brood, surviving all of it. There was one battle that he almost didn’t survive: the battle against Horde in X-Men Annual #11. The alien warrior had godlike power and murdered the team of mutants quite easily. Wolverine was almost completely destroyed, but some of his blood splashed on a crystal of immense power and he regenerated, using the power of the crystal to defeat Horde and resurrect his friends. Wolverine has survived a lot in the years since, but little of it was as insane as this one.
4) Atomized by Nitro
Civil War began with Nitro detonating himself and destroying a school. Wolverine decided to hunt him down in Wolverine (Vol. 3) #42-48. Logan found the villain, but he learned that his powers had been boosted by Damage Control’s corrupt CEO Walter Declun. The man responsible for the death of the first Captain Marvel exploded again, and was able to burn the mutant superhero down to his skeleton. His healing factor worked overtime and was able to regenerate the vast majority of his soft tissues in a few days. It was one of the most impressive things he ever survived, and changed the way we looked at him.
3) Eaten by the Hulk
“Old Man Logan” is a Wolverine classic, and it is well known for its amazing violence, rendered to perfection by Steve McNiven and inker Dexter Vines. Readers saw some of the most bloody Wolverine battles ever, and it ended with him going after the Hulk Gang. He eventually finds himself against the Hulk, who ends up beating him ragged, and then eating him. Logan did survive, and eventually burst out of the ancient Jade Giant’s abdomen. It is one of the most shocking moments in the character’s history, and left us with numerous amazing images.
2) Magneto Tearing Out His Adamantium
X-Men (Vol. 3) #25 was a huge turning point in the life of Wolverine. Xavier recruited him for a strike team meant to kill Magneto. They flew to Avalon, the mutant master of magnetism’s new space station base, and attacked. Logan was able to get the drop on the villain, and landed a debilitating blow against him. However, instead of pressing his advantage, he took a second to sass Magnus, and he paid for it. Magneto destabilized his skeleton’s adamantium on a molecular level and pulled it through Wolverine’s pores. It’s a moment etched into the consciousness of X-Men fans, and led to some of the most interesting years in Wolverine comics.
1) Ripped In Half
Wolverine getting ripped in half wasn’t something I ever thought of, so when it happened in the Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk miniseries, it was an insane moment. Of course, it makes sense — adamantium couldn’t coat the soft parts of his skeleton if he stilled wanted to move and Hulk is strong enough to pull him apart. This was the the first major time this happened, but it would be far from the last. Several comics over the years have shown a still living Wolverine crawling towards the other side of his body, so his healing factor can knit him back together.
What are your favorite Wolverine injuries? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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