Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
Summary
Len Wein is a living legend. Whilst not known around the globe like Stan Lee, mention his name to any comic book aficionado and they'll kneel down and say things like 'we're not worthy'. Wein has been a proud superhero parent for decades -- helping give birth to Swamp Thing, Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus and of course, Wolverine, which he helped create as a foe for The Incredible Hulk. His work in the mid '70s saw a renaissance of the X-Men and a legacy that endures to this day. As an editor, he has worked at both Marvel and DC, and was the man at the helm who helped shape Watchmen. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2008. Back to Article
Len Wein is a living legend. Whilst not known around the globe like Stan Lee, mention his name to any comic book aficionado and they'll kneel down and say things like 'we're not worthy'. Wein has been a proud superhero parent for decades -- helping give birth to Swamp Thing, Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus and of course, Wolverine, which he helped create as a foe for The Incredible Hulk. His work in the mid '70s saw a renaissance of the X-Men and a legacy that endures to this day. As an editor, he has worked at both Marvel and DC, and was the man at the helm who helped shape Watchmen. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2008. Back to Article
(1-29 of 29 posts) | Reply
on Oct 15 2009 11:34 PM First! (Reply to this) |
on Oct 16 2009 12:17 AM In reply to this comment (#2553542) (Really? I'm so tired of this "I'M FIRST OMG!" stuff.) Great interview, even if it was short. :) (Reply to this) |
on Oct 16 2009 01:20 AM floor man, don't be jealous. (Reply to this) |
on Oct 16 2009 02:10 AM Hopefully the second one will add some more depth to the character than the first one. I'm with floor man, "first" is ultra lame, what an idiotic thing to post. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 03:28 AM it's interesting that he didn't mention The Dark Knight. i thought thats the best comic book movie or superhero movie i have ever seen. my best comic book movies 1. TDK 2. Batman Begins 3. Sin City(300 my ***! this is the "Citizen Kane" of graphic novel) 4. Spiderman 2(so good that it really is a tragedy on what happened on 3) 5. X2(very very entertaining and very well paced. plus the ending is really strong) best superhero movies *just remove Sin City and put Ironman on number 5* (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 03:45 AM also, on XMEN Origin:Wolverine i saw it on DVD. the effects were horrible. i never saw the "leaked" version. they said it had wires and all sorts of undone effects. to be honest, the version that i saw doesnt really feel like the effects were well done either. a friend of mine said that there isnt really much difference except the wires are gone. it's sad that even the effects(which is usually done good on Superhero movies no matter how bad the movie is) isnt well done. everytime i see Hugh Jackman in the movie, it really feels he is doing the best he can and that he really loves the character. but the movie is just BAD. i doubt Gavin Hood's heart was really in the movie when he was making it. if he has passion for the project, he'd confront the producers himself and demand a better script. that's why i like what Matthew Vaughn did in X3. he felt the movie he was gonna make was awful so better do something than nothing. that's a guy who has passion on what he's making (Reply to this) |
on Oct 16 2009 04:41 AM They totally ruined this character. I don't know what movie this guy saw, but I'm sure he made plenty of money seeing as how he invented the character. Nevertheless, deep down he must be disappointed. It's not like Wolvy is the deepest character but still, they really phoned this movie in. I would put it right up there w/ Batman and Robin in terms of how horrible it was. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 05:34 AM It's pretty bad when a video game intro is 100% better than a movie with a $100 million budget. This is what a good wolverine movie could be htt (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 07:23 AM Where's the passion? Where's the artist's flare? You have to believe deep down this guy is wishing he had his own set of claws so he could tear apart every person that made Origins happen. As a Wolvie fan, there were no redeeming qualities to that film aside from a couple little inside-joke lines. I mean, they put in the Blob for the sole purpose of a boxing match? Right now it seems there are only three choices, and only one would satisfy me. Either he's just being polite; or he sold out to Hollywood; or he's crazier than Alan Moore. I mean, say what you want about Moore's eccentric character and distaste for all things "adaptation," but he's going to stick to his guns and flat out tell you he hates you for what you've done. Grow a spine man. You saying it's great won't make it great. (Reply to this) |
on Oct 16 2009 07:56 AM I think he might have actually liked it. Not everyone takes this stuff as deeply serious as so many on here seem to. To each their own of course, just seems some of us in the commenteriat are uber-hard on everything. Sometimes it's fun to hate on stuff on the internet but sometimes some of you hate so much and so hard I begin to wonder if any of you ever like or enjoy anything. While Wolverine wasn't the best comic flick ever, ever..It wasn't all that bad either. No characters got ruined as that only matters in the eye of the beholder. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 08:16 AM What I wanna know is... if Wolverines claws retract into his hand/forearm... how does he bend his wrist?? (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 08:25 AM Len Wein sees no creator money for Wolverine. It would be nice, thank you very much, and he truly deserves it. He's lucky if Marvel decides to send a check when it reprints comics. Unlike Paul Levits at DC Comics, who has gone out of his way to make sure that creators have been equitably remunerated for older works, Marvel has never had a leader with a conscience or that kind of enlightened self-interest. What Len has gotten out of this is a great deal of respectful treatment from Hugh Jackman, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Gavin Hood. And, by the way, you can not pay Len Wein to say something he doesn't believe. Len and I genuinely love Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine, which goes back to the concepts he had at the character's inception--not the berserker, but the human desperately trying to control his baser instincts. As we watched the film, we were thrilled to see that come through and that was the first thing we said to Hugh--who couldn't wait for Len's reaction--and Lauren when the film ended. A perfect movie? Of course not. But we were entertained. By the way, Len did like The Dark Knight very much. Especially Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. We were incredibly grateful to DC for the creator check on that character that arrived the day after our house burned. Nobody at Marvel ever sent s much as a condolence. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 08:28 AM That doesn't answer my claws/wrist question (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 08:32 AM In reply to this comment (#2553624) I don't think that's the case at all - its not that we are being 'uber' hard. I mean, have you actually seen this movie? They totally turn Wolverine into a generic action star, and even by those standards this movie still fails! This is one of Marvel's flagship characters - you would think, even with this being fox, they would realize the potential there. It didn't seem like anyone involved in this movie had any passion for what they were making. I find it highly amusing that people give Transformers so much ****(which it deserves) but they can overlook the fact that Wolverine was just as dumb simply because it features a beloved comic book hero. Even I don't have enough blind fanboy devotion to get behind this movie. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 08:38 AM In reply to this comment (#2553624) @opTIMus Nerd Amen. Honestly, I don't understand why people hate on movies like this so much. Could it have been better? Of course. But I also feel that it could have been A LOT worse. And whoever compared this to Batman and Robin should be shot. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 08:45 AM In reply to this comment (#2553624) Cool guys don't look at explosions. That's how they ruined it. When you're the butt of an Andy Samberg joke, you are ruined. I will always be impressed by Jackman's Wolvie. I think he was an amazing choice and he has taken the role to heart. For that, I am greatly appreciative. But a movie is more than a marquee star. Jackman was just the duct tape holding together an '87 Ford Tempo. He was great, the movie they gave him was crap, and what they did to Deadpool is unforgiveable. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 09:46 AM It's great to see Wolverine on screen if only for the opportunity to see the movies/stories get better. Unfortunately, this character was ruined by the comics industry prior to the big screen. Wolverine's most interesting feature was the fact that we did not know the full story of his origin. And it should have stayed that way!!! But Marvel stripped that away. Fine, everyone needs to make a buck regardless of the expense. But to me the first Wolverine movie should have been the Weapon X story. If anyone has read that series i am sure you will agree. And to take that amazing story and compress it to once scene of a water tank and 20 needles is a sin! The mental, spiritual and physical torture that Wolverine had to endure is what shaped the character we knew and loved in the comics. I just hope round two has more edge and grit that the character deserves. (Reply to this) |
on Oct 16 2009 10:03 AM Wolverine should be in more R-rated territory (Reply to this) |
on Oct 16 2009 11:00 AM The weapon x comic series was brilliant and the 5 minutes they devoted to that in the movie was crap. Studios worry about cramming too many popular characters into one movie that we lose the story. i.e.(SM3, Batman n Robin, Weapon X). I know the kids want to see Venom, want to see 7 villains, need a love interest, but some of these original books/novels can stand on their own as is. TDK and Begins were great because it focused on the story vs. more and more characters as did spidey 2. Sorry for the fanboy rant but there it is. The Japanese Story for Wolvy 2 would be a great idea if they stay close to the series, odds are they will feel the need to add unneeded super villains, dinosaurs or Samuel L Jackson. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 11:59 AM In reply to this comment (#2553589) Deep down he must be disappointed? So now your highbrow savvy allows that you call foul on what a creator thinks about the rendition of his own sh.t. Hmm. Well, I've been remiss then. The Force is much stronger in you than I thought. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 12:02 PM In reply to this comment (#2553624) My god, at last some perspective! (Reply to this) |
on Oct 16 2009 01:35 PM well i was never a fan of the xmen until i saw origins. i loved it. but after seeing the critics review i suddenly saw all the flaws on the film. i know now for sure that the sequel is gonna be sik becuz they changed the writer and chose an award winning writer to do the story so its gonna be sik to critics and audiences, i hope. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 16 2009 01:55 PM I'm sorry, I just believe in putting crappy movies in their place, whether its the latest bloated blockbuster or some high concept indie film. Wolverine fails miserably on every level - the movie is straight in-co-herent. They pull all of these things out of the comics without any regard to what context they have in the overall structure of the movie. To say the pieces of this movie fit awkwardly would be an understatement. In the process they ruin the mythology of the character. Just because we have low expectations for a movie doesn't mean it shouldn't be held accountable for being COMPLETELY TERRIBLE! (Reply to this) |
on Oct 16 2009 02:28 PM Like a lot of people, I don't think I'll ever be fully satisfied with a Wolverine that FOX puts on screen. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 17 2009 05:55 AM LOL.. The uninitiated civilian is often an odd and curious creature. Arrogance, man. All this unearned air of prestige. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 17 2009 07:55 AM I have to agree, Wolverine Origins was a horrible movie. It was generic action, with embarrassingly shoddy effects work, and a plot that was just as messy. That said, I kind of enjoyed watching the film. Like I've said before though, I set my expectations so low that I really couldn't help but be entertained. I simply didn't take it seriously. Wein has a right to enjoy the movie and how his character was portrayed, but at the same time, people have a right to give this movie the low marks it deserves. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 17 2009 11:45 AM I really thought the movie was poor, but I have no problem whatsoever believing that Wein appreciated what they did with the character. I think some of you folks have to realize that comic characters, especially ones that have been around as long as Wolverine (and even he's 'young' compared to the likes of Batman) go through a LOT of evolution in their 'lifetimes'. Many different writers and editors leave their marks on these characters, so it's really hard to say whether a given movie portrayal is accurate or not. When Wein created the character, the Weapon X story had been written yet. Neither had the Origin limited series. Neither had anything that happened in between now and when Wein was last involved with the character. My point is, maybe Jackman's portrayal was very much like how Wein conceived the character; it doesn't matter how different it might be from later incarnations. When a character has so much history, everyone has their own opinion of what the character should be. It's the same with most comic characters. The X-men of the 60's are nothing like the X-men of the 80's and early 90's. Same with Spider-man. If someone made a First Class X-men movie with the same tone as the original X-men comics, I'm sure Stan Lee would love it, but anybody who grew up on the X-men from the 70's onward would think it was absolute weiner-kid cheesy crap. Batman has gone though a huge range of tone and personality too. Some people say that the campiness of the 60's Batman show or of Batman Forever and Batman and Robin was out of character and insulting. But it was actually pretty accurate to some eras of Batman comics. If you talked to the writers from those comic eras they would probably praise the campy Batman movies. (Reply to this) |
on Oct 17 2009 12:43 PM Wolverine wasn't great, but it was way better than SM3 or FF2. (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 19 2009 08:32 AM wolverine is one of my favorite characters in all of marvel. and hugh jackman, in my opinion, was the perfect choice to play him. yes, i will admit, origins bombed hard. but there was a few perks. ryan reynolds as wade wilson/deadpool was the choice i would have made. however whoever had the idea to turn him into f***ing Baraka-pool should die a slow painful death. thank god they are ignoring that in the Deadpool movie PLUS having reynolds still play him. my problem with origins is the one alot of people had. Alot of potentially great scenes, great characters, way too short of time. i am excited for the jap story because that is a central part of wolverines story. plus i would like to see some slight hints at the end of daken being born because thats a very critical point for wolverine. (Reply to this) |
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