Logan Howlett Character Analysis

James “Logan” Howlett, also known as Wolverine is a mutant from the X-Men universe who is normally seen as an outsider, even to other mutants. He is a respected member of the X-Men team, whose goal is to establish a peaceful unity between mutants and non-mutant people. Inversely, the rival faction is known as the Brotherhood of Mutants, whose ultimate goal is mutant supremacy. Although Wolverine’s allegiance throughout the films and comics lie with the X-Men, a questionable dilemma is whether or not he would join the Brotherhood of Mutants had he encountered them first. Would he hold same principles about the values of peaceful coexistence and human life he currently has with X-Men? Or would he adopt the same mutant fanaticism shared by the
other mutants by aligning with the Brotherhood? Professor Xavier is able to explore Wolverine’s past by looking into his mind, the same way Jean Grey does in the first movie for a brief moment. Magneto, on the other hand, may have been able to find out Wolverine’s origins through the metal in his body simply because of its scarcity in the world. The interesting aspect in this dilemma is that Wolverine could have chosen his allegiance between these two powerful mutants by connecting with them by either his mind or his body, respectively. As such, what will be explored is Wolverine’s path in the films and how “he might had developed a shared identity with these mutants, and become a different person!” (Rosenberg).
Wolverine joins the X-Men team only by circumstance; he does so under the impression that Magneto is in pursuit of him for his powers. As such, Logan unwittingly sides with Professor Xavier not only for protection, but also with a promise by Xavier that he will find out information about his past and who performed the extremely dangerous procedure on him. Professor Xavier is determined to do so because he values the lives of every mutant and feels that none of them should be treated as a lab rat. Even when Logan finds a place among the X-Men, he is obviously still an outsider to the views of the film. Although there are many reasons for why Wolverine is different from the other mutants, the main contributing factor is due to the mysterious nature of his super-human abilities. In fact, Wolverine is one of the few mutants who actually possesses what can be considered more than one ability, which includes his bone claws, his heightened sense of smell and hearing, and his rapid healing factor. As a compliment to his regenerative capability, Logan is granted the bitter gift of near-invincibility and immortality, which has served him as both a blessing and a curse throughout his long life. All of these traits combined into one character alienates Wolverine from his own comrades, as he is usually portrayed pursuing his own agenda or embarking on his own journey of self-discovery. His adventure of finding out who he is and where he belongs in the worlds comes from the fact that he is simply a character filled with enigma; his amnesia is also a major factor for his loneliness. Furthermore, the adamantium metal alloy that has been grafted to his bones also makes Wolverine standout the most among the X-Men. Logan is one of the few mutants who has experienced an artificial enhancement to his mutant abilities, which further surrounds his persona with mystery. Logan’s solitude also gives his character a courageous lone-warrior vibe, which has made him a long time comic book fan favorite since his creation. According to Dr. Robin Rosenberg, Wolverine is “the safe "bad boy" with a short fuse and a tender heart—the loner who longs to belong” (Rosenberg). In some ways, Wolverine’s warrior prowess can also be perceived as monstrous because as he charges into battle, he does so ferociously screaming with his claws ready for his prey. This is a stark contrast to his comrades as they generally have a more defensive approach. (Singer) Wolverine’s history is one of the characteristics that makes him standout the most amongst his teammates; he has lived through many generations of seeing the world change and seen many friends come and go.
Because of this, he usually presents an angry and cold demeanor to others, which the people around him often mistake for a lack of concern for others. “His amnesia fuels his desire, at times a compulsion, to find out about his past and why he can’t remember it. Paradoxically, it is Logan's inability to remember where he comes from that forms the core of who he is—that forms his adult personality” (Rosenberg). Although Logan has been stricken with a severe case of amnesia, he still feels that he has lost a significant part of himself that he does not know exists. In reality, however, Wolverine chooses to not grow too close to others as he knows that the people around him will either be hurt or killed. This actually shows Logan’s compassion for others; he will generally see the other mutants around as close friends, even to where he grows affectionate for fellow X-Men member, Jean Grey. Eventually, Logan even becomes a sort of father figure for Rogue, who has abandoned her family members with the emergence of her mutant abilities. In the beginning of the first X-Men film, he is shown to be acting coldly towards her, even almost willing to leave her out in the cold Canadian wilderness. Later on in the movie, Wolverine grows a soft side for her, even going as far as running
after her when he learned she ran away from the Xavier Institute and also nearly sacrificing himself to save her towards the end (Singer). All of this is important because even with Wolverine’s tough guy persona and solid exterior, he actually has a side of him that genuinely cares for the people around him. What makes Wolverine seem like the monster of the X-Men team is that he is more than willing to go above and beyond to protect everyone who he holds dear.
The most important aspect of Wolverine as a member of the X-Men is that he is almost their metaphorical dog on a leash who is only released when absolutely necessary. He is the wild card of the group who can be viewed as being even more of an animal than the Beast himself. Despite Logan’s animalistic style of fighting and the portrayal of his character, he is deep down, a caring person who develops a bond with every single member of the Xavier Institute. Logan’s time with Professor X exposes him to Xavier’s philosophy and dreams of a peaceful world between humans and mutants. In The Last Stand, Wolverine commits to this by fighting alongside Storm, Beast, Colossus, Kitty, and Iceman to protect the workers of Alcatraz Island against the heavily