Wolverine

Real Name
James Howlett

Occupation
Adventurer, instructor, former bartender, bouncer, spy, government operative, mercenary, soldier, sailor, miner
 
Citizenship

Canada, possible dual citizenship in Japan and/or Madripoor

Place of Birth
Alberta, Canada

Known Relatives
Unidentified grandfather (deceased), John Howlett Sr. (father, deceased), Elizabeth Howlett (mother, deceased), John Howlett Jr. (brother, deceased), Viper (Madame Hydra, ex-wife), Amiko Kobayashi (foster daughter), Erista (son), Laura Kinney (X-23, clone), Daken (son), Itsu (wife, deceased)

Group Affiliation
X-Men, Avengers, formerly Horsemen of Apocalypse, Fantastic Four, Secret Defenders, Clan Yashida, Department H, Alpha Flight, Department K, Team X, Team Weapon X, Devil's Brigade, Canadian Army

Education
Privately tutored as a child

Height
5'3"

Weight
(Without Adamantium skeleton) 195 lbs., (with Adamantium skeleton) 300 lbs.

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Black

Powers
Wolverine is a mutant who possesses the ability to regenerate damaged or destroyed areas of his cellular structure at a rate far greater than that of an ordinary human. The speed at which this healing factor works varies in direct proportion with the severity of the damage Wolverine suffers. For example, he can fully recover from an ordinary gunshot wound in a non-vital area of his body within minutes, but it took him almost two months to fully recover from injuries sustained in a duel with Lord Shingen, which included one from a sword that went all the way through his trunk.

Wolverine’s natural healing also affords him virtual immunity to poisons and most drugs, as well as an enhanced resistance to diseases. For example, it is nearly impossible for him to become intoxicated from drinking alcohol. He also has a limited immunity to the fatigue poisons generated by bodily activity, and hence he has greater endurance than an ordinary human. His agility and reflexes are similarly enhanced.

In addition, Wolverine’s healing factor provides him with an extended lifespan by slowing the effects of the aging process. Although over a century old, Wolverine is as healthy and physically fit as a man in his prime.

Wolverine also possesses superhumanly acute senses, making him capable of seeing things at a maximum distance greater than a normal human’s. His hearing is enhanced in a similar manner, and he is able to recognize people and objects by scent, even if that person or object is hidden. Wolverine can use these enhanced senses to track any creature with an impressive degree of success.

Wolverine’s skeleton includes six retractable one-foot long bone claws, three in each arm, that are housed beneath the skin and muscle of his forearms. Wolverine can, at will, release these slightly curved claws through his skin beneath the knuckles on each hand. The skin between the knuckles tears and bleeds, but the blood loss is quickly halted by his healing factor. Wolverine can unsheathe any number of his claws at once, although he must keep his wrists straight at the moment his claws shoot from his forearms into his hands. When unsheathed, the claws are fully within his hands, and thus Wolverine can still bend his wrists. The claws are naturally sharp and tougher than that of normal human bone structure, allowing Wolverine to cut through most types of flesh and natural materials.

Despite the extent of his healing factor, Wolverine is not immortal. If the injuries are extensive enough, especially if they result in the loss of vital organs, large amounts of blood, and/or loss of physical form, such as having flesh burned away by fire or acid, Wolverine can die.

Abilities
Due to his extensive training as a soldier, a C.I.A. operative, a samurai, a spy, and a member of the X-Men, Wolverine is an exceptional hand-to-hand combatant, having mastered virtually every fighting style on Earth. He is also a trained expert in multiple types of weapons, vehicles, computer systems, explosives, and assassination techniques. Wolverine is fluent in many languages, including Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Cheyenne, Lakota, and Spanish; he has some knowledge of French, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Other Info
James was born in Alberta, Canada during the late 19th Century to wealthy landowners, John and Elizabeth Howlett. James was a frail boy of poor health. He spent most of his early years on the estate grounds with two playmates that lived on the Howlett estate with him: Rose (a red-headed girl who was brought in from town to be a companion to young James) and a boy nicknamed "Dog" who was the son of the groundskeeper, Thomas Logan.

Thomas Logan, in a drunken stupor, invaded the Howlett estate with his son attempted to take Elizabeth Howlett (implied to be his former lover) with him. John attempted to stop Thomas, but Thomas shot him down in cold blood. James had just entered the room when his father was shot and this was the first time his mutation was manifested; his claws extended from the backs of his hands and he attacked the intruders killing Thomas Logan, and scarring Dog's face with three claw marks. James' mother, who was already an emotionally disturbed woman, took her life immediately afterward.

Fearing for their safety, Rose fled the estate with James, who appeared to have been deeply traumatized and had somehow repressed or forgotten most of the memories of life back at the estate. Dog falsely reported to the police and James' grandfather that Rose had murdered John Howlett and Thomas Logan. James' grandfather shunned James and with no family left, took Dog in as his ward.

In the years that followed, James and Rose took refuge in a British Colombia mining colony under the guise of being cousins. James also assumed the name of "Logan" in order to hide his identity. As the hard work of mining toughened his body, and his mutant powers developed, he grew to be unusually strong and ferocious. He was immune to the elements and even ran with the wolves in the forest, learning to hunt as an animal hunts. During this period, James developed strong feelings for Rose, but could not act on them for the sake of their disguise as cousins. Smitty, who had been mentoring James all these years, had also grown close to Rose, and the two eventually fell in love and became engaged. James was shocked of Rose's decision; however, James later accepted the situation for the sake of Rose's happiness. Meanwhile, the James' grandfather was failing in health and asked Dog to find Rose and his grandson so he could make peace with them before he died. Dog agreed; however, he decided to track them down so he can kill James instead. Dog (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Logan's future nemesis, Sabretooth) finally found and confronted James. Dog reminded James of his past and the two fiercely fought in the middle of the street, and despite being the physically stronger of the two, Dog was eventually overpowered by the enraged James. As Dog laid unconscious, James unsheathed his claws for the first time in public (to the shock of everyone watching) and was about to deal the deathblow until Rose leapt in to stop him and was accidentally impaled by his claws. Horrified, "Logan" held her in his arms as she died. He then fled into the woods where he lived in self-imposed exile with a pack of wolves. (To learn more about Sabretooth, just click on his name above.)

Logan served in the military during many wars. Logan has at least one memory of meeting Captain America (Steve Rogers) in World War II while he was in the Canadian Army. (To learn more about Captain America, click on his name above.)

Sometime after World War II, Logan was taken by a group of scientists led by Dr. Cornelius as part of the Weapon X program. Cornelius was hired to perfect and use a technique that would bond the indestructible element adamantium to human bone cells. Logan's skeleton was bonded to the adamantium, and he was indoctrinated into the Weapon X assassin program. (To learn about adamantium or the Weapon X program, click on their names above.)

Later, Wolverine was approached by Professor Charles Xavier, who was looking for mutants to help his students, the X-Men, escape from the island-being known as Krakoa, which had captured them. After Krakoa was defeated, Wolverine decided to stay with the X-Men, for reasons which included that he had fallen for Marvel Girl (aka Jean Grey). Logan remained with the X-Men for quite some time, at one time being their field commander. (To learn about the characters, place, and team above, click on their highlighted names above.)

After his encounter with the mutant assassin Omega Red, Logan began to question the memories he possessed, but his searches to find his true identity and memories proved fruitless. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about Omega Red.)

During an encounter with the mutant Magneto on his space station called Avalon, Wolverine had the adamantium torn out of his skeleton, causing him extensive injuries. These injuries shorted out Wolverine's healing factor for a time, and Logan also discovered that the claws that he believed a result of the Weapon X project were in fact part of his actual bone structure due to his mutation. (He had obviously forgotten about his past when he used his claws to kill his father's killer. The fourth picture posted shows Wolverine with just his bone claws. Also, click on the highlighted name above to learn about Magneto.)

Later on, Logan was kidnapped by Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur) and forced to fight the savage assassin Sabretooth for the mantle of the Horseman, Death. Knowing that he might be able to resist Apocalypse's programming, and that Sabretooth would be a very dangerous villain with the support of Apocalypse, Logan fought and defeated Sabretooth. As a result, his skeleton was again laced with adamantium. Under the control of Apocalypse, Wolverine fought the X-Men ferociously in his Death persona. But with the help of his teammates, he eventually broke free from Apocalypse's control. (The fifth picture posted is on Wolverine in his Death persona. To learn more about Apocalypse or his Horsemen, click on their names above.)

After some time, Wolverine was actually invited to join the Avengers; he eventually accepted membership. (Click on the highlighted team above to learn about them.)

Click on the following link to find more information about Wolverine, http://www.marvel.com/universe/Wolverine_(James_Howlett).