Wolverine Files Chronology
Version 5.00, last updated on March 24, 2020
I still remember the day way back in 1978 when I walked into the local 7-11 and happened upon a copy of Uncanny X-Men #111 on the wire comic book carousel.
It wasn’t until later that I realized I had embarked upon a journey through the golden age of X-Men comics with the legendary Chris Claremont and John Byrne as my guides. Fortunately, I was aware enough to be mesmerized by this short, hairy and cantankerous Canadian mutant who went by the name of THE Wolverine.
Before long, the mystery of Wolverine’s seemingly contradictory past both intrigued and infuriated me, especially when tantalizing nuggets of his previous escapades were slowly revealed. As Chris Claremont noted, “My gut feeling has been that less is more, that certain characters benefited from an over-arching sense of mystery. Wolverine’s a character that deserves to have a certain measure of mystery to his life.”[1]
For the next few years, my best friend and I would dissect every revelation we could uncover of Wolverine’s past. I even started a notebook tracking all references of his life before he joined the X-Men. Later it expanded into a Word document that I meticulously updated and rewrote as more and more entries sprang to life from the pages of various Marvel comics.
After more than 25 years, I finally decided it was time to put it online and let others enjoy the fruits of my obsessive compulsion. More years have passed and with the quarantine-like conditions of New York City brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic, I find myself apartment-bound and embarking on the Fifth Edition™ of this, the definitive Wolverine Files chronology. I endeavor to continue my Herculean labor to add appearances and obscure references on the one hand and prune less canonical appearances and empty flashbacks on the other.
The biggest change, that I began with the Fourth Edition℠, is to chronicle the waves of origin stories that have been produced over 46 some years, each building (and many times contradicting) the stories that came before them. Eventually as you read each chapter of Logan’s life, you will see the evolution of his origin over time, beginning, for instance, with Chris Claremont’s mystery-shrouded foundation, followed by Larry Hama’s overly confusing, at times self-contradictory Cold War tapestry, all the Way to Wolverine: Origins and its overarching tale of subjugation, brainwashing and abject criminality, and now beyond.
Without further ado, here is my speculative (though highly comprehensive) journey through Wolverine’s frustratingly enigmatic life as James Howlett, Logan, Weapon X and THE Wolverine, with the first stop being his creation within the walls of Marvel Comics back in the early ’70s…
Jen a.k.a. DiG
jen@typingmonkeys.com
–000: Whence Came The Wolverine (v. 4.00): Wolverine’s behind-the-scenes origin at Marvel…
–001: Lil’ Logan (v. 4.00): Logan’s original childhood before ‘Wolverine: The Origin’ was published…
–002: The Howletts (v. 4.00): Logan’s earliest days as young James Howlett…
–003: Days of Whine and Roses (v. 4.00): James Howlett becomes young Logan…
–004: Dog, Sabretooth and Silver Fox (v. 4.00): Logan’s first encounter with Sabretooth and Silver Fox…
–005: The Amazing Skunk-Bear (v. 4.00): Logan’s life with the Hudson’s Bay Company…
–006: The Great War (v. 4.00): Logan’s time during World War I…
–007: The Roaring Twenties (v. 4.00): Logan’s experiences during the 1920s…
–008: The Thirties (v. 4.00): Logan’s adventures during the 1930s…
–009: Wax On, Wax Off, Master Ogun (v. 4.00): Logan’s training as a ninja and samurai…
–010: World War II (v. 4.00): The ever-growing chapter of Logan’s WWII experiences…
–011: Landau, Luckman & Lake (and Jasmine Falls) (v. 4.00): Logan’s life after the War…
–012: Team (v. 4.00): Logan, Creed, Maverick and Wraith…
–013: Secret Agent Man, Eh? (v. 3.01): Logan’s first go-around with Canadian Intelligence…
–014: Weapon X Origins (v. 3.00): The history of Experiment X…
–015: Adamantium (v. 3.00): The story of how Logan received his adamantium skeleton…
–016: Memory Implants (v. 3.00): The altering of Logan’s memories at Experiment X…
–017: Ultimate Warrior (v. 3.00): The reprogramming of Logan at Experiment X…
–018: Escape from Weapon X (v. 3.00): Logan’s escape from Experiment X…
–019: The Hudsons (v. 3.00): Logan’s relationship with Mac and Heather…
–020: License to Kill (v. 3.00): Logan’s return to Canadian Intelligence…
–021: Department H (v. 3.01): Logan revealed as Canada’s Weapon X…
–022: The Flight (v. 3.00): Logan and his time with the fledgling Alpha Flight…
–023: The Best There Is (v. 3.00): Logan returns to black ops…
–024: The Wolverine (v. 1.01): Logan as THE Wolverine…
–025: The X-Men (v. 1.01): The Wolverine joins the X-Men…
–026: Death in the Family (v. 1.00): The X-Men endure their first casualty…
–027: The Phoenix (v. 1.00): Jean Grey becomes the Phoenix…
–028: Where No X-Men Has Gone (v. 1.01): The M’kraan Crystal saga…
–029: Missing, Presumed Dead (v. 1.01): The “death” of the X-Men…
-030: Dark Phoenix: Coming eventually…
And last but now least, the Wolverine Files also boasts several other engaging and worthwhile features including…
–Wolverine Files Forum: Our friendly neighborhood community for Wolverine discussions…
–Classic Wolverine Covers: The greatest Wolverine covers starting with Incredible Hulk #181…
–‘Logan: Shattered Memories’: Script pages, artwork and reviews for a proposed miniseries…
–‘Wolverine: Guilt’: Script pages and reviews for a proposed Wolverine one-shot…
–Wolverine Files Blog: The latest on Wolverine Files updates and such…
–Wolverine Files on Facebook: It’s Wolverine Files, but on Facebook, so ‘Like’ us while you’re there…
[1] “Wendigo,” Wizard Wolverine Masterpiece Edition, Dec. 2004.
I am so happy for you DiG. Your site is really coming together and you have put the best site out there for Wolverine fans.
You are a truly amazing fan. I pray that you get your writing noticed by Marvel Comics. You deserve it. You have my best wishes.
dam I love Wolvarine some times i dream about him
Well All wolverine fan love your site