Something about the character has such universal appeal that he shows up in almost every Marvel title at some point or another, purely because he sells comics. Want to shift that Cloak and Dagger miniseries? How about: issue 2, guest-starring Wolverine!
3. Wolverine kills Jean Grey, New X-Men #148 Wolverine’s unrequited love for Jean Grey is well-documented – when Grant Morrison took over the title, he set about turning Jean into the Phoenix again. Trapped on the remains of Asteroid M, Jean and Wolvey were plunging into the Sun with no way of escaping. Deciding that they’re both done for, Wolverine fatally stabs Jean out of mercy, to prevent her from suffering. As a result, she almost immediately came back as the Phoenix, powerful enough to take them home across space.
2. Wolverine pops bone claws, Wolverine #75 Everyone’s familiar with the powers Wolverine has – Adamantium claws and skeleton given to him by Weapon X, and a mutant healing factor and enhanced senses. But even Wolverine wasn’t prepared for what happened when Magneto ripped the metal out of his skeleton.

  1. Wolverine tears through Hellfire club guards, Uncanny X-Men #133 These days it’s virtually expected that Wolverine will rip through hundreds of disposable henchmen, but it wasn’t always like that. In the early days of his tenure, the X-Men found themselves beaten and imprisoned by the Hellfire Club. Luckily, Wolverine was still free, and rising from the sewers below the Hellfire Club’s headquarters, he single-handedly fought his way up to the place where the X-Men were captured and free them. It’s nothing unusual now, but at the time this level of brutality was virtually unprecedented for Marvel, and in addition, finally paid off years of teasing about just how badass the character really was.
    So, next time Wolverine shows up to play Wise Uncle to the next neophyte superhero, remember – he’s cool for a reason. Read James’s last Alternate Cover here.