Wolverine in Other Media

From Superhero Wiki Encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Home Books Clothing DVDs Posters Toys Video Games		 Boards
 Comic Book News
Comic Conventions
 Clips and Trailers		 Gallery
Features
Link to us
 Online Comic Books		 Resources
Store
Superhero Wiki
 Wallpaper
Poster Sale Selection

See Marvel Comics * List of Marvel Comics characters * X-Men * Wolverine *X-men Store

Wolverine comic style next to a drawn Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.
Wolverine comic style next to a drawn Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.

Wolverine is the only X-Men character to be included in every media adaptation of the X-Men franchise, including film, television, computer and video games, and is the only one to have starred in his own video games.

Contents

Film casting

Many actors were considered in casting Wolverine in a film adaptation of X-Men. At one point in the 1990s, Glenn Danzig was approached to play Wolverine in ad hoc committee X-Men film, because he bore an uncanny resemblance to the character, as well as being the same height as Wolverine, and very muscular. However, he had to decline, due to the fact that the shooting for the film would force him to put a halt to touring with his band for nine months.

Bryan Singer, the director of the first two X-Men movies, spoke to a number of actors about the role. He says Russell Crowe was too exhausted after playing a similar role in Gladiator; that the role didn't appeal to Edward Norton (Norton would later be cast as fellow Marvel hero Hulk for the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk) ; and that Fox themselves ruled out Mel Gibson as being too expensive. In 1999, SFX magazine spoke to Keanu Reeves, who told the publication he didn't feel he was right for the role.

Eventually, Dougray Scott was cast as Wolverine, but shooting on Mission: Impossible II overran. Hugh Jackman became his replacement, and went on to play Wolverine in all the X-Men films: X-Men, X2: X-Men United, and X-Men: The Last Stand. When it was first announced, it was considered a highly controversial move, as Hugh Jackman was not only known solely for his musical theater career, but the fact that he was simply too tall for the role (Jackman being 6'3", the comic-book version of Wolverine being approximately 5'3"). Despite these divergences though, Jackman's actual performance was very well received. He is also slated as Wolverine for a prequel movie revealing more on Wolverine's origins.

Spin-off film

20th Century Fox has set Gavin Hood to direct Hugh Jackman in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, an "X-Men" spinoff that was written by David Benioff.

The film, which begins production in November for a 2008 release, will be produced by Lauren Shuler-Donner, Jackman and his Seed Productions partner John Palermo.

Using several resources that include the Marvel Comics lore, along with the more recent Weapon X graphic novels by Frank Miller, Wolverine mixes action with an origin story about how Logan emerged from a barbaric experiment as an indestructible mutant with retractable razor-sharp claws.

Television

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

Wolverine's two costumes inX-Men: Evolution
Wolverine's two costumes in
X-Men: Evolution

Pryde of the X-Men

  • He also appears in the 1989 animated television pilot Pryde of the X-Men. Neil Ross voices the character in both episodes, using an apparent Australian accent.

Marvel animated universe

  • Cathal J. Dodd voices Wolverine in the 1990s X-Men animated television series and in the Marvel vs Capcom series of fighting games.
  • Dodd also portrayed Wolverine in two episodes of the Spider-Man animated series.
  • Dodd also portrayed Wolverine in the X-Men Cartoon Maker' PC game.

X-Men: Evolution

  • In the 2000-2003 animated television series X-Men: Evolution, Wolverine, a man whose past is shrouded in mystery, provides the teenaged X-Men with battle training and creates conflict among his younger teammates. Scott McNeil provides his voice.

Robot Chicken

  • Wolverine appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Sausage Fest." He is among the featured X-Men that are killed in battle against a Sentinel.

Wolverine and the X-Men

Video games

Wolverine is a playable character (often the primary or default playable character) in all X-Men video games and many Marvel video games in general. Marvel's X-Men (video game), X-Men (arcade game), X-Men (Sega), X-Men 2: Clone Wars

Solo games

  • Video games featuring Wolverine as the lead character include Wolverine for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Wolverine: Adamantium Rage for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis.

Fighting games

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

  • Wolverine is an unlockable character skin in Activision's 2001 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.

Movie tie-in games

Spider-Man related games

  • Logan also appears in several Spider-Man related games, beginning with 1992's Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge, and followed by a cameo in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for the Game Boy and as a poster on a wall in the 2000 Spider-Man video game. Keith Szarabajka voices the character in the Ultimate Spider-Man video game, where he appears as a boss that the player must defeat when playing as the villain Venom. Venom flings Logan's motorcycle through the wall of a pub, and Logan attacks in retaliation.

X-Men Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects

X-Men: Mutant Academy and X-Men: Next Dimension


Action figures

Wolverine has often been rendered in plastic, either independently, or in conjunction with other media. Mattel was the first, with the 1984 Secret Wars line, supported by five points of articulation, including the neck, shoulders and hips. Among other notable figures, started a controversial trend in toys: the variant. His claws came in two different color options, one set silver, the other set black. When collectors began trying to complete their sets for Secret Wars, the silver set was readily available, while the black set was found to be rare.

While Wolverine was the first to be rendered in plastic, the other X-Men would go several years with no interest, until 1992 when Night of the Sentinels was shown in animated form. With a toy line in stores retailing at roughly five inches, they had a modest roster of seven figures. The sculpts were a cross between DC's Superpowers line and GI Joe. The points of articulation included on these figures were relatively standard, but many of the figures also include action features as well.

Out of the twenty-eight waves of the X-Men line produced by Toybiz, starting with 1991s series 1, only two series of the line did not feature a Wolverine (Counting Albert, because his package clearly states; "Robot Wolverine"...) Twenty-six figures were eventually produced, but with; repaints, two-ups (10" figures) or reissues, the total count is uncertain.

In 1998, Marvel had begun producing X-Men: Evolution in '99, and that Line of toys yielded a net of six Wolverine action figures. But at the same time of the movies release, Wolverine gave us another nine figures. X-Men: Evolution's. The toy line performed well, as Toybiz began producing figures in 6" to support the character's animated exploits. In 2003, they featured a figures with twenty-six POA. X-men:Classics were 6" and they added three Wolverines...

Marvel Legends started in 2002, releasing two solid waves with no Wolverine. Toy Biz boasted 26+ POA (points of articulation), extreme detail, and excellent paint applications. It seemed that Marvel wanted to create iconic versions of all their characters with the collector in mind. Gone were the days of colorful, childlike toy packages. They were replaced with; impenetrable clamshells that flattered the characters in general.

During Toy Biz's production of Marvel Legends, there were a total of 13 Wolverine figures produced. These included Classic costume (with unmasked variant), Brown costume, a Weapon X figure, a "Days of Future Past" Logan figure (with younger variant), an "Astonishing X-Men" costume (with unmasked variant), an "Age of Apocalypse" figure (with burnt face variant), another unmasked Classic costume model (With a different head sculpt included in an X-Men 5-pack boxset) and an original costume model included in a 2-pack with Sabretooth (a variant "raging" model was also produced). Toy Biz as well produced a short-lived X-Men Classics toy line which included two more Wolverine figures. Another X-Men line was released in 2005 which included Ninja Armor Wolverine, Stealth Wolverine and Air Strike Wolverine action figures.

In 2007, Hasbro took over production of Marvel Legends. The 2nd wave of figures produced included an "Ultimate" Wolverine figure. Also they produced a 25th Anniversity Wolverine exclusively to Toys R Us. The figure itself is just a repaint of Toybiz's Marvel Legends Series 6 Wolverine painted silver. The package comes with no BAF and features a picture of his famous solo series.

Diamond Select began a Marvel Select collectors line-up. They promised even more detail than the X-Men and Marvel Legends lines. Although they weren't in scale with the other figures, offered more Wolverines, three to date. Marvel Legends has provided 13 different figures, including variants, including deluxe scale figures and Icons.

Retrieved from "http://superherouniverse.com/wiki/Wolverine_in_Other_Media"
Personal tools