10 Comic Book Characters You Wish You Could Be

2. Wolverine

Another entry in this article who owes his place in it to his portrayal on screen... because, let’s face it, prior to the year 2000 no one ever wanted to be Wolverine.

Pre-Hugh Jackman, our favourite Canuck brawler was a runty hairball with a face like a kneecap soaked in vinegar. His character might have developed and matured since his introduction in 1974, when he was just a set of nuclear-powered steak knives that said ‘bub’ a lot, but ‘developed’ and ‘matured’ aren’t words that make people want to change their names to Logan.

Don’t get the wrong idea, people love Wolverine... I mean, people really love Wolverine. He’s been near or at the top of people’s ‘coolest characters in comics’ lists for decades, and head of the Marvel’s ‘guest appearances’ list for just as long, a man who can boost sales with a single ‘snikt’. You could put the man on the cover of Horse & Hound and people would buy it thinking they were a crimefighting duo.

But it wasn’t until the 6’2”, drop dead gorgeous Jackman turned up in the first X-Men that ‘cool’ suddenly translated to ‘aspirational’. He might not have been how die hard fanboys saw Logan appearing on the big screen, but by the time the credits had rolled, you found precious few people arguing any more.

For seventeen years now, Wolverine has been the hard man with the hot temper and the heart of gold that almost all guys secretly daydream about being. The sweet-ass claws don’t hurt, either.