The Real Origin of Wolverine

Attending the 29th annual Mid-Ohio Con this weekend, I learned a little more about the origins of one of the most popular comic book characters of all time from the guys who were there at the beginning.

One of the first panels on Saturday featured Len Wein and Herb Trimpe, veteran creators who were the writer and artist, respectively, on The Incredible Hulk, specifically issues 180-181 - the first appearances of Wolverine.

Wolverine has long been a favorite character of both casual fans and hard-core comic nuts. That's only increased with the success of the "X-Men" movie franchise and this year's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" film. Even though I occasionally tire of his over-exposure, I do find Wolverine an interesting character, thanks mainly to his struggles to overcome his darker nature. And those claws are really cool.

But according to Wein, the character was never expected to be a breakout, flagship character. The only thought really given to him outside of those Hulk issues was maybe he could be part of a revamped X-Men lineup in the future.

Wein said at the panel that the real genesis of the character was his talent at writing accents. At that time, Wein was also the writer of a title called Brother Voodoo, much of which was set in the Caribbean. Marvel's editor-in-chief said he'd like to see what Wein would do with a Canadian accent and suggested calling the character "Wolverine."

In researching wolverines, Wein said he learned they were small, ill-tempered creatures with claws and a willingness to fight creatures 10 times their size. That fits with the comic character, who's actually 5-3, quite a bit shorter than Hugh Jackman.

The initial Wolverine was envisioned as a teenager whose mutant power was his incredible healing factor. The metal claws that are all the rage, even today? They were attached to his gloves.

The idea of the claws as internal came later, as did Wolverine's older, grizzled persona.

The character was designed by legendary artist John Romita. Trimpe, one of the most influential Hulk artists, drew the covers and both issues.

Wein said he generally enjoys what's been done with Wolverine, although he disagreed with Marvel's decision a few years ago to reveal the character's definitive origin. The writer said he always thought Wolverine's mysterious past and enigmatic background made the character much more interesting.

One of the most interesting things about comic books is the way that characters are passed from creator to creator, with each one making additions and subtractions, putting their own stamp on the character and riffing on what's come before. It's neat to see how a character with such a following now started out as just another one-arc guest star.