Despite being best-known as a member of the always-uncanny X-Men, Woverine actually started life as an antagonist for the Hulk in 1974's Incredible Hulk #180. Created by Hulk writer Len Wein and Marvel's art director, John Romita, the character was less a moment of divine inspiration than the much-discussed solution to the problem of how to help break the Canadian market; then-editor in chief Roy Thomas had asked Wein to come up with a new Canadian character, and he'd already come up with two possible names: Badger and Wolverine, both animals that lived in both the US and Canada.

("Wolverine" was chosen because it sounded close to "wolf" - much to the relief of Mike Baron, who'd go on to create a comic character called Badger eight years later.)

The Wolverine that appeared in Hulk was different from the one we've grown to love - or, at least, tolerate. For one thing, he was originally going to be a teenager whose claws were attached to his gloves whose only powers were increased senses and agility. Even by the time that he was drafted into Marvel's revamped X-Men a year later, his origins were in flux; X-Men artist Dave Cockrum remembered plans to reveal that Wolverine wasn't actually human at all, but an actual wolverine that had become mutated enough to walk and talk like a human (That plan was, thankfully, nixed by Stan Lee).

In fact, Wolverine's origins were left intentionally vague for the first seventeen years of his existence at the behest of X-Men writer Chris Claremont; he claimed to have a plan for where and when he was going to reveal it, but someone else beat him to the punch. 1991's Weapon X (by Barry Windsor-Smith) was the first stab at explaining Wolverine's origin, showing readers just how Wolverine ended up with a metal skeleton in the first place. Even that didn't explain everything, however, and those waiting to see more had to wait another decade.

With the character still maintaining a fanbase despite Marvel's other misfortunes (including, but not limited to, bankruptcy and almost destroying the comic book direct market due to an ill-considered distribution scheme), new Marvel bosses decided at the turn of the century to go for broke in an attempt to create an event so big that everyone would pay attention - and, more importantly, buy their comics. Origin, a six issue series written by Paul Jenkins from a plot by Jenkins, Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada and Marvel president Bill Jemas, didn't just reveal Wolverine's true age, it also hinted at the truth of his relationship with longtime nemesis Sabretooth (half-brothers) and showed the first time Wolverine discovered his powers... which, in true tragic fashion, were to avenge the death of the man he thought of as his father by killing his birth-father. The series was a sales success, and spawned an ongoing series spin-off, Wolverine Origins, which continues to explain the character's long-abandoned past.

That doesn't mean that someone can't come around and add some new wrinkles, of course. And that's what Heroes' Jeph Loeb did in 2007, when he revealed that Wolverine just might be part of a subsection of humanity that evolved from animals other than apes... making him, potentially, a mutated wolverine after all. Some ideas, apparently, can't even be quashed by Stan Lee.

MTV has a collection of character videos from the new Wolverine movie. I'm most surprised with Reynolds super serious delivery.

Taylor Kitsch as Gambit (Plays For Keeps)

Ryan Reynolds As Wade Wilson (Loves His Job)

Hugh Jackman As Wolverine (Gets New Jewelry)

Liev Schrieber As Sabretooth (Is An Animal)

Will.i.am As Wraith (Wants To Give His Gift Back To The Devil...sigh)

Wolverine will be in theaters May 1st.

In an interview with Details Magazine Liev Schreiber, who is taking on the role of Wolverine's mutant frenemy, who later becomes Wolvie's arch nemesis, explained how blog shame made him reject the muscle suit that Fox initially made him wear for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

The incredibly talented Schreiber was living the high life:
"smoking a pack and a half and drinking my nuts off" on the brilliant Broadway play Talk Radio. But when he was cast next to "The very large and very muscular Hugh Jackman,"

"I started to read blogs in the comic world with things like 'That's the dumpiest, most out-of-shape Sabretooth I've ever seen in my life!'" he says. "They gave me a muscle suit at the beginning. I was so humiliated I thought, I've got to try to do this on my own." Jackman helped him train, putting him on a diet so poultry-intensive that Schreiber jokes they were becoming "the Hitler and Mussolini of the chicken world. But I felt like I owed it to the genre to be big."

A MUSCLE SUIT! Sorry Fox, but that shit doesn't cut it. Good for Schreiber for resisting, because Sabretooth is supposed to be a massive gigantor mutant, there is no room for this half-assed muscle suit BS. I commend Liev for taking this role seriously — not that I would expect any less.

I cast off all responsibility for Sabretooth being ashamed of his physique, and instead heap the blame squarely where it belongs, you guys. Liev is a beautiful artist — leave him alone! But seriously, thanks, because I don't want to watch someone in a prosthetic outfit trying to keep dance fighting with shoulders-for-days-Jackman.

Origins comes out May 1, 2009.

An original story developed by X-Force writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost, Hulk Vs. Wolverine is an direct-to-DVD animated feature with just about every villain (or, in one or two select cases, antihero) who's associated with the Weapon X program, and has what can generously be described as a pro-impalement policy. While the infamous "gingerbread Logan" scene from Damon Lindehof's Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk wasn't featured, the scene with Deadpool making jokes while chasing after his freshly sliced-off arm almost makes up for it.

Other big pluses for the feature include a nifty little flashback segment utilizing designs from Barry Windsor-Smith's classic Weapon X storyline, a compact running time that works its hardest to feature an explosion every 90 seconds, and witty dialogue (particularly when the above-mentioned Deadpool is on the scene), as well as Deathstryke, Omega Red and Sabretooth.

In a brief panel after the screening, writer/supervising producer Kyle mentioned additional upcoming features, such as Hulk Vs. Thor, which he promises will be "equally as violent, but in a different, epic, gods-smashing way." If they manage to retain the right amount of wit, blood, fanservice, cameos, and concision, Marvel and Lions Gate will have potential hits on their hand. Hulk Vs. Wolverine is currently scheduled for Blu-Ray and DVD release in January 2009, but if positive word of mouth pushes the release closer to the 2008 holiday season, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

• Here are those Wolverine set photos, showing Liev Schrieber's Sabretooth and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, hanging out and eating apples. Schrieber has sideburns that match Hugh's, but crazy nails instead of metal claws. The photos are not that exciting, but they do give you a sense of how closely the two "animal" mutants will resemble each other in the new movie. And this is probably from a segment where the two mutants are part of some kind of military black-ops team, hence the uniforms. Just Jared, via FirstShowing]
• Here's a roundup of mostly old spoilers for Iron Man, Marvel's new movie about a guilt-ridden weapons merchant who dresses in a suit of power armor. It does include some wacky rumors, like the idea that Hillary Swank will play the Black Widow, a Russian super-spy, and Edward Norton's Bruce Banner will turn up. [UGO]
• Here's another new clip from the post-apocalyptic disease movie Doomsday, which opens March 14. [MTV Movies]
• As you may have heard, Smallville is getting an eighth season. But it turns out Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) and Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) won't be back as regulars. They may make guest appearances, however. Also, a Smallville regular dies in the April 17 episode, the first one written after the strike. This won't be a fake death, or a clone death, but real and irrevocable. [Ask Ausiello]
• In the Kyle XY season finale, everybody goes to the prom! Wheee! Kyle struggles to plan a night that Amanda won't forget, Josh wonders what Andy has planned for their big date, and Declan resolves to show Lori his true feelings. But meanwhile Kyle's female counterpart Jessi XX has some news about her relationship with her mom, played by Ally Sheedy. And here's a Sheedy's appearance in the episode before that, which airs March 10. [Spoiler TV]

Get a glimpse of the first six minutes of Batman: The Dark Knight before I Am Legend in Imax Theaters. The only downside: it may make the main feature look weak by comparison. [Wired]

The new X-Files movie will have a surprisingly high-wattage cast: Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet and rapper Xzibit will co-star. Chris Carter will start directing the script he co-wrote next month in Vancouver. The film will be a stand-alone story featuring Mulder and Scully, not a continuation of the TV show. [Hollywood Reporter]

What's the target audience for Repo! The Genetic Musical? Even director Darren Lynn Bousman isn't sure, after finishing a first cut. It's not quite a horror movie, nor is it quite a comedy. He sort of hopes it'll become the new Rocky Horror Picture Show, which sounds like a pretty lowball aim.

The Sci Fi Channel's new reality TV show will make Who Wants To Be A Superhero? look like a masterpiece. Run For Money follows a group of contestants who compete for cash prizes as they try to escape from "hunters." Whoever "survives" until the end gets the most money. The sad thing is, I don't even think the writers' strike is to blame for this.

While Brian Cox was firmly tied to Wolverine's background as William Stryker in X-Men 2, the studio has been talking to Liev Schreiber about taking the role over, since this film is set seventeen years before the first X-Men film. Cox was willing to take the role back, and was hoping they could make him look younger via CGI, like they did with Professor Xavier and Magneto in X-Men 3. Although, that scene made them look like smooth-skinned mannequins that were shot on a lens coated in vaseline. Yuck.

The film aims to answer questions about his background, which was also the theme that ran through the first two films. However, that's about the only thing it has going for it right now. Fox announced that the title has been officially changed from Wolverine to X-Men Origins: Wolverine for reasons we can't understand. Maybe Fox equates movie success with the amount of space the title takes up on a marquee.

How in the world will this film be ready when they turn the cameras on in just a few weeks? Thanks to the writer's strike, there won't be any "day of" rewrites going on. If they encounter any messy problems, they're just going to have to try and do what Hollywood does best: fix it in post. We say, stick this back on the shelves and wait out the strike.