Turn back the clock to the late 70s and early 80s, back when Wolverine was one of the most interesting characters in the X-Men. A lot of Logans popularity came from not only his gruff personality and his willingness to kill enemies, but also his inherent nobility and the duality between the man and animal inside him. There was also the constant mystery of who he really was and where he came from. Anything we were ever told about his origin was always told in small fragments, leaving us puzzle pieces that teased at the truth while never revealing the whole. This mystique worked well for the character, and was also somewhat unique to comics at the time. But as Wolverines popularity increased, so did the desire for future writers to muck with him. Wolverines origin was revealed, first in the Origin limited series and then later detailed even more in the Wolverine: Origins ongoing series. All of the mystery surrounding Logans past was suddenly stripped away, and the result we got was nowhere near as intriguing as what readers had ever imagined. To make matters worse, Wolverine became a victim of his own popularity. Now hes forced onto virtually every single team in the Marvel Universe. Not only is he an X-Man, but he runs the school, appears in three different Avengers titles, has two titles devoted to his solo adventures, and also guest-stars in numerous other titles across the line. Once upon a time, Wolverine was Marvels version of The Man With No Name or Yojimbo. Now hes become little more than a punchline, a character that only becomes tiring in all his numerous appearances and meaningless stories. What are some characters you feel have been ruined by changes? Let us know in the comments!
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
