Stan Lee Never Created Marvel's $2.7bn Wolverine Character

Stan Lee built Marvel's superhero empire, but one of its biggest money-makers wasn't his creation. The comic book legend repeatedly told fans he had nothing to do with Wolverine's origin story. People asked him to sign Wolverine comics anyway.

In a Reddit AMA, Lee explained his awkward position. Fans constantly brought him pictures and comics featuring characters he never invented. Wolverine topped that list.

"People will often ask me to sign pictures or comics of characters I didn't create... Wolverine being a chief example of this... I always make it a point to tell people that I didn't create the character, but they ask me to sign it anyway. I'll always oblige a fan, but I won't do it under false pretenses."

The character Lee didn't create became a box office monster. Hugh Jackman's solo Wolverine films earned $2.74bn worldwide. That's serious money for someone else's idea.

Lee Joked The Wolverine Would Bomb Without Him

Wolverine dominated X-Men movies for years. Hugh Jackman played the clawed mutant across three solo films, ending with Logan in 2017. Each one made bank.

Lee had a theory about why his movies succeeded. At a 2017 convention panel, he joked that his cameos were the secret ingredient. Since he couldn't appear in The Wolverine, he predicted disaster.

"I don't have much to do with the movies, except of course, it's my cameos that make them hits. I didn't have a cameo in Wolverine. I apologize. I know you'll be heartbroken, but they filmed it in Australia, and I just didn't have time to go there, so I missed out on that one. The movie will probably be a dud."

Classic Lee humor. The movie wasn't a dud.

Jackman Made Wolverine Bigger Than Comics

Comic book Wolverine was popular before the movies. But Jackman's version reached everyone. Ten Marvel films. Seventeen years. One actor became the character.

The comic version was brutal and violent. Jackman's Logan had depth. Audiences saw the man behind the claws. The pain, the struggle, the humanity.

Movies reach more people than comics ever will. Jackman's performance created fans who never read a single issue. His Wolverine became the definitive version for millions.

Len Wein created Wolverine in 1974 for The Incredible Hulk #180. Herb Trimpe drew him. Lee was Marvel's editor-in-chief but had no creative input on this particular character. The clawed Canadian became Marvel's most recognizable mutant without Lee's involvement.

Jackman retired from the role after Logan. His version of Wolverine remains the gold standard. Not bad for a character Stan Lee never touched.