Wolverine has built up more than his share of grudges over the years. Unlike his fellow X-Men, Wolverine has had many solo adventures which have netted him his own rogues gallery. Everyone knows about Sabretooth and Omega Red, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg, as the diminutive mutant has fought all kinds of enemies over the years.
Fans of Wolverine’s solo adventures know that he has some great villains. However, the grind of Wolverine’s life for the last eight years – from his death in 2014’s Death of Wolverineto the current Krakoan status quo – has seen many of them fade away. This state of affairs needs to remedied immediately.
10/10 Gorgon Needs To Go Back To Being A Villain
The X-Men’s Krakoan status quo is a big change, bringing mutant heroes and villains together. Gorgon was one of many villains to show up, making peace with Wolverine and becoming a Captain of Krakoa, one of the nation’s military leaders. In the war against the Arakkii and the hordes of Amenth, he was chosen to be a champion and fell in battle against the White Sword and his hundred men.
Dying on Otherworld made resurrection difficult, and all who were brought back changed. Gorgon has rarely been seen since, so this would be a great time for a heel turn. He’s a mutant with a multitude of powers and his battles with Wolverine were epic. It’s time he took up his sword against Wolverine again.
9/10 Roughhouse And Bloodscream Are Great
Roughhouse and Bloodscream are a great odd couple team of villains. The two of them first started tangling with Wolverine during his Madripoor days. Roughhouse is thought to be a mutant, although there’s been hints he’s Asgardian, with superhuman strength and durability. Bloodscream is a vampire who’s been trying to get Wolverine’s blood for over a century.
They’re basically glorified henchmen, working for anyone who can pay, with a grudge against Wolverine. They got lost in the shuffle of the 90s, and most fans don’t even know who they are. Bringing them back to battle Wolverine would be perfect.
8/10 Chimera Is A Deep Cut That Could Have Been So Much More
Chimera made an appearance in Wolverine (Vol. 2) #97, by writer Larry Hama and artist Adam Kubert. She was working for Genesis, getting information on Wolverine for him. She and Wolverine had a short fight, and he escaped her interdimensional hideout.
Chimera’s telekinetic powers allowed her to manifest energy dragons from her hands to attack her foes. She had mastered the art of traveling through the multiverse, the method unknown, and was an interdimensional raider. She was an intriguing villain who never got much play and would be a deep cut for Wolverine’s fans if she ever came back.
7/10 Shiva Was Weapon X’s Robotic Enforcer
Wolverine has starred in brilliant stories. Wolverine (Vol. 2) #48-50, by writer Larry Hama and artist Marc Silvestri, followed Wolverine as he investigated his Weapon X past. However, the program’s Dr. Cornelius found out and activated the Shiva Protocol. Shiva was a powerful robot designed by Weapon X to destroy the super soldiers created by the project.
Wolverine was able to triumph, but the fight tested him. After that, Shiva was rarely seen again other than when it went after Sabretooth. Bringing the robotic killing machine back, perhaps by the Orchis Initiative and enhanced, would be an amazing idea and challenge Wolverine all over again.
6/10 Lady Deathstrike Has Always Been A Great Foil For Wolverine
Weapon X increased Wolverine’s deadliness by bonding adamantium to his claws and skeleton. However, they didn’t come up with the bonding process. That was Japanese scientist Lord Darkwind, whose research was stolen by the project. After his death, his daughter Yuriko desired revenge against them, and Wolverine in particular, becoming a cybernetic killing machine.
She and Wolverine’s rivalry has gone through a lot of changes over the years. The last time she showed up, she was a quasi ally of Wolverine and his friends. It’s about time for the cybernetic killing machine to come back and battle Wolverine once again.
5/10 Silver Samurai Tested Wolverine Like Few Others
Wolverine’s villains can definitely challenge other heroes, with the Silver Samurai’s combination of mutant powers and skill making him a formidable enemy. His mutant abilities allow him to charge up weaponry, increasing the sharpness and durability. His attacks can cut through anything expect adamantium, which means Wolverine is perfectly suited to fighting him.
He’s a mutant who has blended into the background of Krakoa, which is a tragedy for such a great villain. He and Wolverine have had some amazing battles over the years. He’s being completely wasted nowadays and deserves a comeback as the villain he should be.
4/10 Ogun Hasn’t Showed Up To Fight Wolverine In A While
Wolverine’s foes can be very formidable. Among them, Ogun has always been a unique threat to Wolverine. The ninja master helped train Wolverine, but was also obsessed with immortality. He mastered dark magics that allowed him to switch bodies, putting his soul into an oni mask that would possess anyone who wore it.
Ogun and Wolverine battled before he died, but since then the ghostly villain hasn’t fought him. He’s a classic Wolverine villain and presents a unique challenge. His battles with Wolverine are always entertaining and fans haven’t had a good Ogun story in a long time.
3/10 Viper And Wolverine Have A Complicated History
Viper has also been known as Madame Hydra, working with the evil organization for years. During that time, she also frequented Lowtown Madripoor, where she was associated with Wolverine’s friend and former owner of the Princess Bar Seraph. Because of a favor Wolverine owed Seraph, he and Viper married for a time and she used that clout to become ruler of Madripoor.
Viper and Wolverine’s rivalry is always interesting. She’s not a physical threat to him, but she’s an expert tactician. She knows how to fight him, but the two haven’t had a battle in a long time. Wolverine has been hanging around Madripoor lately, so battling her would be fitting.
2/10 Cyber Is A Much Bigger Threat Than He Seems
Wolverine has faced many deadly foes, with Cyber being way more dangerous than he gets credit for. He’s super strong and has adamantium coated arms tipped with claws that can inject poisons, but his greatest power is his telepathy. He’s used that power to jump bodies for years, and has fought Wolverine for decades.
Sure, he can be a physical threat, using his telepathy to back up his might and fighting skills, but he’s much more interesting as a body jumping foe. This is the perfect angle to bring him back to prominence and a better angle for a return.
1/10 Romulus Can Be A Much Better Wolverine Villain
Not every Wolverine story is beloved, and unfortunately for Romulus, he debuted in a story that fans definitely didn’t like. He was almost an interesting villain, except he was just used as the same kind of shadowy manipulator that Wolverine has battled many times. The only difference is that he could go head-to-head with Wolverine in a fight.
The interesting thing about Romulus is that he’s a nearly immortal evil Wolverine. There’s a lot more that can be done with him than just him being behind every bad thing in Wolverine’s life. He’s skilled, tough in a fight, and has amazing resources. Bringing him back into Wolverine’s life with a new angle could do a lot to make him a better villain.
