Wolverine Bone Claws caused a storm of controversy among fans when he lost his adamantium in the nineties, but according to writer Larry Hama, it was nothing compared to what happened behind the scenes at Marvel. Logan’s adamantium was ripped from his body during the “Fatal Attractions” event in 1993, revealing his claws were actually made of bone. Equally controversial among fans, Wolverine was without his adamantium skeleton for the next six years.
Appearing at the “Wolverine: 50-Year Anniversary” panel at Dragon Con 2024, Longtime Wolverine Writer Hama talked about how this year’s X-Retreat began for the creators of the X-Men Family of titles.
“This was the year they decided that [Wolverine] Had bony clawsHama explained,And the amount of fist-pounding and yelling and screaming about this comic was unbelievable.” Things got so heated between the Marvel creators during the retreat So Hama says “It’s almost physical.“
Wolverine’s bone claws are just as controversial among Marvel creators as they are fans
panel from Wolverine #75 by Larry Hama, Adam Kubert, Dan Green, Mark Farmer, Mark Pennington, Steve Buccellato and Pat Brosseau
Hama went on to explain that the room was split down the middle, saying “It was, like, 50/50. There were people who were like, ‘Bone claws. Great idea!’ And there were others who were all, ‘What?!’“Khama revealed that he was not in favor of the idea in the first place, arguing that “The bone claw made no sense.” given that he was the writer of the Wolverine At that time, he had to go along with him, and used the opportunity of Logan discovering his bone claw in Wolverine #75 How An excuse to examine Logan’s relationship with his teammates And finally leave the X-Men for a time.
It’s fascinating to learn the behind-the-scenes process for major story decisions like this.
Hama explains that the story he wrote ended up being one of his favorites, even moving him to tears while writing it:
“I had the scene where he sees the bone marrow for the first time, and that led to the denouement scene where he writes the letter to Yuval. I really felt like… Charles Dickens used to start crying when he was writing his stories. I met myself [writing that scene].”
It’s fascinating to learn the behind-the-scenes process for major story decisions like this, and also that Creators can be just as passionate as the fans When it comes to controversial plot twists about their favorite characters. The “Bone Claws” era lasted until 1999 Wolverine #145 by Erik Larsen, Leinil Francis Yu, Dexter Vines, Marie Javins and Richard Starkings, where the adamantium is re-bonded to Wolverine’s skeleton by Apocalypse.
Wolverine’s Bone Claw era remains contentious
Fans still debate its merits to this day
The period between 1993 and 1999 was quite tumultuous for Logan, as he devolved into a feral, more animalistic state, which was not well-received by fans. While the overall discovery was controversial, The “Bone Claw” era led to some interesting stories, as it made Logan a more vulnerable character overall. As much as fans and readers can get into heated debates about characters like WolverineIt’s interesting to learn that comic book creators can be just as passionate behind-the-scenes.
Source: Larry Hama, “Wolverine: 50-Year Anniversary,” Dragon Con 2024