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Few superheroes have benefitted more from their supporting cast quite like Wolverine. Throughout Logan’s decades-long character arc, he’s been shaped by the allies around him. He entered the Marvel Universe as a lone wolf, but he’s far from alone as he stands right now. His character development has given Wolverine a sharp 180 turn for himself.
A turn like that does not happen so easily overnight, especially for an often stubborn character like Wolverine. No man is an island and no man becomes more than that alone. It was his supporting cast of characters who have surrounded him for several years who helped add to Wolverine’s character development. Even when such an arc was complete, the allies who made a profound impact on Wolverine’s hero’s journey have continued to stick around for recent stories, proving to be among his closest and most legitimate friends.
10
Deadpool
A Reluctant Best Friend
Thanks to the Hollywood blockbuster, people love the friendship between Wolverine and Deadpool, but they had a bond in the comics long before the movie’s release. Like in the movie, their comic book dynamic often sees Logan play the frustrated straight man to a ludicrous Wade Wilson’s hijinks. As often as Wolverine finds himself frustrated with Deadpool, they are still extremely close.
Deadpool has gotten Wolverine out of more jams than he could count and vice versa. Plus, as much as Wolverine easily annoyed by Deadpool, he’s also amused enough to be endeared to his energy. Their strange, complicated dynamic has given birth to them being closer than ever right now. The former Weapon X assassins may not like each other all the time, but they always pull through for each other when they have to.
9
Captain America
Time-Torn WWII Vets
Captain America and Wolverine fought in World War II together, giving them a bond that few can understand. Steve Rogers is a fish out of water, displaced from his time, while as a virtually immortal man, Wolverine always feels displaced from his peers and time period. This allowed Logan and Steve to relate to each other not just through their experiences in the war, but as men out of time.
It’s a unique experience, even by Marvel’s standards, but it allowed for both characters to share a unique bond. While there are certainly characters on this list who Wolverine is closer to than the original Captain America, no one understands what he goes through on a daily basis on such an emotional level quite like Steve, and that’s enough to rank among Wolverine’s closest friends.
8
Charles Xavier
Wolverine Believed in His Dream
As someone who’s always been exclusively seen as a weapon his entire life, it resonated with Logan that anyone could see him as more than that.
When Wolverine first joined the X-Men, it was to kill Professor X, simply because he was programmed to do so. Rather than dispose of Logan when he failed to do so, he saw the feral rodent’s potential, opting instead to telepathically remove that programming from Wolverine’s mind before offering a spot on the team. As someone who’s always been exclusively seen as a weapon his entire life, it resonated with Logan that anyone could see him as more than that.
Wolverine never forgot that moment, and it endeared Wolverine to believe in not only Xavier’s dream for himself, but his dream for mutantkind. Unfortunately, Wolverine has become so jaded by the fallout of Krakoa’s end lately that not only has it fractured his relationship with Charles, but his ideology of the dream Xavier had. Still, that initial bond is what led to Wolvie becoming a hero.
7
Storm
A Lover and a Friend
Wolverine has had countless love affairs over the years, but few where he can look up to his partner as more than just his partner. Oftentimes, Logan’s lovers are civilians who are far from being superheroes or even mutants. Sometimes, his suitors are actual damsels in distress. With Storm, he is able to be with someone he looks up to as a leader, a fighting partner, and a lover all at once.
Wolverine recently rekindled his steamy, underrated romance with Storm, but there isn’t much hope for it to last. Usually, their respective torches they carry for other lovers like Jean Grey and T’Challa is enough for the spark to fade, but the beauty of their relationship is that they’re close enough to always maintain a friendship once the spark fades.
6
Rogue
One of His Most Trusted Friends
It’s interesting to see how far Wolverine and Rogue’s relationship has grown over the years. At first, Wolverine actually hated Rogue. It didn’t sit right with him for a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to oppose the X-Men for so long only to join them when she needed help. However, as time passed, Rogue was able to earn Wolverine’s trust and in that time, Wolverine grew to believe Rogue had earned genuine redemption.
Wolverine has since come to trust Rogue more than most people in his life, including those on this list. He even trusts her enough to follow her lead as the X-Men’s new leader. Wolverine does not trust a lot of people, but he trusts even fewer enough to call them his leader. He is more than happy to make that exception for Rogue. In fact, he encourages Rogue to lead their team to begin with.
5
Colossus
Wolverine’s Tag Team Partner
Out of all the partners who Wolverine has worked on the field with side-by-side, Colossus might be the best. Their dynamic created the famous Fastball Special, arguably Wolverine’s best (and favorite) attack. It is a tag team move in which Colossus picks the canuck up into the palm of his hand and launches him through the air like an actual baseball awaiting its home run.
A move like that doesn’t come naturally between two strangers or mere co-workers of the X-Men. It’s the superhero equivalent of a trust fall, where one partner has to have full faith in the other, and Logan trusts Piotr with his life. Logan and Rasputin have a friendship outside of working together where Wolverine is as much of a mentor as he is a pal, even if that mentorship comes with some tough love from time to time.
4
Kitty Pryde
Like a Daughter to Wolverine
One moment of tough love comes when Wolverine lets Juggernaut pound on Colossus because the latter broke Kitty Pryde’s heart. As much as Logan loves Colossus, it doesn’t supersede his love for the former Shadowkat. If Wolverine and Colossus share a mentor-mentee relationship, then his relationship with Kitty carries more of a father-daughter dynamic.
Wolverine hunched over Kate for years, providing guidance whenever necessary, most notably during the Days of Future Past storyline. In more recent comics, the two are able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. He still looks over her like a concerned father as he fears she’s following in his dark footsteps by following the Ogun under a new codename, but their mentor to protege relationship has evolved into genuine partners who trust each other during battles on an equal level.
3
Spider-Man
An Unexpected Friendship
Out of all the friendships on this list, Logan’s bond with Peter Parker may seem to be the most unlikely. Spidey’s cheery demeanor alongside Wolverine’s brooding nihilism doesn’t seem like the most ideal combination, but their bond is strengthened beyond their differences. Spider-Man’s eagerness to grow closer to Wolverine in spite of those differences has endeared Logan to his character.
Case in point, there once was a year when Wolverine tricked Spider-Man into spending a day together on his birthday, just so he wouldn’t have to drink alone on his birthday. While Peter initially felt bamboozled, he understood how important this was to Wolverine, and thus, this became an annual tradition for them.
2
Cyclops
Wolverine’s Equal (and Lover?)
The roots of Wolverine and Cyclops’ relationship was rooted in a mutual pining for Jean Grey that evolved into the two competing for the telepath’s affections. In later years, even through disliking each other, they would come to respect one another, to the point they even agreed to share Jean to resolve the conflict. It’s also heavily implied that their union was a polymorous one, turning the love triangle into a throuple (although X-Men’s editor would nix this theory).
Their brotherhood has evolved through surprising shades over the years, but most of all, the two have an undeniable bond.
Their dynamic in the comics is nothing like the movies. Gone are the days of endless, petty bickering as the two earned more than respect between each other in the years working together: they’ve earned a genuine friendship.
1
Nightcrawler
Wolverine’s Best Friend
No X-Man, or Marvel character overall has formed as much of a close-knit bond with Wolverine as Nightcrawler has. Their platonic love for each other is greater than that of Logan’s deepest romantic affairs. These are two men who for their entire lives were ostracized for who they were and pegged as monsters for one reason or another. They formed a kinship through relating to each other on that level, as well as the potential they saw in each other to be so much more.
For Wolverine, he appreciated Kurt Wagner never treating him like an animal, while Kurt was happy someone saw him more than the demon he looked like. It also helps that they were introduced into the X-Men at the same time, carrying each other on one another’s hero journey from the beginning. It’s hard to imagine what kind of superhero Wolverine would be without Nighcrawler’s influence.
Wolverine
The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men’s wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics’ biggest stars. He’s played in Fox and Marvel’s movie franchises by Hugh Jackman.
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