One of the characters that helped revitalise the title on his introduction within the pages of Giant Size X-Men was Wolverine, who has since become a fan favourite, member of every ancillary X-team going and undisputed star of the movie franchise. One piece of trivia that most comic book aficionados will share is that Logan's first appearance wasn't actually in an X-Men comic but in The Incredible Hulk #180, setting up a brutal fight between him and the jolly green giant in the next issue. What you might not know is that he was nearly named after a different, much less exciting animal. Wolverine was very nearly Badger. Actually, wolverines and badgers have a lot in common. It's just that most people don't really know what a wolverine is, which gives the character an air of mystique that was taken advantage of in the character's own dark, unremembered past. The two animals were considered because both were native to the US and Canada - meaning it made sense for the character who was native to the latter but would reach popularity in the former - and badger was only discarded because it had the connotation of bothering someone.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
