Deadpool 3 Kept The Weirdest Parts Of Wolverine's X-Men Costume - Here's What They Do
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is set to finally bring fans the most comics-accurate Wolverine costume ever seen on-screen — right down to one strangely consistent detail on the gloves.
Those who pored over the Internet-breaking set photo of Ryan Reynolds alongside Hugh Jackman sporting Wolverine's iconic yellow suit likely noticed three silver nubs above the knuckles on each of Wolverine's blue gauntlets. This detail was first added to his predominantly yellow suit in 1975's "Giant-Size X-Men" #1, written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum.
These silver nubs stuck and have been integrated into multiple redesigned Wolverine costumes over the decades. They broke through comic book pages and were used in the character designs for the beloved 1997 "X-Men" animated series, as well as 2000's "X-Men: Evolution" (though "Deadpool 3" marks their first live-action appearance). They've even made it into a Lego set, included in the official collector's model of Wolverine's claws.
But what are these nubs, and what purpose do they serve, you might ask? That depends on the canon you ascribe to and how weird you want to get with Wolverine's mutant biology.
These nubs house Wolverine's claws and once prevented him from getting infected
As has been shown in popular films like "Logan" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Wolverine's claws are natural, biological components of his skeleton that are coated in the superstrong metal Adamantium. This is essentially how his claws work in the comics, though it wasn't always that way.
Originally, Wolverine's claws were body modifications meant to make him more dangerous. Though the claws were still implanted within his forearm, they seemingly weren't able to naturally cooperate with his biology when it came to cleaning themselves. Thus, the nubs acted as both an artificial exit port for his prosthetic claws and a seal to prevent blood, dirt, and whatever else they might encounter from retracting into his body.
Nowadays, the nubs seem to be products of convenience rather than necessity. Their most obvious use is to give Logan designated points to shoot his razor-sharp claws through, lest he destroy his gloves every time they enter a battle. After all, it's not like Krakoa has a mutant tailor just hanging around, right?
It's also been theorized that these nubs house Wolverine's claws in a semi-unsheathed state, minimizing his pain by decreasing the number of times he has to break his own skin during a fight (his claws ostensibly cut through the area just above his knuckles each time he uses them, as made painfully clear in "Logan"). Their exact function will likely come to light in "Deadpool 3," if only as a joke at Wolverine's expense.