Who is Wolverine’s worst enemy? X-Men character’s nemesis explained

Wolverine is getting ready to celebrate his 50th anniversary, and there’s at least one knock-down drag-out fight with his worst enemy promised. These old foes could be lining up to take a shot, too. 

Wolverine’s 50th anniversary is coming up, and Marvel is already rolling out the red carpet. Big new comics and a new celebratory wave of Marvel Legends figures are the opening shots of what promises to be an anniversary to remember. 

It helps that Wolverine has long been one of Marvel’s most popular characters, be it in comics, movies, or animation. He’s also been an edgy, cool, mysterious character. He’s also been in some of Marvel’s coolest fights ever. 

That anniversary is also sure to mean some scraps with old foes. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of Wolverine’s deadliest foes who could be coming back to haunt him. 

Wolverine’s deadliest foes and worst enemies in Marvel Comics explained

After 50 years of comic book continuity, you would probably have a few arch-rivals too. Here are just some of Wolverine’s deadliest foes and worst enemies.

Lady Deathstrike

Yuriko Oyama was the daughter of a Japanese crime lord who was slain by the assassin Bullseye. She sought revenge and tried to track down Bullseye by tracing the adamantium in his spine; instead, she found Wolverine. 

Unable to beat Wolverine, she had her body modified by Spiral of the Mojoverse. Through these modifications, she became Lady Deathstrike, a cyborg with retractable adamantium talons for nails for an unbreakable adamantium skeleton. 

Over the years, Lady Deathstrike is a recurring foe and sometimes ally of Wolverine. But her tenacity, adamantium, and fighting skill make her an incredibly deadly opponent, even for Wolverine. 

Silver Samurai

For a long time, many considered the worst enemy of Wolverine to be crime boss Shingen Harada, who he killed in his first solo series. Shingen was the father of Wolverine’s then-fiance, Mariko. But he also had another child: Kenuichio Harada. 

Kenuichio is a mutant himself, with the ability to create a tachyon energy field that he can use to cut through any substance. He uses this, combined with his expert swordsmanship, to become a terrifying foe for Wolverine, adopting the moniker Silver Samurai.  

Kenuichio often finds his allegiances swaying, occasionally being a more heroic figure. Most recently, he was found on Krakoa, overseeing the grim Crucible ritual, where mutants who had never died would lay their lives down in trial-by-combat to experience resurrection. 

Wendigo

The Wendigo itself is not one person but multiple characters. It’s the result of an ancient curse plaguing the Canadian wilderness, turning anyone who feeds on the flesh of the dead into the Wendigo.

Naturally, being an issue in Canada, it brought the Wendigo to Wolverine’s attention. In his very first appearance, Wolverine is in Canada hunting the Wendigo on behalf of Alpha Flight.

The two would have multiple encounters over the years as the Wendigo curse would infect more and more individuals. Most recently, Wolverine teamed with Hulk once again, as a clone of Wolverine was transformed into the monster.  

Hulk

Wolverine’s first appearance may have been in search of Wendigo, but it brought him to blows with none other than The Hulk. Since then, the two have been one of Marvel’s more iconic rivalries.

Wolverine and the Hulk have gone one-on-one multiple times, and it’s always treated like a hug event when it happens. They’ve also found begrudging respect on occasion, teaming up when the circumstances call for a devastating one-two combo of power and violence. 

Wolverine and Hulk’s rivalry is so heated it even transcends the boundaries of the multiverse. Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk saw the two in a knock-down, drag-out fight that didn’t even stop when Hulk ripped Wolverine clean in half, while the Hulk family is the ultimate opponent of Old Man Logan in another universe. 

Sabretooth

When talking bout Wolverine and his worst enemy, his rivalry with Sabretooth has to be in the conversation. Canonically, the two have been locking horns since the early 1900s. They haven’t always been at each other’s throats, though. 

For a good chunk of time, the two are something of allies. Brainwashed by Weapon X, Wolverine and Sabretooth are teammates on Team X and fought together throughout the mid-1900s. 

More often than not, though, the two clash as bitter enemies. They’re behind some of their most brutal fights, including an instance where Wolverine thought he had beheaded Sabretooth for good. Their next scrap is lined up to be a highlight of Wolverine’s 50th-anniversary celebration, which Marvel is billing as their “most violent story ever.”

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