I posted this almost a year ago in the "What Happened To Wolverine?" thread. I still stand by it.

If you look back at the "on model" Logan/Wolverine, it's insane to think that he'd be able to get ANY woman, let alone Jean!

I mean, let's "run his stats," shall we? [snip]

He's really nothing more than a lean, mean, Danny DeVito! Go watch "Jack the Bear" if you need convincing.

The "Logan as a ladies' man" idea just doesn't work. At all.

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The personification of Wolverine as a "ladies man" comes very much from the increasing dominance of the fan-turned-pro in the industry. The fan pool from which those pros are drawn has the same share (arguably an even LARGER share!) of obsessive, physically unattractive, out-of-shape, socially inept "loners" with dubious hygiene that make us cringe when we see them at conventions. You know the ones -- they're the people civilians think of when they picture "typical" comic fans.

And, of course, Wolverine hits all those points except for "out of shape". And he makes up for being so buff by being short! So, naturally, he becomes the magnet for those folk, who see him as their avatar in the books. (Peter Parker used to fill this role, but he's sort of good-looking AND bathes regularly. And, of course, he started to lose points of "connection" when he became a photojournalist married to a hot model.)

From this same group comes the fans who stuck around as market conditions and general foolishness caused the industry to shrink, so , of course, while in many cases being the people who were PRODUCING the books, they also became the people to whom those writers, artists and editors were pandering.

Wolverine was a "perfect storm" of disparate elements all coming together at the same time.

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Identifying that as a "berserker rage" is akin to finding "clues" that Darth Vader is Luke's father in the original STAR WARS. The term used to describe Wolverine during the entire time I was on the book was "homicidal maniac". (I don't recall if this was actually used IN the book. But 'round the office, and when Chris and I were discussing the character, that was what he was called.)

Some of you may recall what I have often cited as a "definitive" Wolverine "moment" -- Wolverine is sitting in the kitchen of the X-Mansion, eating breakfast, and Kitty walks in and says "Good morning" in just the wrong tone of voice. A few moments later, Scott comes in to find Kitty lying disemboweled on the linoleum, and a completely oblivious Logan still eating breakfast.

That's not a "berserker rage". That's a MOMENTARY SNAP -- and that's what happens in the scene above. A "berserker rage" might "turn on" just as quickly, but it would take time to "turn off". But, as noted, when Shooter decided on day that "homicidal maniac" was no longer acceptable (as he decided Wolverine had never killed anyone, ever, anywhere, no matter WHAT we'd seen), Chris started using "berserker rage" to cover what were essentially the same responses. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.

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Probably the worst case of the fans drinking the Kool-Aid in X-MEN history was the transformation of Magneto into a "freedom fighter". Of course, this plays to the same kind of mentality that turns Wolverine into what he has become -- we're looking at a group who imagine themselves to be misunderstood outsiders, as a way of excusing their lack of social graces.

Roger Stern, in fact, used to say he felt that was the reason for the "cult status" of the X-Men in the first place. They were troubled outsiders, "feared an hated" by the world -- exactly what so many fans imagined themselves to be. (Hey, I felt it myself! I was a "troubled outsider" in my tweens. X-MEN spoke to me in ways FANTASTIC FOUR and THE AVENGERS didn't. Fortunately, I was healthy enough that I could still hear what those other books were saying!)