While the character of Wolverine is wholly unique, a lot of his attributes can be seen to reflect the greater cultural history embodied by the figure of the American Cowboy, an important antecedent for the Logan we know and love. 1/6 #xmen #wolverine @WolverSteve

Joseph Darowski ( @JDarowski) notes: “Wolverine does take on the role of the outsider on the team, and adopts cowboy imagery, such as a cowboy hat, and mannerisms.” Throw in cigars, a checkered past, and long wistful stares at horizons, and you have your Wolverine. 2/6

Taken further, scholars like Lorrie Palmer have argued that “key aspects of the modern superhero are prefigured in the Western film genre.” Thus, the superhero in general owes a lot to the cowboy mythos, not just Logan. 3/6

Logan’s adoption of cowboy themes specifically is most manifest in the conflict between nature and civilization, quite relevant to a character who must constantly resist falling into a murderous “berserker rage” in which his animal instincts take over. 4/6

We see this theme all over classic Westerns, Sergio Leone’s Western revival, and even in contemporary Westerns such as “Hell or High Water” or (arguably) “No Country for Old Men.” 5/6

The point here is just that Wolverine’s connection to the figure of the cowboy runs much deeper than his choice of hat. There’s a long-theorized history there that Claremont connects to when writing the best there is at what he does. 6/6