 An animal knows what it is and accepts it. A man may know what he is, but he questions. He dreams. He strives. Changes. Grows. Wolverine is a creature of tragedy. He spends his time recovering his identity as Wolverine, Logan, and James are all pieces of an identity that he doesn't truly know. The identity of a man or a feral beast. Logan or Wolverine, as you will address him, has been through a literal lifetime of suffering. I'll split his life into four sections. James Howlett, Weapon X, Wolverine, and Old Man Logan. And through these four I will look through a few stories to try and truly understand the character of Wolverine. Born James Howlett, his origin story has been retconned several times, but the comic Wolverine, the origin, seems to present the most unique and widely recognized backstory. James was born to the Howlett's a rich family. Though because of James's limited childhood due to him constantly being sick, his father introduces him to Rose, a friend to keep him company, as they play alongside the son of Thomas Logan, Dog. As the three of them grow up, Dog begins to make aggressive advances towards Rose, which James finds out about and tells his father. This begins tension between the two families. In retaliation, Dog kills James's pet, forcing James's father to fire Thomas Logan, who was the groundskeeper. In his anger, Thomas then shoots James's father in front of all the kids, which manifests James's mutant ability, his bone claws for the very first time. As he and Rose escape, James, now called Logan by Rose to conceal his identity, his memories are now fractured as his healing factor erased this trauma, thereby introducing his identity issues. Logan's mutation continues to manifest as the feral part of his mutation activates. He is seen having a unique connection with other animals, particularly wolves. But by the end of this story, Logan would accidentally kill Rose, trying to fight Dog, who found them. Moving forward to Weapon X, Logan joins Weapon Plus, a secret government program involved in the genetic engineering and advancement of mutations, along with members such as Sabertooth and Maverick. After leaving the team, he is later kidnapped and tested on. Due to his incredible healing factor, Logan becomes the 10th successful subject and is able to sustain a nearly fatal process that binds his bones with the unbreakable metal adamantium, including his claws, creating the Wolverine. As Weapon X, various doctors such as Dr. Cornelius ran mind-numbing tests to test his nature and to try and control him, to break his will. And Logan proved to be the ultimate weapon, with his healing factor enhanced and his body now nearly indestructible. Logan was the perfect soldier. Weapon X by Barry Windsor Smith, the Weapon X operator, seemingly lose control of Logan. This comic perfectly encapsulates the terror and the torture that Logan is going through, and evokes a feeling of empathy for him from the readers, illustrated by its beautiful art. While Logan shreds through the guards, getting closer to the operators, the comic is mainly shown from the doctors' point of view and the terror they feel as the Weapon X approaches. However, at the same time, it shows Logan's clouded mind. This comic was meant to take readers through the utter violence, torment and torture of Weapon X. So, when Logan finally defeats his captors, it turns out that it was another simulation, another test. Though at the end of the comic, Logan does escape. While this was a standalone comic, the story became the basis for Wolverine and for Weapon X. The comic was made so that the readers may understand that Logan has been through hell, and the pages expressed that. In the Weapon X program, Logan's humanity was stripped from him, and while it was aching to return, the Weapon X operators kept suppressing his true self. When Logan finds the one operator who doesn't try and kill him, she begs for mercy, and Logan understands her. This proved that there was still a human capable of emotion underneath the monster that they created. So, the Weapon X program became one of the many sources for Wolverine's anger, trauma, and his fractured mind, but it became a source of his strength and his willpower. Him escaping would prove that he is brave beyond measure. After Weapon X, Logan solidifies himself as the Wolverine, a clear allusion to his ferocious nature. He is welcomed to the X-Men by Charles Xavier, where Charles would help heal his fractured mind, and help tame the monster he alludes to as the berserker for the beast. It is also the time where he dons the iconic yellow suit, and joins the ever-expanding cast of the Uncanny X-Men. During his time with the X-Men, Logan travels to Japan and embarks on his journey for the hand of Mariko Yoshida. In Japan, it takes us to one of the first Wolverine-centric comics, and one of the best Wolverine comics ever written, the 1982 miniseries by George Claremont and Frank Miller, titled Wolverine. It is the first story to alter and get behind Logan the character. The story, compared to Weapon X, views Logan the man and heith's esteem, one that truly fits the story's setting of Japan. The story follows Logan and his love triangle between the elegant Mariko and the rowdy and energetic Yukio, but deeper than that the story trails Logan's feud between his animalistic nature and his human side, also highlighting the second theme in Logan's character. Logan begins by finding the woman he loves, Mariko, who reveals that she is being beaten by her husband. And when Logan threatens to kill him, Mariko interferes. When Mariko's father Shingen finds the two of them, Shingen challenges Logan and defeats and humiliates him, to which Logan would retaliate. When he does, Mariko for the first time would see the berserker Wolverine, the animal, and she immediately turns her back on the beast. A direct contrast to the assassin Yukio, the energetic woman who was sent to kill Wolverine by Shingen himself. Yukio in turn falls in love with him, creating the love triangle and setting up the two sides of Logan. Both Mariko and Yukio represent the duality of Logan. Mariko represents the man, which is what Logan wants to be and what Mariko wants him to be. She wants him to be better. Yukio represents the beast. While she does love Wolverine and will do anything to protect him and ensure his happiness, she constantly urges him to embrace the Wolverine, the beast. At the end of the third chapter, Logan would say the following. An animal knows what it is and accepts it. A man may know what he is, but he questions, he dreams, he strives, changes, grows. Wolverine's story is about change and about stagnation, and it hammers the idea of Logan being an individual who can attempt to change and who will always be making that attempt. Would I believe to be the main theme of his story? Trying. As he dons the yellow jumpsuit and becomes Wolverine of the X-Men, he is forced to learn many important skills, skills that involve teamwork and empathy. As he is usually a lone wolf, Logan is thrusted into a role where he has to work with others and in many cases he is asked to become the leader of the X-Men. Though the importance found in this portion of Wolverine's story are the relationship he cultivates and the unique ones that blossom. Of course there is the eternally destructive relationship that he has with Jean Grey, but I want to look at the others. With Kitty Pryde, he establishes an older brother, younger sister relationship. In Claremont's Kitty Pryde and Wolverine run, this dynamic is clear. Wolverine was one of the people who taught Kitty how to fight. With Storm, they have a relationship that is centered around trust and reliability. With Jubilee, similar to Kitty, he was her teacher and someone she could rely on at any moment, like when she confronted her parents' killers and Logan would talk her out of killing them. With Mystique, she is chaos, constantly appealing to the man he was, the beast. She remains a figure of his past in many iterations, constantly trying to pull Logan down and back. One of the most impactful and unpredictable relationships Logan has is with Nightcrawler. He and Kurt are opposites in every sense. Nightcrawler is the religious pacifist and Wolverine whose morals are interesting to say the least. But these two are best friends, who have lived through so much together. Logan's relationship with Kurt is different because Kurt was one of the rare people who tried to actually help Logan and his feral tendencies. Kurt didn't see Wolverine, he saw Logan. Regardless of what Logan did, at his core he was still a broken man with a broken identity. Even in his moments of anger and rage, Kurt wanted Logan, not Wolverine. He wanted the man, not the beast. And Kurt never gave up on Logan, even in death. And this was due to Nightcrawler's strict morality. And this relationship is well described in one comic. In the final chapter of Wolverine Weapon X by Jason Aaron. After Nightcrawler dies, he tasks Logan to lug a $20,000 concert piano to the top of a Venezuelan mountain. And Logan does it without hesitation because Kurt was his best friend. He may have cursed Nightcrawler in the process, but he did it, which shows their bond. Which brings us to the final section, Old Man Logan. Old Man Logan highlights Logan's vulnerability and his humanity. In the initial Old Man Logan run, he refuses to use his claws because those same claws slaughtered the X-Men, when an illusion took over his mind and his senses. The restraint and the reluctance of the withering Wolverine takes him across the country to try and pay the rent for his family to survive against the Halt gang. But in typical Wolverine fashion, his family got killed. This leaves Logan to tap back into the beast that he tucked away for so long. The essence of Wolverine stems around punishment. How much punishment can one man take? Wolverine is always suffering one way or another. He loses those closest to him all the time. Rose, Marco, Gene, his family, the X-Men themselves, and many more. This is attributed to his mutation and his luck in a life of failure and suffering. So our last stop is the grand yet fitting and humble send-off for Wolverine and for Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine in the 2017 movie Logan. Logan was such a touching movie. It dealt with family and loss and for Wolverine, it finally dealt with the one thing that eludes him. Death and humanity. Seeing Wolverine old and withered was a sight that was so odd because the mighty Wolverine isn't supposed age. But Logan isn't just old. He has been through so much. We learn throughout this movie that there is nothing left for him. He has no family, no X-Men, as Charles accidentally killed them all. He's seen everyone he's loved die in front of him and some by his hand. And he's just tired of this life. Furthermore, the adamantium inside of him is poisoning and slowly ripping his insides apart. As the movie opens, he's shown in classic Wolverine fashion. Violent, bitter, and angry. Though everything he does is for the elderly and dangerous Charles. But as they meet Laura, X-23, and travel across the country for her, Logan, although barely, still shows signs of love and of trust. And it ends with Logan dying a warrior's death. In battle. But making way for the next generation. This movie works because it doesn't send Logan off with a perfect ending. Because nothing in his life has ever been perfect. Instead it sends Logan off trying. It sends him off vulnerable. As he left his heart with his daughter Laura. The one person who didn't die after he gave his heart to her. Logan is put to rest trying to be better and helping someone. The same way he died in the comic run Death of Wolverine. He left Laura with the image of a father who, as broken as he was, was still capable to be human. And in his death instills Laura with the same ideals. The people who seem to truly care about Logan the person constantly urge him to not fall victim to his primal nature. They cheer on his vulnerability and his humanity. Mariko does it in a harsh way. Charles did it when he welcomed a broken man into his institute. Laura in the movie does it with her actions. Like trying to hold Logan's hand when he's on the verge of crying as she tries to appeal to his vulnerability. These are all actions that call for Logan to be human. And Kurt even in death pleads for Logan to never stop trying. Something that Logan would realize for himself. To me, after seeing the Wolverine in several different iterations, his character can be summarized in one word. Attempt. Logan in each interaction, no matter how imperfect he may be, no matter how angry and closed off and bitter, will always make an attempt to be better. Logan tries. He fails so much, but he has the courage to try. In the Wolverine and the X-Men show, Logan doesn't see himself as the perfect leader, but he is trying, as Charles commends him. In Claremont's run of Wolverine, for Mariko, he tries to embrace the human side of himself instead of the beast. And Mariko marries him for trying. In the old man Logan comics, he tries, restrained. And when Kurt asks Logan to haul the piano up, he sees how someone tried towards him. He sees how someone cared about him, the real him. In the Logan movie, when Charles died, Logan had two things he could have done. He could have left Laura behind to waste his few days left. Or he could attempt to make her happy. We know how that ended. Logan is a character that I've truly grown to enjoy over the past few months, and that's mainly because of his heart. In the face of trauma and immense tragedy, Logan should be closed off, and he should be emotionless. Yet he finds himself able to be vulnerable. Logan knows he is not the perfect man, but against a world trying to bring him down, trying to unleash the beast, Logan tries. And at the same time, Logan demonstrates that he could be so selfless. As distant as he was, he always gave his heart to the people that needed him the most.