Marvel Will Never Let Wolverine Do One Thing Again (It Isn’t Murder Or Sex)

According to the New York Post interview with Joe Quesada, Wolverine was the worst smoking offender in comics. When the first “X-Men” film introduced the hero to thousands and thousands of new fans, the Marvel Comics decision-maker wanted to make sure one of its most recognizable heroes wasn’t glorifying the act on the page. And Wolverine wasn’t the only hero affected by the ban, as Gambit, Nick Fury, and The Thing, all characters who had been shown lighting up in the comics before, also kicked the habit.

However, Quesada, who said the effects of tobacco use tragically impacted his personal life, didn’t outright ban smoking across the board. While Wolverine can no longer smoke, bad guys don’t face the same rule. “Villains can still smoke, but that’s OK, because villains are stupid,” Quesada told the Post. Additional exceptions were made to the rule as well. “Can Nick Fury smoke? Well, you know what, if Nick Fury shows up in the FANTASTIC FOUR, I’d rather not have him smoke,” Quesada said. “But if Fury’s in a MAX title, which he is, sure, let him smoke away. I think our adult readers are a little more responsible and know whether they want to smoke or not.”

As comic book historian Brian Cronin points out, Marvel took the rule seriously, going so far as to re-edit art used for past releases, such as “Uncanny X-Men” #210, where the publisher removed a cigar Wolverine was smoking on the cover (although the original cover remains on Marvel.com as of this writing). The ban appears to remain in place to this day.

According to the New York Post interview with Joe Quesada, Wolverine was the worst smoking offender in comics. When the first “X-Men” film introduced the hero to thousands and thousands of new fans, the Marvel Comics decision-maker wanted to make sure one of its most recognizable heroes wasn’t glorifying the act on the page. And Wolverine wasn’t the only hero affected by the ban, as Gambit, Nick Fury, and The Thing, all characters who had been shown lighting up in the comics before, also kicked the habit.

However, Quesada, who said the effects of tobacco use tragically impacted his personal life, didn’t outright ban smoking across the board. While Wolverine can no longer smoke, bad guys don’t face the same rule. “Villains can still smoke, but that’s OK, because villains are stupid,” Quesada told the Post. Additional exceptions were made to the rule as well. “Can Nick Fury smoke? Well, you know what, if Nick Fury shows up in the FANTASTIC FOUR, I’d rather not have him smoke,” Quesada said. “But if Fury’s in a MAX title, which he is, sure, let him smoke away. I think our adult readers are a little more responsible and know whether they want to smoke or not.”

As comic book historian Brian Cronin points out, Marvel took the rule seriously, going so far as to re-edit art used for past releases, such as “Uncanny X-Men” #210, where the publisher removed a cigar Wolverine was smoking on the cover (although the original cover remains on Marvel.com as of this writing). The ban appears to remain in place to this day.