The Deadpool movies might be the highest-grossing films from the X-Men series, but Wolverine is by far the most popular hero from this franchise. In fact, you can consider Wolverine to be responsible for making superhero films a thing in the first place, as X-Men’s success in 2000 paved the way for the genre and Wolverine was the breakout character here.
Now that Wolverine’s time is up (at least in the current universe), it’s time to look back at the best quotes he uttered during the seventeen years he was seen onscreen, along with select words found in comics. These prove, for various reasons, that Wolverine was always the best X-Man.
Updated on December 27th, 2020 by Saim Cheeda: The appreciation for Wolverine has only increased in recent times due to the lackluster way the X-Men film series petered out. Wolverine always represents the best the X-Men comics and films have to offer, and with a mutants film set to show up in the MCU, the only route to see how good the X-Men can be is by updating oneself on further moments where he was as cool as people consider him.
15 “I’m The Best There Is At What I Do, But What I Do Isn’t Very Nice.”
This quote sums up Wolverine so well that it was adapted into the film series from the comics. It’s simple and does the trick to tell one of his characterizations, with Wolverine using the quote as both a threat and a stern reality check.
While a majority of the X-Men carry a sense of angst over who they are, Wolverine accepts who he has to be. He’s the one who engages in action where hard choices are needed and there’s no one better to withstand the mental trauma it carries.
14 “Patience Isn’t My Strongest Suit.”
It takes a task to get Wolverine in line, what with his extreme rage driving him in general. Most characters with a similar attitude would be in denial of their mentality, but Wolverine isn’t shy to admit it and even accepts the way he is.
He was asked by Professor X to be patient with his younger self in X-Men: Days of Future Past, as those were the days he was depressed. To this, Wolverine admitted that being patient wasn’t who he was. The fact that he did end up heeding Professor X’s words show how much restraint he displayed to do what’s right.
13 “Your Best Is Enough. Trust Me.”
The one person that Wolverine always had a measure of respect was Professor X. It wasn’t because the latter could read his mind, but due to his ability to understand the complex emotions that Wolverine carried. In return, Wolverine appreciated Charles’ capability to handle anything.
He said as much in X-Men: Days of Future Past, where Wolverine assured the younger Charles that he didn’t need to fear who he was, as the best he could do was exactly what the future needed. After many years of being the one who needed guidance, Wolverine stepped up as some who could provide it as well.
12 “Looks Like Stryker Finally Found A Way To Shut You Up.”
It’s always amusing to see a character that is usually stoic to throw out some dry humor, and Wolverine was the man for the job here. At the climax of X-Men: Origins: Wolverine, the titular character had this comment to throw out at Weapon XI when the two faced off.
Before his conversion into a monster, Weapon XI had been Wade Wilson whose mouth would keep prattling on and annoy Wolverine in particular. While he sympathized with what Wade had become, Wolverine still had enough snark in him to utter this line.
11 *”Fill Your Heart With Better Memories. Better Actions. Better Friends.”
The character development of Wolverine isn’t only found in the films, as he grew as a person in the comics as well. His way of thinking had to do with finding a sense of peace even though the lives of mutants generally don’t provide that.
Wolverine came to the conclusion that problems could be handled when someone surrounded themselves with good company, which meant being around people who were friends, supporters, and people who brought the best out of him.
10 “Nature Made Me A Freak. Man Made Me A Weapon. And God Made It Last Too Long.”
These were the words we heard in the teaser for Logan, and it made us aware that Wolverine was now at the point that we had accepted himself (falsely perhaps) as a dangerous misfit and a weapon. While we know that he was always more than that, this quote at least showed that Wolverine had accepted the dystopian nature of this new world.
Mutants were scarce and hunted in Logan, and the only way Wolverine could’ve survived was by coming to terms with the fact that the X-Men days were long gone. It was harsh and it felt unfair, but here Wolverine showed that there’s a time to lament what you don’t have and a time to appreciate what you still do. No wonder it’s the best Wolverine movie by far.
9 “The Pain Lets You Know You’re Still Alive.”
Being immortal, Wolverine didn’t know what death felt like, but he was intimately familiar with the sensation of pain. Over the years, he had experienced all kinds of trauma. Whether it was physical or gut-wrenching emotional pain, Wolverine had been through it.
By this point, he hadn’t just learned to resist the pain, he’d now gained wisdom from it. In this instance, he imparted truly wise words when he relayed that pain wasn’t always a bad thing. When we’re suffering, we at least have the consolation of being alive. The dead don’t have this luxury.
8 “It’s All In Your Brain.”
In this installment of his story, Wolverine is on the hunt for some villains who have taken some children hostage. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it in time to rescue all the kids, which ignited his murderous vengeance. One of the antagonists had previously repeatedly claimed not to feel pain anymore, as he’d trained himself to accept that pain manifested only through the mind.
Wolverine then went straight to the source and proceeded to kill the man by clawing away his head – then quipping that it was all in the guy’s brain after all. There were no witty remarks from the antagonist this time, and he begged in vain as retribution for taking children’s lives came back to haunt him. This is a blunt, simple, and endlessly badass line, just perfect for the character.
7 “Grow Those Back.”
We covered the part where Wolverine delivered a badass line before starting a fight, and now we’re moving onto another crucial part of the superhero snark repertoire: a parting line when you win. In X-Men: The Last Stand, Wolverine came across a mutant with a very odd power.
This guy could regenerate his limbs, and all of Wolverine’s attacks were proving useless as the mutant simply grew them back. Wolverine would then kick the guy in the family jewels, which served as the winning move, and then challenged him to “grow those back.” It was a cheeky move, but it did the trick; proving to us that Wolverine knew when to improvise and use his head.
6 “I’m Gonna Cut Your Head Off. See If That Works.”
There’s a fine line between family and blood, and Sabretooth crossed that line when he seemingly took the life of Wolverine’s love interest. After finding his love savaged by his brother, Wolverine finally dropped the remaining loving feelings he had for his sibling and decided to kill him.
Although it was a reckless decision to go for a fight Sabretooth was easily prepared for, at least Wolverine did fight for the honor of his love. It showed the audience that Wolverine wasn’t just all brawn and that he’d given love a chance, after denying it for over a century. In many ways, it made this mutant a human.
5 “What’s A Magneto?”
As Wolverine first encountered the X-Men at the mansion, he proceeded to verbally tear everybody down a notch. He mocked Cyclops for wearing shades and having that pseudonym and made fun of Storm for having white hair.
But the biggest takeaway was how he softly questioned what a Magneto was; a question that showed Wolverine wasn’t like the rest of Professor X’s crew and would have queries that Xavier would need to answer. This put the professor on the back foot for a while and even had the other X-Men questioning Xavier’s methods.
4 “No, For You!” – X-Men: The Last Stand
The scene where Wolverine takes the life of Jean Grey is one of the most poignant moments in the X-Men film series. It completed the journey he went through in the original trilogy, seeing him finally do something completely selfless.
It killed Wolverine inside – as we saw in The Wolverine – but he knew he’d have to take the life of the woman he loved in order to save Jean herself. His final words to her revealed that, while he was saving the world at large, he was committing this act for Jean’s soul, freeing her of the Phoenix’s corrupt influence.
3 “Don’t Be What They Made You.”
Wolverine’s final act of acceptance in his almost 200-year life was embracing his daughter as part of the world. He’d been coy of the fact that X-23 was his biological offspring, but he went out of his way to save her and greeted death after a very long life.
He didn’t go away remarking on what he’d achieved; instead, he bowed out imparting his final words of wisdom to his daughter. She didn’t need to be the monster she was designed to be. Logan was supposed to be a monster himself, but he became a hero. And the film really did deserve to be the final X-Men story.
2 “Then We Stand Together… X-Men, All Of Us.”
Wolverine’s arc in the original trilogy had him be reluctant to take the reins as a leader, even though he’d proven that he did have that ability. He’d always been a loner by choice, but it became apparent he did genuinely enjoy the company of people and gradually became a leader.
Here, he finally took on the role willingly when he rallied the six remaining X-Men (himself included) and claimed he would go out fighting in honor of Professor X and Cyclops. You’d never have thought Wolverine of all people would’ve been the one to raise the heroes from a state of total defeat, but it was ultimately due to him that they came away with the victory.
1 “Okay, Suckers. You’ve Taken Yer Best Shot! Now It’s My Turn.”
The X-Men film series would never have been commissioned had this iconic quote not been uttered. Back when the Dark Phoenix Saga was brand new, the last panel of that month’s issue had Wolverine swear his revenge on the Hellfire Club, who had captured every member of the X-Men.
This shot of the ambushed Wolverine – battered, bruised, and enraged – was the turning point for the X-Men series as the following issue saw great numbers in sales from fans who wanted to see the resolution of this cliffhanger. They weren’t disappointed either, as Wolverine really did make good on “his turn” by enacting his revenge. It was the first instance where Wolverine showed himself to legitimately be one of the X-Men in spirit.
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