All of Wolverine’s Successors, Ranked

Wolverine, or Logan, often boasts that he’s the best at what he does – and he’s certainly had a long career proving it. Having fought in various conflicts for over a century, he’s battled both external enemies and his own inner demons. While he’s held many roles throughout his life, he’s most famous for his time as a superhero. Over the years, Wolverine has built an impressive reputation, contributing significantly to numerous teams like the X-Men, the Avengers, and X-Force, as well as various other groups. He’s been a key figure in countless stories and settings.

He’s been part of many teams over time, leaving them for various reasons, including the loss of teammates, and someone always had to take his place. Throughout his history with groups like the X-Men, X-Force, and Weapon X, numerous heroes and villains have attempted to follow in his footsteps, each striving to live up to his legendary status and become the best at what they do.

10) Old Man Logan

When Wolverine seemingly died in 2014, it left a huge gap in the Marvel Universe. Simply replacing him with his daughter, Laura, wasn’t enough. Following the Secret Wars event which restarted the multiverse, an older, battle-worn version of Logan – known as Old Man Logan – arrived on Earth-616. Old Man Logan was a popular series that explored a different side of the character, allowing him to experience a life he’d previously missed. He eventually joined the main X-Men teams, while Laura pursued her own adventures. For many fans, Old Man Logan effectively became the primary Wolverine from 2016 to 2019, even without officially taking on the role.

9) Fantomex

Fantomex shares a surprising connection with Wolverine. Created in the World, a lab run by the same Weapon Plus program that created Weapon X, he’s designated Weapon XIII. Like Wolverine, he escaped and eventually became a hero – though not before spending years as an art thief, using his unique abilities and his bio-ship, EVA, to overcome challenges. He even filled a similar role in New X-Men as Wolverine did in earlier X-Men stories: a mysterious, outspoken character who consistently did what was right.

8) Sabretooth

Wolverine and Sabretooth are longtime enemies, but something unexpected happened to Sabretooth, Victor Creed, around the time Wolverine seemingly died. During the AXIS event, he fought alongside heroes against Red Onslaught, and the battle flipped his sense of right and wrong. While other villains returned to their evil ways, Sabretooth remained good, surprisingly inspired by Wolverine’s heroic example. He even stepped into Wolverine’s role on the Uncanny Avengers team and assisted Wolverine’s family – Laura, Daken, and Mystique – during a storyline called Wolverines. Later, he briefly joined Magneto’s team during the conflict with the Inhumans, but eventually reverted to his villainous self. For a while, though, he genuinely tried to follow in Wolverine’s footsteps.

7) Magik

Cyclops and Wolverine often clashed, but they ultimately developed a strong partnership. Cyclops led the team, and Wolverine was his dependable second-in-command, always offering honest feedback, even when Scott was overextended. However, the events of X-Men: Schism fractured their bond for years, and Magik stepped into Wolverine’s role as Cyclops’s closest ally. Illyana Rasputin now happily handles the tough assignments for Cyclops, and like Wolverine, she’s a skilled fighter who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. In fact, she’s arguably become a more effective right-hand mutant than Logan ever was.

6) Psylocke

Psylocke is a well-known and long-running character in the X-Men universe, and her history is quite complex. We’re focusing on Elizabeth Braddock, who previously went by the name Psylocke. She and Wolverine were close friends, and eventually joined his second X-Force team, becoming his second-in-command. After Wolverine left the team following a tragic event, Betsy took over as leader. She successfully led the team for some time, applying the leadership skills she’d learned from Wolverine.

5) Deadpool

Deadpool has quickly become a major star for Marvel, much like Wolverine before him, captivating fans with his edgy and violent nature. Interestingly, their connection goes deeper than just popularity. Deadpool, whose real name is Wade Wilson, was once part of the Weapon X program – the same program that created Wolverine. He was designated Weapon XI, and the program enhanced his physical abilities and gave him an even more powerful healing factor, curing his cancer. After working for them briefly, he escaped and became a mercenary, and ever since, he’s seemed determined to become the kind of person Wolverine would actually enjoy spending time with.

4) Spider-Man

Spider-Man and Wolverine were close friends, so when Wolverine died, it deeply affected Peter Parker. Marvel wanted to continue publishing the Wolverine and the X-Men comic, but without the original character. They decided to feature Spider-Man as the lead instead, creating Spider-Man and the X-Men. The series followed Spider-Man and a group of students formerly mentored by Wolverine at the Jean Grey School as they went on adventures. This allowed Spider-Man to become only the third hero – alongside Wolverine and Storm – to be a member of both the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four, and he used the opportunity to honor his deceased friend.

3) Storm

The X-Men are a fantastic team, and Storm truly stands out even among them. She’s consistently been one of the most powerful and important mutant heroes, and she shared a long and close relationship with Logan (Wolverine). Their connection deepened romantically near the end of his life. After his death, Storm took over leadership of the Jean Grey School, which he had founded, and continued in that role until the conflict with the Inhumans was resolved. She dedicated herself to guiding and training the next generation of mutants.

2) Daken

Daken is the son of Wolverine, and their relationship has been complicated. After a long period of being enemies, Daken was recruited by Norman Osborn to join the Dark Avengers as a version of Wolverine – essentially taking his father’s place. This wasn’t a one-time event, as Daken is now known as Hellverine, a role Wolverine himself recently held. He’s even adopted the same costume, called the Fang, that Logan briefly wore.

1) Wolverine II

Originally created as a replacement for her father as a trained killer, Laura Kinney has evolved into the superhero known as X-23. She escaped the facility where she was engineered and eventually joined the X-Men, even teaming up with her father and learning from his expertise. After his death, she proved herself capable of taking on his legacy, becoming the new Wolverine. Though he later returned, they ultimately agreed to share the Wolverine name, with him recognizing she had rightfully earned the title and being incredibly proud of her.

2026-05-23 19:12