5 Reasons Wolverine Was Actually A Great X-Men Leader

Wolverine has long been one of Marvel’s most popular heroes, having ridden the X-Men to the top. Wolverine is the best there is at what he does, and he’s gone through some rather distinct eras. His most surprising era came at the beginning of the ’10s, kicking off with the story known as “Schism”. Wolverine and Cyclops came to blows and Wolverine left Utopia, taking many other mutants who didn’t like the direction Cyclops was taking the X-Men. Wolverine started his own mutant school at the wrecked X-Mansion, rebuilding it into the Jean Grey School. Wolverine did something that no one ever would have thought he would be he joined the X-Men: he led the X-Men.

The X-Men have had some amazing adventures, and Wolverine’s tenure as X-Men leader is a very interesting time for the team. It didn’t really last all that long — from around 2011 to 2014 — but it showed fans a view of Wolverine that they had never seen before. Wolverine never really seemed like he was leadership material, but there are actually lots of reasons why some fans knew that he would make a great leader. These five factors show why Wolverine was a great X-Men leader and why he should he possibly get another chance at leadership.

1) Wolverine Knows How to Train People

The X-Men aren’t just a superhero team, although that’s an important part of their job. The X-Men, first and foremost, exist to train young mutant how to use their powers. This is never an easy job, yet it’s something that Wolverine has always excelled at. Wolverine has long been known for taking mutants under wing, starting with Kitty Pryde, and making them more dangerous than they were before. This often meant martial arts training, but Wolverine also had a lot of experience learning to control the beast inside of himself, so he knew how to deal with things that a lot of things the X-Men didn’t. Wolverine was a better trainer than anyone on the team, especially with the younger members of the group, something that someone like Cyclops wasn’t nearly as good at.

2) Wolverine Had Experiences that No One Else Did

A leader has to be ready for a variety of situations and not lose their cool. Wolverine is a master of this. Wolverine has had a life unlike anything any other X-Man — or the vast majority of superheroes — ever had. Wolverine has been alive for close to two hundred years, and has fought in every major war of the twentieth century. He was a spy on the world scene, and his time spent in Japan saw him learn a lot about the more mystically shadowy sides of the universe. Wolverine has been to Hell. He’s dealt with every kind of threat on the planet and beyond. Wolverine has even faced off against cosmic beings like Galactus. Wolverine has exactly the kind of experiences that a team leader needs.

3) Wolverine Can’t Die

Leaders need to be as tough as possible, and there are few heroes tougher than Wolverine. Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton and healing factor have made him one of the most durable heroes in the Marvel Universe. Wolverine can fight toe to toe with the Hulk, and actually get off better than heroes who are much more powerful than him, like Thor. In fact, Wolverine has more victories over Hulk than even the Avengers. That’s kind of toughness a leader needs and Wolverine has it in spades. Wolverine can stay in the fight much longer than anyone else, which is exactly what a leader needs to be able to do.

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4) Wolverine Is Actually a Great Tactician

The X-Men have one of the greatest superhero tacticians in Cyclops. Even someone like Captain America knows that Cyclops is on another level when it comes to strategy and leadership. Every leader of the X-Men has to somehow live up to Cyclops’s example. Wolverine often didn’t seem like the kind of guy who was good at strategy. He jumped into every fight claws first, and rarely seemed to make any long term plans beyond try to cut everyone. However, as the years went on, Wolverine showed that he was a much more shrewd combatant than he seemed. Wolverine has proven to be a rather good tactician, and he brought this to the X-Men. Another plus in that column is that Wolverine knows when he’s in over his head; he knows to listen to his teammates. He’s also knew what his teammates could do in battle, and he used that knowledge to get the upper hand on his enemies.

5) Wolverine Is Fearless

Wolverine is fearless, and that’s been a huge part of his success. Wolverine will throw himself into any situation, doing his best to tear through his enemies. Part of this is because he can survive basically anything; the other part of that is his experience. Wolverine has been through everything and survived. He’s always brought that fearlessness to the X-Men, sometimes to his detriment. However, it’s also helped him succeed in ways he never would have if he had been more prudent. Fearlessness isn’t always the best thing for a team leader, but it works for Wolverine. His friends know that he’ll throw himself into any situation to help them, so they do the same for him. Wolverine’s fearlessness allows him to lead from the front of and it paid dividends for his leadership of the X-Men.

Do you think Wolverine was a great leader? Sound off in the comments below.