Legitimately how did he get so popular all those decades ago that he more or less exists independently from the X-Men? There are fans of him that don't even give a shit about the X-Men at all.

>>149251022 (OP)
Cowboy-Ninja-Samurai-Cyborg all rolled into one. There was no way this wouldn't work in thr 80s

>>149251106
This more or less, and unlike other X-Men he had a separate origin, he wasn't made for the team with a half assed origin made up after. You could easily get rid of X-Men lore and just use Weapon X lore instead, which is essentially what Origins, The Wolverine, and Deadpool all did

>>149251022 (OP)
He wasn't. Not at first. Then that one issue with the Hellfire Club happened and people lost their shit.

>>149251431
I like that whole secret military side more than like dealing with troubled teens or gods etc

>>149251022 (OP)
He's the only remotely cool one. The rest of the X-Men are boring pansies.

>>149251022 (OP)
cool design, simple as

>>149251431
If you think about it, what does Logan even get out of associating with the X-Men? A makeshift family, I guess. Jean, sometimes, when he has the chance to bang her. Generally speaking, though, there's an argument he's better off spending more time being part of the Secret Avengers, or something like that. It's more his speed.

>>149251106
fpbp

>>149251879
Storm under Claremont went through the biggest and most interesting character growth tho, Wolverine just coasted on being the never back down rebel

>>149252911
He doesn't get anything out of associating with the X-men, but the X-men get everything out of associating with Logan. He's there to make them cool. Avengers can function on their own just fine, X-men can't.

>>149252931
>>149252911
Boy can't tell you faggots are zoomer babies. What does Wolverine get? How about actually being in a book that got him attention in the first place instead of just being a throwaway Hulk foe. Good Christ, I know I shouldn't expect better of X-fags but goddammit X-fags learn the actual history of your shit and actually read the damn comics you assholes.

>>149251022 (OP)
Byrne wanted to keep him on the team so he kept finding ways to make him come off as cool, like showing he had a mysterious past and stuff, or memorable moments like Wolverine rising from the sewers and taking on the Hellfire Club
Claremont (who initially wanted to remove him from the team) started seeing the potential and took it further with stuff like that Wolverine miniseries
So he became this guy with a mysterious past that he can only remember parts of
Then he got an ongoing in the late 80s and Claremont, Larry Hama, etc added more to the mystery
BWS did the Weapon X story

>>149252966
>>149251431
I feel like Gambit could also have a cool solo career if they kept expanding on it, and Nightcrawler could be too, but I'm not sure if that one ever got any of his own books

A lot of X-Men seem designed for team purposes, even someone as powerful as Storm, I can't imagine going around on adventures with the ability to control weather, it's not a very action oriented power. The Summers backstory shit all feels tryhard and contrived despite them trying to give them a deep history, it's just not as cool as Weapon X and the ninja crap, Wolverine is pretty suited to be just like an action hero....he can take all the damage, and has built in melee weapons

>>149252911
Teenage sidekicks

>>149252911
>>149252931
>MCUkeks trying to downplay X-Men popularity or coolness

>>149253033
X-fags not seeing anything other than X shit

>>149253012
I think it was Roger Ebert or somebody else who pointed out that Wolverine's claws function like swords, so onscreen (or in animation) fights with him are functionally swordfights. And everybody likes those.

>>149251022 (OP)
Because he's a Spider-Man villain. Everyone forgets that because his run with the X-Men is now an iconic, character defining marker but much like Morbius, Venom, Punisher, and others he debuted as a Spider-Man villain then spun off into his own character that got reworked as a hero/anti-hero.

>>149252945
Dangit, it was the Hulk. Now I >>149253100 feel silly

>>149252945
Stfu millenoid.

>>149251022 (OP)
Anons have mentioned some of the reasons why Wolverine got popular, but other reason is that his versatility as character and protagonist. Wolverine can have stories that are rated G to rated R alongside he can be staring in different type of genre like thrillers, action, horror and noir, also he is a character to make easy team ups without needing the X-Men to appear.

>>149251022 (OP)
Manly

Because it was the 80s/90s, and he was Clint Eastwood in Superhero form.

>>149251022 (OP)
It all started with this moment. This is what transformed him into a badass anti-hero and the X-Men's resident tough guy. It's what thrust him into the spotlight, gave him focus as a character and led to all the spinoffs, solos and adaptations that would eventually make him the face of the franchise.

>>149254133
Kino

>>149253111
Gen Xers made Wolverine popular, retard.

>>149251022 (OP)
Cool costume

Cool power

>>149254133
Before then he was just some annoying spaz Cyclops had to slap around.

>>149251106
This, plus he was loved for all the same reasons people love dwarves. Making Wolverine tall was a mistake, took away his dwarf appeal.

>>149251022 (OP)
Thanks to Byrne and Miller.

>>149255397
He's still annoying as all shit.

>>149252911
I think the same of Gambit, who in the 90s became as popular as Logan.
Both could work well independently, but Marvel won't ever get rid of the idea that the mutants must all march together.

>>149253012
Gambit could work as a spy themed comic. Put him in NOLA solving mystery crimes while also stealing stuff and keeping the guilds from killing each other. Make it a mix of Batman, Angel, and James Bond.
You don't even need to create a lore, he already has plenty.
Instead, he's trapped with mutants who aren't remotely as interesting as he is.

>>149251022 (OP)
-simple
-"unknown past" at the height of popularity, so fans could project their own thoughts on the character
-cultural oversaturation. when companies think something is profitable they spam the shit out of it mindlessly. so now people know who wolverine is for no other reason that cultural familiarity, which leads to more relatability for some people who like the character. wolverine has his own oversaturation trope

>there are fans of him that don't give a shit about x-men
correct, and there are fans of the x-men such as myself who gives zero fucks about wolverine and all wolverine-related characters. "old man logan" was stupid. there is potential for x-23 but marvel and disney don't have the balls to lean in to her character origins of being a prostitute who could team up with the punisher to stop human trafficking and protect sex unions

>>149257497
*sex WORKER unions*