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Characters & first appearances

What is the first appearance of Wolverine?

Published Sep 14, 2026 · Updated Sep 14, 2026 · 1 min read

Short answerWolverine's first full appearance is The Incredible Hulk #181, cover-dated November 1974, by Len Wein and Herb Trimpe, with the costume designed by John Romita Sr. He is seen first in a one-panel cameo on the last page of Incredible Hulk #180 (October 1974). Hulk #181 is the most valuable comic of the Bronze Age.

#180 and #181

Hulk #180 ends with Wolverine bursting in as "Weapon X", sent by the Canadian government to stop the Hulk. Issue #181 is the full three-way fight between Wolverine, the Hulk and the Wendigo. Wein wrote the character as a short, feral Canadian with claws; the healing factor and the rest came later, mostly under Chris Claremont in X-Men.

Why #181 is the Bronze Age's biggest key

Wolverine became the most popular character of the 1980s and 1990s and a screen franchise since 2000. The issue was printed in normal numbers for 1974, but demand is far beyond any other Bronze Age book, and high-grade copies are further reduced by the Marvel Value Stamp: many copies have the stamp cut from an interior page and receive a green qualified label. See What are Marvel Value Stamps?.

What to check when buying

  1. Stamp intact — on the label notes or confirmed by the seller.
  2. Label colour — restored copies are common because the book is worth restoring; a CBCS 2.0 restored copy in the store shows how the market prices one.
  3. Reprints — Marvel has reprinted #181 many times, including facsimiles.

An unrestored CGC 3.5 is in the store.

Wolverine's next keys

  • Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975) — joins the new X-Men.
  • X-Men #94 (August 1975) — first regular issue of the new team; copies in the store.
  • Wolverine #1 (September 1982) — the Claremont–Miller limited series.

See Why is Incredible Hulk #181 so valuable? and the Wolverine character page.

Written by the Rare Comics Collectors grading team. Spotted an error or have a question this guide does not answer? Tell us.

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