Wolverine is the best there is at what he does, and that’s usually pretty bloody. Wolverine helped make anti-heroes popular in comics, and played a massive role in the success of the X-Men. Wolverine has starred in thousands of comics over the years, and has grown and changed in some astounding ways (well, until “From the Ashes”, when X-Men editor Tom Brevoort decided to drop some Spider-Man style regression onto the team). However, first and foremost, Wolverine is known as one of Marvel’s premiere action characters, his razor sharp claws, unbreakable skeleton, and healing factor allowing him punch way above his weight class. Wolverine became famous because of his bloody style of fighting, and over the years, fans have gotten to see some of the brutal battles in Marvel history starring the ol’Canucklehead and some of the most dangerous villains ever.
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Comic fights have changed a lot since the 21st century began; Marvel and DC pulling out of the Comics Code Authority allowed fights to be more brutal. However, even with the Code censoring, Wolverine has always had some wonderfully brutal fights. Wolverine has been around for 50 years, and Wolverine fans have been treated to some of the most brutal fights in comics history. These ten Wolverine fights are brutal, blood-soaked affairs that tested Wolverine to his utmost extent.
10) Wolverine vs. Cyber from Wolverine (Vol. 2) #79
Cyber first appeared in 1991’s Marvel Comics Presents #85 but wouldn’t get a chance to really shine until 1994’s Wolverine (Vol. 2) #79. Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton had been torn out through his pores. He learned that his claws were done made of bone and his healing factor was completely overtaxed. He left the X-Men and went to Canada, where he ended up fighting Lady Deathstrike, Bloodscream, and Scylla. He was able to defeat them, but Cyber’s return would be the true test. Cyber’s body had been enhanced with adamantium, and Wolverine did his best to fight an enemy who was now far beyond him. However, the stronger Cyber was able to get his hands on Wolverine and smashed his bone claws. It was a brutal moment, and it showed that Wolverine was in a lot of trouble if he couldn’t figure out a way to fight smarter.
9) Wolverine and Daken’s Last Battle in Uncanny X-Force (Vol. 1) #34
Wolverine and his son Daken had some hellacious battles over the years, but none of them can match their last. Daken brought together a new Brotherhood of Mutants to kill Wolverine, setting a trap where Wolverine would drown, one of the few surefire ways to kill him. The Brotherhood and Wolverine’s X-Force fight it out, and it finally comes down to a battle between Wolverine and his son. They go all out, both of them trying to end the other. Their healing factors keep them fighting, and eventually, Wolverine uses the method that his son was going to use against him — drowning. Wolverine holds Daken’s head in a puddle as his son struggles. The entire time, a narration talks about the life that Daken wanted with his father, with scenes from the kind of life they could have had together if the Winter Soldier never killed Daken’s wife Itsu and Romulus took him as baby. That’s what makes this fight so brutal; a man drowning the son who was made to hate him through no fault of his own.
8) Wolverine and Sabretooth’s First Fight at Marvel in Uncanny X-Men #213
Sabretooth is Wolverine’s greatest foe, and he’s going to appear several more times on this list. Sabretooth and Wolverine have clashed many times over the years, and they’ve had some bloody battles. Readers got to see Wolverine and Sabretooth clash for the first time (not chronologically, but their literal first fight in comics) in Uncanny X-Men #213. This was during the “Mutant Massacre” story, with Sabretooth made his ways from the Morlock Tunnels to the X-Mansion with Wolverine in hot pursuit. The two of them ended up clashing (drawn beautifully by artist Alan Davis), and it was an amazing fight unlike anything readers had ever seen before. The two of them tore at each other, and fans got to see just how far the two of them would go to kill the other.
7) Logan Killing the Hulk Gang in Giant-Size Wolverine: Old Man Logan #1
“Old Man Logan” is a legendary Wolverine story, as the aged Logan goes on a cross-country voyage with Hawkeye. Logan is a pacifist through most of the story, until he realizes that the whole situation was a trap for Hawkeye or any other hero who believed the rumors of resistance, leading to Wolverine killing the Red Skull. He races home using old Iron Man armor to pay the Hulk Gang their protection fee, but is too late — the Hulk Gang has killed his wife and kids. Logan goes on a tear and decides to kill every single one of them. Artist Steve McNiven gives readers some graphically violent pages, which all lead up to Logan battling the Hulk. Hulk gets the better of him and ends up eating Logan. However, Logan’s healing factor keeps him alive and he rips his way out through Hulk’s body, destroying him from the inside. It’s one of the bloodiest, goriest Marvel stories of all time.
6) Wolverine Battles Grey Hulk in The Incredible Hulk #340
Wolverine and Hulk have had plenty of excellent battles. Hulk is known for smashing everything in his way, and has near infinite power. Wolverine’s healing factor, unbreakable skeleton, and claws that can cut through anything even up the proceedings, and they’ve had some of the best fights in the history of Marvel. However, most fans agree that their best fight came in The Incredible Hulk #340. A plane crash is blamed on the Hulk and Wolverine decides to try to take him down. What follows is the most brutal fight between the two of them. This is the Grey Hulk, so he’s slightly weaker than usual, and Wolverine uses this to his advantage. Wolverine is able to tear up the Hulk, getting what seems like a victory over the Grey Goliath. However, the Hulk’s healing factor kicks in and the Hulk goes wild on Wolverine, bashing the mutant nearly to death. This is a classic Wolverine/Hulk fight, with creators Peter David and Todd Mcfarlane giving readers a fight that still resonates almost 40 years later.
5) Logan and Sabretooth Have the First Fight of their Lives in Wolverine (Vol. 2) #10
While Uncanny X-Men #213 was the first time readers got to see Wolverine and Sabretooth fight, Wolverine (Vol. 2) #10 showed the first fight of their lives. On his birthday, Logan went fishing for dinner for him and his girlfriend at the time Silver Fox. Sabretooth paid a visit to their cabin and killed her, leading to Wolverine hunting him down and attacking him. Logan was without his adamantium skeleton and didn’t remember that the he had claws (Wolverine’s history is full of retcons, and his claws are one of the biggest), and Sabretooth was able to trounce him. Chris Claremont always wrote some of the greatest Wolverine/Sabretooth fights, and this one is amazing. However, what really makes it work so well is the art from John Buscema, inked by Bill Sienkiewicz. Buscema and Sienkiewicz made for a perfect art team, and made this into a gorgeous, hard-hitting fight. There isn’t a lot of blood in this one, but that doesn’t change the sheer brutality of this battle.
4) Bone Claw Wolverine vs. Sabretooth, Round One from Wolverine (Vol. 2) #90
Wolverine’s bone claws years have some awesome fights, but the best of them came in Wolverine (Vol. 2) #90. Wolverine has returned to the X-Mansion, but the X-Men are gone. However, there’s one mutant there — Sabretooth. Wolverine holds himself back from executing his foe, but Sabretooth takes the decision out of his hands by escaping his cell. What follows is the two of them going harder than they’d ever gone before to try to kill each other. Sabretooth gets the upper hand, and tells Wolverine that after he kills him, he’s going to go after every woman Wolverine has ever loved. Wolverine loses it on Sabretooth (the issue has fold out pages by Wolverine artist extraordinaire Adam Kubert that are amazing; hunt down an original copy of it to see what I’m talking about), and gets ready to play a game of three claw monty with his worst enemy. Wolverine (Vol. 2) #90 writer Larry Hama gave Wolverine some awesome Sabretooth fights, but this one takes cake. It’s emotional and bloody, giving readers everything they could want from a fight between the two.
3) Wolverine Fights Sabretooth to Save His Mother in Wolverine (Vol. 8) #11
Wolverine (Vol. 8) isn’t good. It rehashes a lot of old Wolverine plots, and while there’s one interesting idea in it, the rest of the book is just reheated Larry Hama Wolverine. The art by Martin Coccolo has its moments, but often feels rushed. However, there have been some good things about it and this fight is one of them. Wolverine (Vol. 8) #11 sees Wolverine battling Sabretooth to try to save his long-thought dead mother. Coccolo’s art gets a little sketchy several times during the fight, but that doesn’t change how bloody of a fight this is. Wolverine and Sabretooth tear each apart, giving readers one of the most violent battles between them. Writer Saladin Ahmed has been doing the opposite of cooking in this series, but this fight has earned its place in the brutal Wolverine fight hall of fame.
2) Bone Claw Wolverine vs Sabretooth, Round 2 from Wolverine (Vol. 2) #126
Chris Claremont returned to writing Wolverine in Wolverine (Vol. 2) #125-128, and readers got one of the best Wolverine fights ever. Wolverine has been forced to marry Viper, thanks to a promise he made to his old friend Seraph, but his wedding is interrupted by Sabretooth. The two of them have yet another bloody tear as Kitty Pryde looks on, but she notices something is wrong — Sabretooth is keeping Wolverine from bone to bone contact, letting himself take hits in soft areas. Wolverine seems to be the victor, but then Sabretooth reveals his newest secret — he’s been given an adamantium skeleton. What follows is a quick but brutal ending to this battle, as Sabretooth, who was always written as Wolverine’s superior back in those days, takes apart Wolverine, breaking his claws and throwing him off a cliff. Claremont and artist Leinil Yu give readers an amazing fight with this one, and it need to be seen to be believed.
1) X-Men (Vol 2) #25
So, technically, this is a X-Men fight, but the one part that everyone remembers is the Wolverine vs. Magneto section. X-Men (Vol. 2) #25 is the culmination of “Fatal Attractions”, with Magneto detonating an EMP that crippled the entire Earth. The X-Men’s Shi’Ar technology helps them weather the effects, and Xavier leads a team of X-Men to Magneto’s Avalon space station to kill him. Magneto is able to hold his own against the group, but Wolverine gets the drop on him. Wolverine is almost able to kill Magneto, but instead of pressing his advantage, Wolverine takes a second to sass Magneto. Magneto makes him pay for that by tearing his adamantium skeleton out through Wolverine’s pores. It’s the most brutal thing that ever happened to Wolverine and kicked off years of Wolverine proving that he was more than just his unbreakable skeleton.
What do you think are Wolverine’s most brutal fights? Sound off in the comments below.
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