After seven years, Hugh Jackman is reprising his role as Logan/Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine, which is now out in theaters. Few other actors are as closely associated with their characters as Jackman is with Wolverine.
But is Hugh Jackman really the best Wolverine? Across films, TV series, and video games, numerous actors have played Marvel’s iconic hero, and that’s why it’s finally time to rank all the Wolverines ranked from worst to first.
13. William Callaway’s Wolverine
William Callaway has the distinction of being the first actor to voice Wolverine in an episode of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have a good take on the character and made the odd choice to use an Australian accent for a character who was established early on as a Canadian. He wouldn’t be the only Wolverine actor to make that mistake.
12. Patrick Pinney’s Wolverine
The first attempt to make an X-Men animated series was in the one-off pilot, X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men. Patrick Pinney might have been passable… if he hadn’t portrayed Wolverine with a thick Australian accent.
It’s so jarring that it’s impossible not to notice how his voice just doesn’t match his character.
11. Milo Ventimiglia’s Wolverine
Milo Ventimiglia is a very good actor in This Is Us, but he was completely wrong for Wolverine in the anime series that shared his name, as well as the Blade and Iron Man anime shows.
Ventimiglia just couldn’t hide the youthful quality of his voice, and that’s why it was a good call to go with Steve Blum in the X-Men anime series.
10. David Kaye’s Wolverine
The largely forgotten fighting game, Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, featured David Kaye as Wolverine. It’s a middle-of-the-road performance, and nothing that merits higher placement than this.
9. Keith Szarabajka’s Wolverine
In the Ultimate Spider-Man video game, Keith Szarabajka had a brief cameo as Wolverine, which included a boss fight against Venom. It’s a fun one-off take on the character, but not enough of a sample to get him higher on this list.
8. Kevin Michael Richardson’s Wolverine
Veteran actor Kevin Michael Richardson was an inspired choice to voice Wolverine in a single episode of the Black Panther animated series that ran on BET. It would have been intriguing to hear more of this version of the character.
7. Robert Patrick’s Wolverine
Ever since Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven’s Old Man Logan story was published, fans believed that Clint Eastwood would have been the ideal choice to play the older Wolverine.
It turns out that Robert Patrick was the best choice for the role when he was cast as Old Man Logan in the Marvel Wastelanders: Wolverine podcast. His voice gave Logan a believable gravitas.
6. Richard Armitage’s Wolverine
Richard Armitage is probably best known to American audiences for playing Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit trilogy. But he also starred in two Wolverine scripted podcasts/radio plays.
He made his debut in Wolverine: The Long Night, and reprised his role for Wolverine: The Lost Trail. There’s a gruff quality to his voice that really suits the character.
5. Mark Hamill’s Wolverine
As a voiceover artist, Mark Hamill made his mark as the voice of the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and for decades thereafter.
Hamill only lent his voice to Wolverine once in the X2: Wolverine’s Revenge video game. He was meant to be playing Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine from the movies, and he did a great job of capturing the spirit of Jackman’s performance.
4. Scott McNeil’s Wolverine
The second X-Men animated series, X-Men: Evolution, featured the main characters as teenagers with a few exceptions. Wolverine was still an adult in this incarnation, and Scott McNeil lent his voice to the character.
Because the series ran for four seasons, McNeil logged a lot of time in the role. That helped him land a high spot on this list.
3. Steve Blum’s Wolverine
Steve Blum may not have been a great vocal choice for Deadpool, but he’s a fantastic version of Wolverine. He’s voiced the character in 19 separate projects over the last 20 years.
He first portrayed Wolverine in the X-Men Legends video game in 2004, before eventually headlining the Wolverine and the X-Men animated series. Across animated TV and films, as well as video games, no one has played Logan as often as Blum has.
2. Cal Dodd’s Wolverine
For many fans, Cal Dodd’s Wolverine in X-Men: The Animated Series was their first exposure to the character. He performed his role so well that Capcom hired Dodd to reprise his role for a few of the X-Men-related fighting games as well.
Dodd has since reprised his role as Wolverine in X-Men ’97. And while age has changed the sound of his voice, Dodd still delivers the innate qualities of Logan just through the power of his voice.
1. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine
Although Hugh Jackman was not director Bryan Singer’s original choice for the role, he joined the rest of the X-Men cast and made the part his own. The only possible knock against Jackman’s portrayal is that he’s much taller than the comic book version of the character. Beyond that, he captures Logan’s ferocity, anguish, and heart. It also helps that he mostly physically resembles Wolverine, and he goes out of his way to get into peak condition each time he reprises the role.
Deadpool & Wolverine marks Jackman’s 10th time in the live-action role, and he lent his voice to two video games as well. He’s had this role down to a science for 24 years, and hopefully he still has a few left in him. To quote one of Wolverine’s catchphrases, he’s the best there is at what he does.
