Wolverine & Captain America Fought in World War II Together

Wolverine has lived a long life, and fought many battles. That fact has led many fans to wonder about his role in World War II, and whether or not he crossed paths with Marvel’s wartime hero. And the answer is simple: yes, Wolverine met and fought beside Captain America during WWII.

The conflict is obviously Steve Rogers’ domain in Marvel history, fighting many adventures, both domestic and overseas, to combat the Nazis and their subdivision Hydra. One such mission was showcased in Uncanny X-Men #268, where Captain America teamed up with a Russian Agent, Ivan Petrovich, to rescue a young girl kidnapped under Ivan’s watchful eye. However, Cap. and Ivan encounter trouble early on in the case when they come up against the Hand, an elite group of Ninja who never leave behind a body. When the odds seem stacked against the two, they receive help from an unexpected ally by the name of Logan.

As an enemy of the Hand, Wolverine decides to team up with the two other heroes to continue his fight against the group. But the crossover doesn’t stop there: the heroes eventually learn the young girl in question is actually Natasha Romanova, the future Black Widow, and she was abducted on behalf of the Hand because her skills and strength were unmatched at a young age, making her an ideal warrior.

During the rescue, Wolverine is shot and presumed dead by Captain America and Ivan, having used his body to shield Natasha. However, thanks to Wolverine’s healing factor, he manages to survive the attack and subsequently fend off both Hydra and the Hand. Cap I understandably impressed with Wolverine’s skills and offers a partnership, which Wolverine politely declines, citing his disinterest in “a sidekick.”

Many team-ups between heroes often showcase a contrast between heroes personalities, and with two characters like Wolverine and Captain America (one savage and the other noble) it was interesting to see the two collide. However, fight scenes notwithstanding, Wolverine demonstrated more similar characteristics to Cap than one might think. He jumped into a fight to save strangers, he protected a small child he had no obligation to save, and chose to help with a mission that he had no business being involved in. Wolverine went above and beyond simply stopping his own foes in this situation, something that Steve Rogers himself would do. The added context of having occurred during WWII was a nice touch to illustrate how both characters have a long history in the universe, and provides a unique team-up that only these two heroes could participate in.

Recent comics have even shown how Captain America and the super soldier formula influenced programs like Weapon X, further tying the two characters together. While this team-up between Cap and Wolverine may have been their first, it was far from their last. The two heroes have since teamed-up multiple times in the present day, and have solid respect for each other.  Captain America and Wolverine have served on the Avengers together, both the New Avengers as well as the main Avengers team. Wolverine was quick to side with Cap against Tony Stark and his morally dubious agenda during the superhero Civil War, and even served alongside the New Avengers in the aftermath.

It’s interesting to think how different the Marvel Universe would have been had Wolverine taken Cap. up on his offer to be his partner in WWII, but for now we can enjoy their present day team-ups just as much as their first team-up.