Wolverine is undeniably one of Marvel’s most recognizable and well-liked characters. Ever since his debut in 1974, Wolverine – with his small stature and unashamed temper – has been a massive hit with Marvel fans. His popularity only grew with the debut of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men (2000). Unfortunately, despite Jackman’s award-winning portrayal, the movie version of Wolverine wasn’t without its inaccuracies when compared to Wolverine from the comics, as fans of Wolverine’s design have noticed. Those same fans will be pleased to see that in Deadpool 3, Wolverine pays homage to his comic book roots with one specific change to his character design.
Wolverine’s Claws: From the Comics to the MCU
Wolverine’s metal claws are an incredibly crucial part of his character design, recognizable to the point that three long metal claws on any costume immediately can be related to Wolverine’s signature blades. The concept of Wolverine’s claws reportedly dates back to the very first designs of his character, made by John Romita Sr. ahead of Wolverine’s debut in The Incredible Hulk Vol. 1 #181 (1974).
Initially, the origin of the claws is attributed to Wolverine’s skeleton being laced with adamantium, though whether the claws themselves are made of metal or bone can vary from comic to comic. In the movies, Wolverine’s claws are originally bone, as seen in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2010); they don’t become laced with metal until the government puts Wolverine through the mysterious Weapon X project. From then on, Wolverine’s adamantium claws are mostly used in the movies, with a small exception for time travel in X-Men: Days of Future Past.Â
The movie version of Wolverine has the customary three claws on each of his hands, but unlike his comic book counterpart, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine has the claws sprouting from his knuckles, with the blades sliding through between his fingers.
This is a noticeable change from the original Wolverine comics, where Wolverine’s claws would extend from three adamantium “tubes” on the back of his hands. In Wolverine Vol. 2 #75 (1993), it’s revealed that the claws are an organic part of Wolverine’s body and can slide in and out of channels that run the length of his forearms.
For diehard fans of Wolverine’s comic book design, the decision to move Wolverine’s claws to his knuckles was likely disappointing and a direct contradiction to a big piece of the character’s lore. However, in some new images released for Deadpool 3 – where Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine will make his long-awaited film return alongside Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool – it’s been revealed that the character design for this movie will have Wolverine paying homage to his character’s original design.
Wolverine’s Character Design Revealed in New Deadpool 3 Images
In a new image for Deadpool 3, we can see Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, standing on a dirt path. While Deadpool is dressed in his usual red and black costume, Wolverine is decked out in his signature blue and yellow uniform, as seen in the X-Men comics. Additionally, some fans noticed something different about his gloves.
On the back of Wolverine’s hands, eagle-eyed fans noticed three metal tubes. They immediately began comparing the image to Wolverine from the comics, who sports an incredibly similar costume — including the metal tubes. Though we don’t know if Deadpool 3 has actually changed the way Wolverine’s claws work and moved them to the back of his hands, it’s nice to see a small nod to the origins of the character’s initial design.
More information on Wolverine’s role in Deadpool 3 will likely become available as the film continues production.
