The REAL Reason Wolverine First Joined The X-Men

Wolverine actually joined the X-Men… because he had been assigned to kill Charles Xavier. In 1975, Marvel Comics relaunched the X-Men. They introduced the Second Genesis team, a new and international group who included the African-American Storm, the Japanese Sunfire, the Russian Colossus, the Irish Banshee, and the Canadian Wolverine. The new X-Men soon became one of Marvel’s best-performing comics.

Wolverine was the most popular of the new X-Men. The diminutive Canadian scrapper had an irresistible appeal, in large part because of the smart writing of Chris Claremont. Under Claremont, Wolverine became characterized by his inner struggle to retain his humanity in the face of a raw, atavistic desire for bloodshed. Something about that battle resonated with readers, and it wasn’t long before Wolverine became one of Marvel’s most significant heroes. In 2000, a live-action Wolverine was brought to the big screen portrayed by Hugh Jackman. Physically very different to the Wolverine of the comics, this iteration nevertheless came to define Wolverine for moviegoers.

But why did such a lone wolf join the X-Men in the first place? In 2008, writers Mike Carey and Daniel Way launched the X-Men event “Original Sin.” This kicked off with a stunning retcon, revealing Wolverine had actually been assigned a mission. His job was to win Professor Xavier’s trust, and then assassinate him.

At the time, Wolverine was working as an operative for Department H, a secret branch of the Canadian government concerned with superhuman affairs. They had become aware of Charles Xavier’s telepathic powers, and they did not believe his claims of altruism and idealism. Thus Department H engineered a field test for Wolverine, sending him to take on the Hulk at a time they knew Xavier was scanning the world looking for new recruits to his X-Men. The classic brawl between Wolverine and the Hulk – Wolverine’s first appearance in comics – was bait. Xavier fell for it, recruiting Wolverine. The moment the two were alone, Wolverine attempted to kill the Professor.

Department H had underestimated Xavier’s power. He was able to stop Logan with a psychic blast, and he and Moira MacTaggert imprisoned the feral mutant while they decided what to do with him. Xavier realized Wolverine was doing what he had been programmed to do, and he decided to erase the programming – and in doing so, to wipe out all Wolverine’s memories. Xavier spent the next decade or so in-universe claiming to help Wolverine regain his memories, but in reality he probably didn’t try particularly hard, because he would have feared the potential return of the conditioning. Ironically, when Wolverine did actually regain all his memories in the aftermath of “House of M,” he decided he was grateful for Xavier’s actions. After all, Xavier had taken an animal, and turned him into a superhero – a member of the X-Men and the Avengers.

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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