Marvel Set Up Wolverine's Biggest Powers Change In 30 Years Of X-Men Adaptations

Summary X-Men '97 marks a major power shift for Wolverine, with his adamantium being ripped out by Magneto.

Wolverine's mutant nature becomes primal without adamantium in the comics, leading to increased power and agility.

With a ramped-up healing factor and new abilities, Wolverine's quest for vengeance against Magneto could intensify.

After 30 years of X-Men adaptations with Wolverine at the forefront, Marvel has set up the biggest change in his powers thus far in X-Men '97. The X-Men have been among the most prolific Marvel characters adapted to live-action, with a series of movies and shows that began in earnest with 2000's X-Men (not counting the long-since-forgotten X-Men TV movie of the 1990s, Generation X). Throughout Fox's tenure with the X-Men, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine has taken center stage as its de facto main character before X-Men: First Class broke with tradition in 2011.

X-Men '97 continued that trend somewhat by offering a more comic-accurate depiction of Wolverine that took a step back from the limelight and forewent the leadership role that Jackman's Wolverine tended to embody in favor of Cyclops taking that position. In this series, Wolverine is more of an outlier, devoid of the kind of restraint that precludes his teammates from taking drastic but necessary steps. Impaling Magneto with his claws was a prime example of this - though it was a decision that ended up costing him the adamantium in his skeleton and setting up a significant leap in power.

Related 10 Things The MCU’s X-Men Reboot Needs To Learn From X-Men ’97 Marvel Animation's X-Men '97 season 1 concluded in May 2024, and has taught Marvel Studios many lessons about how to handle the live-action X-Men.

X-Men '97 Sets Up A Very Different Future For Wolverine

X-Men '97, like its animated predecessor, tends to adapt storylines from Marvel Comics quite closely. This was evident in the scene that deprived Wolverine of his adamantium, with the shot of Magneto ripping it from his skeleton being nearly identical to the panel from Marvel's "Fatal Attractions" crossover event, which certain beats from the final episodes of X-Men '97 mirrored. If X-Men '97 continues to adapt this facet of the story closely, then Wolverine's post-adamantium future looks vastly different.

In the wake of having the adamantium removed from his skeleton, Wolverine descends into a primal reversion of sorts. Marvel Comics confirms that Wolverine's mutation was always destined to turn him feral, but this process was hindered by the presence of adamantium. Consequently, Wolverine's skeleton morphs him into an almost unrecognizable creature with bone claws, a shrunken nose, huge fangs and claws, and an increased susceptibility to his violent urges. This would see Wolverine retreat into the woods as the last vestiges of his humanity were still intact for fear of his animalistic urges.

Wolverine Will Be More Powerful In X-Men '97 Season 2

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Wolverine's de-evolution arc came about because the adamantium in his skeleton was removed, allowing his mutation to run rampant as his healing factor was no longer constantly fighting off adamantium poisoning. This means that Wolverine - while unpredictable - has a significantly ramped-up healing factor in his feral form; a mutation that was already incredibly powerful beforehand. His ability to easily defeat Sabertooth in his feral state in Marvel Comics also speaks volumes, drawing a line beneath which of them has the upper hand in their longstanding rivalry.

Wolverine is able to steady his feral mind with training from Elektra in Marvel Comics, suggesting that not even his animalistic descent is too debilitating. Instead, Wolverine is more agile and practically indestructible without his adamantium-laced skeleton, while his feral instincts help to make him far less predictable. Finally, Magneto's decision to remove the metal from his bones in X-Men '97 has practically nullified his power over Wolverine, which makes Wolverine's potential quest for vengeance a more threatening prospect for Magneto.