Marvel has created numerous odd relationships throughout comics, but one such implied pairing, Wolverine has had his fair share of superhero romances, and Squirrel Girl may just be his most questionable.

In New Avengers #7 – written by Brian Michael Bendis, with art by Steve McNiven – Wolverine encounters Squirrel Girl while she's babysitting for Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, and the two share an uneasy interaction, recalling they had agreed to never see each other again. Marvel later tried to retcon this implied relationship, saying Wolverine had taken Squirrel Girl’s cab, but Logan and Squirrel Girl’s exchange implied much more than a stolen taxi.

New Avengers #7; Wolverine and Squirrel Girl implied relationship

Despite Marvel's efforts to backtrack, Squirrel Girl revived the forgotten relationship in Marvel Rivals with the line, “I do still kind of have a crush on Wolverine.”

Squirrel Girl Stirs Up Her Once Forgotten Comic Romance With Wolverine With A Dropped lIne In "Marvel Rivals"

Romance Was First Hinted At In: New Avengers #7 – Written By Brian Michael Bendis; Art By Stuart Immonen; Released In 2010

In Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #2 – written by Ryan North – a fan raised concern over Squirrel Girl and Wolverine’s romance in the Q&A pages, to which North responded that Wolverine had taken Squirrel Girl’s cab and Squirrel Girl held a strong grudge. Though the relationship was never further explored, there has been other suggestions, such as in Wolverine #8 – written by Jason Aaron, with art by Daniel Acuña – when Emma Frost enters Wolverine’s mind and sees Squirrel Girl in Wolverine’s fantasies. While an unconventional pairing, there were also scandalous reasons why Marvel decided to pull the plug on the couple.

Given the questionable age gap, with Wolverine being older than Squirrel Girl by hundreds of years old, Marvel Rivals references their comic history in a subtle yet playful way.

Squirrel Girl was initially introduced as a fourteen-year-old with dreams of becoming a superhero and many were put off by the age gap between her and Wolverine. Though she was no longer a teen when the relationship was implied – and Squirrel Girl has since been depicted as an adult – she has kept her sunny, happy-go-lucky demeanor as seen throughout many character interactions in Marvel Rivals, a stark contrast to Wolverine’s iconically brutish personality. Given the questionable age gap, with Wolverine being older than Squirrel Girl by hundreds of years old, Marvel Rivals references their comic history in a subtle yet playful way.

"Marvel Rivals" Reignites The Discourse Around The Controversial Romance Between Wolverine & Squirrel Girl

A Subtle Nod To A Forgotten Pairing

Marvel Rivals: Squirrel Girl (left) and Wolverine (right)

The Squirrel Girl and Wolverine relationship was a moment Marvel was quick to backtrack on as fans were perplexed by their large age gap and the pairing of two characters who seemingly had no chemistry. While Marvel Rivals does pay homage to the odd pairing, Squirrel Girl’s voice line changes the dynamic between her and Wolverine to allude to a cute one-sided crush that far better suits her character. There have been many relationships within Marvel lore, but Wolverine and Squirrel Girl's romantic past was so unexpected and strange that Marvel was adamant about keeping it forgotten until now.

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An iconic X-Men relationship, between the fan-favorites Wolverine and Storm, has been rekindled in the mutants new From the Ashes era.

Wolverine in Comic Art by Leinil Yu
Wolverine

The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men's wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics' biggest stars. He's played in Fox and Marvel's movie franchises by Hugh Jackman.

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Your Rating

Marvel Rivals
Third-Person Shooter
Action
Multiplayer
Released
December 6, 2024
ESRB
T For Teen // Violence
Developer(s)
NetEase Games
Publisher(s)
NetEase Games
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play
Limited - console crossplay, no PC crossplay
Cross Save
No
Franchise
Marvel