Wolverine's Powers Make Him a Dangerous Foe
Wolverine is the best at what he does, and comic book creators have certainly made sure that he is equipped to be one of the best killing machines of the marvel universe. Wolverine aka Logan, aka James Howlett, is one of the more popular members of mutants known as the X-Men, and he is very much known for his abilities as much as he is known for his personality.
Here is a list of Wolverine’s most important and prominent abilities.
10. Superhuman Acute Senses
Wolverine senses Mystique in X-men (2000)
Much like his name sake, Wolverine uses his animalistic senses of smell, sight, and hearing to track down his enemies in any environment and in any condition. Wolverine's sense of smell is so strong, he can track anyone down and identify them easily.
In the films, this ability is shown in the first movie when Wolverine identifies the shape-shifting mutant Mystique disguised as his teammate Storm. In his first appearance, Wolverine used his acute super senses to track down the Incredible Hulk in the woods.
It can also be used to sense and smell certain pheromones, as displayed when he smelled both Kitty Pryde and Colossus after the two had sex.
9. Super-Durability
Stryker infuses Wolverine with adamantium in the weapon-x program
Due to the adamantium metal coded to his bones (we’ll get back to that. I promise), Wolverine’s body is incredibly durable, and indestructible. Again, going back to his first appearance, Wolverine has lived to tell people about his fight with the Hulk; a very powerful being in the Marvel Universe.
In that fight, Wolverine can be seen being thrown around and slammed by the Hulk’s great strength, and still comes back to keep fighting the Hulk and finish his job. Wolverine’s durability can also be seen in the X-Men movies, almost any time he’s being tossed around by Magneto; a man who can control the metal adamantium inside of him. This act can mostly be seen in X-Men 3: The Last Stand.
8. Master Martial Artist
A compilation of Logan’s best fight scenes
The Wolverine has had combat training from American/Canadian soldiers, CIA operatives, samurai masters, and the X-Men. This is often over-looked because of his claws, but Wolverine has a varied skill set of different fighting styles. In the comics, Wolverine learned martials arts and sword-fighting in Japan when he fell in love with a Japanese noblewoman named Mariko Yashida.
In the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the opening scene flashes through a montage of Wolverine and his brother Sabretooth, participating as soldiers in American wars from the Civil War to Vietnam. Wolverine, being one of the most skilled fighters in the Marvel universe, could probably plow through a room full of ninjas and soldiers all by himself.
7. Animal Empathy
Little known fact: Wolverine is also known as King of the Wolves…get it? Tarzan anyone…?
Although not exactly one of his more destructive or defensive powers, Wolverine has a great amount of sympathy for animals. It’s not a terribly cool ability, but it shows that Wolverine does have a heart.
However, a harm being done to an animal he cares about, can lead to animal abusers and hunters being killed sliced through with adamantium claws.
In Chris Clairmont and Frank Miller’s Wolverine mini-series, the story begins with Wolverine tracking down a hunter that had fatally wounded a bear that he had to put down for being in so much pain. The 2013 film, The Wolverine (which is based off the Frank Miller mini-series), the film begins with the same scenario of putting an injured bear out of its misery and tracking down the hunter that did it.
6. Superhuman strength
His short career as a lumberjack in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Like most superheroes, Wolverine possess an above average strength level. This is again, mostly due to the adamantium his bones are laced and covered with that gives him a great amount of strength.
In both the comics and the movies, this is not a prominent ability Wolverine displays often, but it can be seen in a comic where he tosses the 955-pound Urea Major over his head.
5. Telepathic Resistance
Trust me Emma, I don’t think you really want to know what Wolverine thinks of you.
Wolverine’s telepathic resistance is mainly due to the combination of his healing factor, and the psi-shields implanted by the leader of the X-Men and telepath Professor X. This resistance helps Logan block out telepathic attacks and mind probing from other mutant telepaths. Wolverine’s telepathic resistance came in handy when the X-Men had to go up against former X-woman Jean Grey when she turned evil due to the dark phoenix force (sounds weird I know, but you should read it).
This resistance to telepathic attacks is not something that is often displayed in the films, as Logan is constantly being mind-probed by either Jean Grey or Professor X. Although this does beg the question: if Professor X is the one that implanted the psi-shields in Wolverine’s brain, does that mean he can’t get into his head as well?
4. Resistance from Toxins
Just a friendly reminder about how awesome Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men run was.
You’re going to see this Healing factor pop up across the article, but Wolverine’s natural healing factor grants him an immunity from poisons, viruses, diseases, and drugs.
Although not explicitly stated, this is probably why Wolverine is able to drink and smoke as much as he does in the comics, and in the films as well.
3. Enhanced mutant physiology
So I guess when Wolverine falls underwater, he just sinks. That sucks.
Wolverine’s mutant body is complete with a strong healing factor, an unbreakable skeleton, and razor sharp retractable claws.
It is stated in the comics that Wolverine is classified by S.H.I.E.L.D as a power level 9 threat and is one of the most dangerous fighters of the Marvel universe.
Wolverine is such a skilled fighter, that he even teaches mutant kids how to fight at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
2. Retractable claws
Chuck Norris pissed his pants.
When people first think of Wolverine, they obviously think of his claws, so much so that every comic book fan knows who I am referring to when I say “snik”.
Wolverine’s claws have been a staple of his character since his first appearance in the Incredible Hulk series. At first, they were a result of too much adamantium being pumped into his bodies, and the claws just gushed out of his hands.
Over the years, Marvel has retconned the origin and stated that Wolverine always had retractable claws like an animal and Weapon X merely coated it with adamantium.
This was revealed when Magneto (a long-time X-men villain who can manipulate metal) ripped the adamantium metal straight out of Wolverine’s body. Regardless, almost every incarnation of Wolverine displays him popping out a pair of three claws from both hands.
1. Healing Factor
2:10 - Wolverine gets shot and penetrated by multiple bullets but recovers quickly
Finally, the power that lead the foundation for Wolverine’s overall status as a dangerous mutant: the healing factor.
Wolverine’s healing, like his claws, are a huge staple of his character. The healing factor derives from a natural mutant ability that Wolverine acquired at birth.
It is for this ability that William Stryker, both in the comics and the films, picked Wolverine for the Weapon X program which gave him his adamantium claws. This healing factor of course, helps Wolverine rapidly heal from every wound or injury that ever occurs to his body, and helps aid his immunity to toxins and poisons.
As shown in the comic storyline Old Man Logan by Mark Millar, this healing also causes Wolverine to age slowly which is why in both the films Wolverine is always around 137 or 140 years old.
Wolverine’s healing factor is often portrayed as being so powerful that Wolverine once survived being torn in half by the Hulk in the Ultimate marvel universe. In the films, Wolverine’s healing factor had shown to be considerably powerful from surviving mutant attacks from magneto and rogue, being shot in the head, stabbed, and being burned.
Hell, in X-Men 3: the second worst X-Men film, Wolverine was the only one that could get close to Jean Grey because his healing factor was strong enough to constantly repair his skin after it was being telepathically torn off his body.
