Wolverine’s Comic Book Costumes, Explained

Beyond the adamantium claws and bad attitude, Wolverine is most known in the comics for his unique and iconic costume. Interestingly, the suit never made an appearance in the Fox X-Men movies, which featured notably more realistic and less colorful costumes–that is, until his return in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Although this is one of his most popular outfits, it isn’t the only costume Wolverine has worn over the years. Much as he’s recovered from a long list of grievous injuries due to his healing factor, he’s likewise been adorned in a similar amount of mutant threads. These included a briefly seen but important Native American garb and a far more street-level suit used in the early 2000s. With his most notable costume now jumping to live-action, here’s a look back at all the suits Wolverine has donned in the comics.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on September 18, 2024: Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is officially back and better than ever, this time wearing his iconic yellow suit in Deadpool & Wolverine. The classic look translates to live-action perfectly, hopefully opening the door for more of Wolverine’s suits to appear in live-action in the future. This article has been updated to include additional information and to adhere to CBR’s current formatting guidelines.

The “Skunk-Bear” Suit Was Wolverine’s First Costume

A lesser-known but pivotal costume Wolverine wore was the “Skunk-Bear” clothing seen in Marvel Comics Presents #97. One of the storylines of this 1992 anthology issue took place after the death of Silver Fox, one of the many unfortunate women Logan has fallen in love with over the years.

Following the tragedy, Logan took to working alongside the Blackfoot tribe of Native Americans, and he came to their aid when a mysterious monster attacked them. Given how much damage the beast had already done, Wolverine’s mission against it wasn’t believed to have much potential for success. Nevertheless, the tribe endowed him with a skin of their own making, which would go on to have quite a legacy.

This Native American-style clothing was yellow and blue, bearing stripe-like designs along the torso of the shirt. Thus, it was in many ways a prototype of the costume that Logan would wear years later as Wolverine. His defeat of their monstrous enemy saw the Blackfoot tribe give him the nickname “Skunk-Bear.” This is one of many colloquial names for the actual wolverine animal, and it’s part of why Logan would use the name later as his superhero alias.

The Weapon X Costume (or Lack of) Epitomizes Wolverine’s Origin

Marvel Comics Presents #79 showcased Wolverine’s origin, which had been clouded in mystery for quite a while. There, it was shown that the future X-Man had been taken by the Weapon X program (later retconned as part of the Weapon Plus Program) to be part of their experiments, with his healing factor making him perfectly suited for the task. The task involved lacing his skeleton with adamantium, a non-destructable metal. The Weapon X “suit” wasn’t much at all, with Logan being nearly naked beyond sparse clothing to cover his loins.

Also, this get-up included a few technological batteries and a helmet, which obscured much of Logan’s vision. Wolverine would never actively use this costume as a superhero, but it remains a pivotal part of his history. Beyond the comics, it has appeared in several movies, cartoons, video games, and action figure lines. This can be attributed to the importance of the storyline and the excellent Barry Windsor-Smith art accompanying the comic.

Wolverine’s First Costume Debuted In His Fight Against the Hulk

Wolverine made his official debut in Incredible Hulk #180, sporting a version of his classic costume. The issue involved his working with Department H and being sent to take down the rampaging Hulk, who had made his way to the snowy hills of Canada. The costume is as most fans would recognize it, albeit with the exception that the “ears” are shorter on the cowl and the mask itself has animalistic whiskers on it. It’s a rather silly look by today’s standards, but it actually represents a lot about the character of Wolverine at the time.

The whiskers reflect Logan’s wild and violent temper, not to mention his claws. While this was already a part of his portrayal, several key elements had yet to be solidified. For instance, his mutant genetics weren’t established yet, as co-creator Len Wein had once envisioned him as an evolved version of his namesake animal. Likewise, the character’s adamantium claws were at one point thought to be part of his gloves, with the Chris Claremont run on X-Men making it clear that they were a part of the mutant’s body.

Wolverine Wore His Most Iconic Costume to the X-Men

When he jumped to join his fellow merry mutants in Giant-Size X-Men #1, Wolverine did so wearing a new costume. This suit was a modified version of the one he had worn when fighting the Hulk, with the ears mentioned above now much longer (almost evoking the costume worn by DC Comics’ Batman).

Likewise, the whiskers were gone completely, moving away from the more prototypical elements of his earlier look and cementing what would become the hero’s most notable suit. Most interesting is that this suit and its immediate predecessor are yellow with small amounts of blue, inverting the predominately blue classic X-Men costumes that had a few specks of yellow throughout.

Wolverine would wear the classic costume for most of his publication history at Marvel, with outside media following suit. This would be what Wolverine wore in the iconic X-Men : The Animated Series and the first of several Marvel Vs. series of fighting games. It’d also be the inspiration for various toys and other merchandise released in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and it cemented Wolverine and the X-Men as being second only to Spider-Man in Marvel’s hierarchy.

A DC Comics Superhero inspired Wolverine’s “Fang” Costume

In Uncanny X-Men #107, the mutant team would face off against the Imperial Guard of the Shi’ar Empire. This saw Wolverine fighting Fang, who he later defeated and stole the costume of when his own was burned away. Logan wouldn’t wear this suit for long after returning to his usual adventures beyond a brief encounter with Danny Rand, the Immortal Iron Fist. Although it didn’t mean much in the overall history of Wolverine, this “Fang” suit would reference a key part of his real-world origins.

Many fans believe that Wolverine was at least visually based on Timber Wolf, a member of DC’s futuristic team, the Legion of Super-Heroes. Fang was confirmed to have been inspired by the team, as was every member of the Imperial Guard, including the powerful Gladiator who was a stand-in for a younger version of Superman. Wolverine notably wore Fang’s costume during the landmark “Phoenix Saga” storyline, giving it some importance and bringing a fan theory full circle.

Wolverine’s Brown and Gold Costume Is a Notable Alternative Look

When artist John Byrne joined Chris Claremont on the monthly X-Men title, he did so by giving the already popular Wolverine a new look in Uncanny X-Men #139. This brown and gold (sometimes portrayed as brown and tan) costume was mostly similar to the yellow and blue suit outside the changed color scheme. One other difference was the lack of “tiger stripes” along the torso, with the shoulder pads also removed. This gave the effect of a more muted, less ridiculous suit that’s many times been used as the character’s main alternate costume.

Wolverine wore the brown costume for a good amount of time, but the restoration of some of his memories (courtesy of Professor X) saw him return to his old-school look. Nevertheless, the brown suit was used in the pilot episode of a series poised to put the X-Men on the map: Pryde of the X-Men. This animated depiction notably portrayed Wolverine as Australian instead of Canadian, and it was ultimately not picked up for a full-series order.

When the far more successful X-Men: The Animated Series was created, it featured Logan wearing the classic yellow and blue suit. A more modern version of the costume (sans the “underwear on the outside look”) would later be introduced in the comics, with the animated X-Men: Evolution series having him wear a similar suit for its initial seasons.

Wolverine Wore More Muted Costumes for His Adventures In Madripoor

During various journeys throughout the Asian island nation of Madripoor, Wolverine would forgo his typical gaudy attire and instead boast something far more fitting for a stealth mission. The first of these was a rather basic look that involved a dark leather costume (sans Wolverine’s cowl) and black face paint, with a later variant adding a red belt to break up the aesthetic a bit. Although it would feature prominently on the cover of Marvel Comics Presents #8, it hasn’t been a major look for the character since.

During the next two issues of that series, Wolverine would take on a costume that was both more plain clothes and memorable. After being tortured and briefly sporting an eye injury before he had a chance to heal properly, Wolverine struck back at his enemies while wearing an eyepatch and a white tuxedo. This would be the birth of his “Patch” nickname, with the ensemble as a whole being one of Logan’s most interesting attire choices. It would also inspire a variant that combined Wolverine with Emma Frost.

Wolverine Briefly Blended In With the Rest of the X-Men

Wolverine’s classic look reverses the original uniform color scheme for the X-Men. This would be changed in Uncanny X-Men #275, in which Logan finally wore a uniform with the rest of the team. However, the suit would more properly balance the yellow and blue, making it arguably closer to Wolverine’s classic costume than the ones once worn by the founding X-Men.

Given that these new suits were worn by both Wolverine and Gambit (who had once been affiliated with the evil Mister Sinister), it was a sign that they had truly become part of the team. This look wouldn’t last long, especially after the X-Men split into two teams. By that point, Wolverine returned to his brown and gold costume briefly.

Wolverine’s Most Feral Devolution Changed His Usual Look

In Wolverine #100, Logan suffered a savage and feral degradation of his appearance and personality after he survived a failed process to rebond his skeleton with the adamantium that Magneto had previously ripped from his bones. His facial features were far more primitive and bestial, giving him the look of an unevolved caveman. To go along with this new, more barbaric persona, Wolverine covered his now inhuman face with a mask/bandanna that was either blue or red, depending on the issue.

The rather strange change for the character wasn’t well-received, and following a change in the comic book’s creative team, the development would be dropped entirely. There wasn’t any mention of it afterward, and it was ultimately about as long-lasting as the “hot claws” that would later be given to Wolverine when he came back to life years down the road. It’s at most been relegated to a rather painful and embarrassing part of the hero’s overall history.

Age of Apocalypse Introduced a Very Different Weapon X

The Age of Apocalypse event saw a world in which, due to the actions of Professor X’s son Legion, Charles Xavier and his dream were both dead. Thus, the world was ripe for the taking as the mighty mutant Apocalypse imposed an age of survivalist tyranny upon those who stood in his path.

In this universe, James Howlett/Logan was known as Weapon X, with his history being both familiar and different. Opposing the machinations of Sinister, he would lose one of his hands in a fight against Cyclops before making him earn said namesake by removing one of his eyes. Age of Apocalypse Weapon X wore a dark blue suit that resembled mainstream Wolverine’s black stealth costume.

Instead of blue stripes, this outfit bore red ones on the shoulders, with Logan’s severed hand having a metal covering on the stump. Weapon X also wore red face paint, showcasing how this was a much more savage and dangerous variant of the character. This take on Logan was also in a relationship with Jean Grey. The two were actually allies of the humans in this reality, who were inverted and treated poorly under Apocalypse’s oppressive regime.

New X-Men Gave Wolverine a More Realistic Look

The early 2000s series New X-Men (by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely) was a major revamp of the heroes, who had lost some luster since their heyday in the early ’90s. The “Morrison manifesto” for the series involved eschewing more overt superheroics and making the series a more science-fiction type book, a decision inspired somewhat by the success of the first Fox X-Men movie.

The movie also influenced the series’ costumes, which weren’t typical superhero garb. Instead, these suits involved black leather jacket uniforms, which all the X-Men wore. Wolverine was happy with this change, with a remark suggesting that he despised his earlier, more colorful attire. This look would become ubiquitous for many of the X-Men during that time, and the run has become one of the team’s most iconic.

Ultimate Wolverine Had A More Grounded Look

The Ultimate Universe was a darker, more grounded world overall compared to the classic Marvel Comics continuity. That extended to how the X-Men were handled, with the team’s more extraneous and whimsical elements being excised entirely. The X-Men also wore costumes similar to those of the movie and New X-Men, albeit with a few changes. The costume for the Ultimate Universe Wolverine was mostly black leather, but the orange stripes on his shoulders somewhat evoked the classic yellow and blue costume.

This suit would be adapted in the aforementioned X-Men: Evolution as the character’s second costume, which he wore for the series’ latter seasons. Another look would be given to Ultimate Wolverine, which was more unique than the other X-Men. This would be an Ultimate Universe update of both the brown/gold and Fang costumes, albeit without the cowl or other more “superheroic” elements.

Astonishing X-Men Updated Wolverine’s Most Notable Design

Astonishing X-Men #1 did away with the black, leathery costume of the New X-Men, with team leader Cyclops’s premise being to make the X-Men look like superheroes again. This included Wolverine returning to his yellow and blue costume, though it wasn’t quite the same one he had worn for years beforehand.

This modern take on Wolverine’s iconic look streamlined it and eliminated the blue briefs. The ears on the cowl and the shoulder pads were also reduced somewhat. This costume has remained with Logan ever since and has also appeared in various other series and television shows featuring Wolverine.

Wolverine Darkened His Look When He Joined X-Force

After the tumultuous Decimation and Messiah Complex events, Wolverine was tasked by Cyclops to lead a new version of the paramilitary mutant team X-Force. To match this less heroic team, Wolverine’s costume took on a darker aesthetic. The design was the same as his modern costume, but the black and grey replaced yellow and blue. Likewise, the eyes on his mask were red, giving the impression of a far more tactical and even deadlier take on the clawed Canadian superhero.

Dark takes on classic superhero costumes typically become more popular over time. Wolverine’s new look might have left some readers missing his original colors, but looking back on this epic darker suit, it is a terrific reinvention of the mutant’s costume. Like Spider-Man’s symbiote suit, Wolverine’s X-Force suit will only become more popular over time.

Which Wolverine Costumes Have Appeared In Live-Action?

For most of his cinematic history, Wolverine has avoided wearing any of his comic-accurate costumes, instead donning more muted looks throughout the X-Men franchise. However, more recent appearances from Hugh Jackman’s iconic character have seen him finally embrace comic book accuracy.

During his brief cameo in X-Men: Apocalypse, Wolverine clearly resembles his Weapon X look from the comics, marking the first time the character truly appeared in a classic costume. However, Deadpool & Wolverine took things to an entirely new level by featuring multiple Wolverine variants in multiple comic book-accurate suits.

During Deadpool’s travels through the multiverse, he encounters Wolverine variants wearing multiple recognizable costumes, including the brown and yellow suit and the Patch look. Most notable, however, is the classic yellow suit, which the main Wolverine variant wears throughout the movie.