10 Most Feared Wolverine Villains of All Time
As one of the most dangerous superheroes at Marvel, Wolverine has become a fan favorite among readers. In fact, over the last 20 years, very few characters, if any, can boast the surge in popularity that he has. Always trying to capitalize on his popularity, the creators at Marvel are constantly looking for new and exciting ways to add to the character. Sometimes he acquires new powers and other times he finds himself face-to-face with a new enemy.
It’s the latter that interests us. The world of Wolverine boasts some of the most dangerous and feared villains that the company has ever thought up. I mean, after looking at the below list lesser characters might find themselves with a certain streak of brown in their underwear. Not Wolverine though. It raises an interesting question. Of all the characters he’s fought, who is the most feared? Let’s take a look at our list of the most dangerous and most feared Wolverine enemies!
10. Reavers
Gaining their popularity after the spectacular Logan movie in 2017, the Reavers have a long and violent history with any who oppose them. The Reavers are a band of Cyborgs with a hatred for the X-Men. Of all the X-Men, they had a particular affinity for the man on whom this list is based on…Wolverine.
When we first met them, they weren’t much more than a group of everyday thieves. After being defeated by the X-Men, the group fell under new leadership. The new leader, Donald Pierce, transformed them from simple thieves into a group of highly trained assassins who dedicate their lives to ridding the world of mutants. In one of their first encounters with the X-Men, the Reavers were able to capture Wolverine. While under capture, he was tortured and crucified. This treatment is something he’s never forgotten.
9. The Hand
The Hand is a criminal organization with ties to both black magic and ninjitsu. Members of The Hand are so powerful that they can murder an individual and bring them back to life as a servant of the organization. Anyone with any martial arts know-how is considered an enemy of The Hand. As someone with martial arts know-how, Wolverine is an enemy of The Hand.
In one of their many encounters, The Hand successfully kidnaps Wolverine. Once kidnapped, they, along with Gorgon and Hydra, brainwashed him and forced him to do their bidding. Although this may seem embarrassing, it really shouldn’t. Remember, many of Marvel’s greatest heroes have been a part of The Hand…Psylocke, Daredevil, Black Widow, and Elektra just to name a few.
8. William Stryker
Created by Chris Claremont and making his first appearance in the seminal X-Men book “God Love, Man Kills”, William Styker has gone on to become one of the most dangerous foes Wolverine has ever faced. In fact, William Stryker was ranked 70th on IGN’s 2009 all-time greatest villains list. Of all the humans who despise mutants, William Stryker is possibly the most despicable.
And why? After being born a mutant, William Stryker attempted to kill his son. Stryker also believed that Satan had the plan to kill all of humankind and that Satan’s hatred was rooted in the mutant population. Rather than standing by and waiting for extinction, he set out to wipe every mutant from the face of the Earth. This included Wolverine which Stryker is widely believed to have had a helping hand in experimenting on.
7. Viper
The remarkable thing about Madame Masque (Viper) is that different from most others on this list, she actually doesn’t possess an abundant amount of superpowers. Instead, she relies on her natural abilities. She is an incredible tactician, and expert marksman is able to hold her own in combat with just about anyone and is immune to most venoms and toxins.
This doesn’t mean that she won’t use weapons as a way to gain the upper hand in battle. It’s quite the opposite. Viper can usually be found with some type of venomous darts. She also has access to a teleportation ring and gloves with razors at the knuckles. Understand that none of these are what makes her one of the most feared Wolverine enemies. What makes her one of the most feared Wolverine enemies is that she has more connections to the criminal underworld than my wife has shoes.
6. Romulus
Unlike most others on this list, Romulus has a character history that doesn’t date decades. Instead, Romulus has a history that only dates back to 2007. Don’t let his short history fool you, however, Romulus is deserving of being here. Here’s why.
Romulus has a power set very similar to Wolverine. This means that he heals at an accelerated rate, is practically immune to all diseases, ages at a decelerated rate, and has an Adamantium-laced skeleton. What makes him so dangerous (although he’s pretty dangerous already) is that he is also able to attack his enemies at a telekinetic level.
And it gets better. Romulus is responsible for everything that Wolverine’s son, Daken is. After Daken’s mother was killed, Romulus took the baby in and raised him to be a ruthless killer.
5. Daken
Speaking of Daken…
Daken is the son of Wolverine. As the son of Wolverine, Daken possesses/has/is: superhuman physical attributes, an accelerated healing ability, retractable razor-sharp claws, is an above-average martial artist, has heightened sense, is immune to telepathy, can control others through pheromone manipulation.
Daken was raised by Romulus and under Romulus, he became one of the most lethal characters in all of Marvel. Unlike his father, Daken uses his thirst for blood as a way to cause chaos and harm in the world. This is so much that he has been a part of some of the vilest teams in Marvel. Dark X-Men, Dark Avengers, Horsemen of Death
It’s just a shame that he’s such a terrible person. If he wasn’t, he’d be in line to become the next Wolverine.
4. Silver Samurai
The history between Wolverine and the Silver Samurai dates multiple decades. The original Silver Samurai is the son of Shingen Harada and the half-brother of Mariko Yashida. While who his father was doesn’t really mean anything, who his sister is, does. Mariko Yashida is Wolverine’s former lover.
The feud between the two began after the Silver Samurai attempted to take control of the Clan Yashida. He might’ve succeeded had he not been stopped by Yukio and Wolverine. Wolverine’s interference caused great grief for the Samurai and he vowed revenge against him. His revenge was short-lived, however. Not too long after vowing revenge the Silver Samurai proved his honor and befriended Wolverine.
Since becoming an ally of Wolverine, he continues to prove his worth. For example, he is now the leader of the Japanese superhero team Big Hero 6.
3. Omega Red
Arkady Rossovich was a former serial killer who was taken in by the KGB and experimented on. As a result of the experimentation, Rossovich was given carbonadium tentacles (which allowed him to drain the life from his opponents) and made out to be the next Russian Super Soldier. After Wolverine and his fellow members of Team X stole the Carbonadium Synthesizer, Rossovich (now called Omega Red) set his sites on retrieving it.
He individually tracked Team X down and one by one inflicted his personal form of revenge. Eventually, he crossed paths with Wolverine. As the superior fighter of the two, Wolverine easily struck Omega Red down with the Muramasa Blade and ended his life. Of course, we all know that nobody stays dead in comics…
2. Lady Deathstrike
Although she first appeared in an Alpha Flight comic book, Lady Deathstrike went on to become one of the greatest Wolverine enemies in existence…and here’s why. Like Wolverine, Lady Deathstrike was given a set of Adamantium claws. Like Wolverine, she heals at an accelerated rate. And like Wolverine, she has a temper that’s not to be trifled with.
What I’m saying is that if taken lightly, Lady Deathstrike is able to cut her opponents like a roll of sushi before they even had the chance to react. It’s just a shame that she sides with the bad guys instead of the good guys.
1. Sabretooth
Make no mistake, of the many Wolverine enemies in existence, none deserve to be at the top like Sabretooth. One look into their long and brutal history shows that the two have fought, maimed, and made each other bleed more than any two enemies in the history of Marvel. The two possess nearly identical skill sets, power sets, and mutations.
Rather than always ending in a true victory, their similarities often leave their encounters at a stalemate. To put it bluntly, Wolverine and Sabretooth hate each other more than I hate bananas. Although that may mean nothing to you, understand that the mere sight of the fruit makes me convulse. Therefore, any list counting down the greatest Wolverine enemies without Sabretooth should be taken off the internet…immediately.
