23 JACLR Journal of Artistic Creation & Literary Research JACLR: Journal of Artistic Creation and Literary Research is a bi-annual, peer- reviewed, full-text, and open-access Graduate Student Journal of the Universidad Complutense Madrid that publishes interdisciplinary research on literary studies, critical theory, applied linguistics and semiotics, and educational issues. The journal also publishes original contributions in artistic creation in order to promote these works. Volume 6 Issue 1 (June 2018) Article 2 Nuria Picón del Campo “Wolverine and American Mythology: The Ultimate Anti-hero” Recommended Citation Picón del Campo, Nuria. "Wolverine and American Mythology: The Ultimate Anti-hero” JACLR: Journal of Artistic Creation and Literary Research 6.1 (2018): 23-37. <https://www.ucm.es/siim/journal-of-artistic-creation-and-literary-research> ©Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain Abstract: The main aim of this project is to show the importance of graphic novels in American culture, as well as to analyze and justify the role of anti-heroes in a world where they match or even surpass the popularity of heroes, using as the main example the character known as Wolverine. An analysis of this character in terms of American literature and society, together with a brief review of the history of American superheroes, serves to demonstrate how Wolverine has become the ultimate American anti-hero. Keywords: Graphic novel, superhero, anti-hero, American mythology, American culture, contemporary myths. Nuria PICÓN DEL CAMPO Wolverine and American Mythology: The Ultimate Anti-hero 0. Introduction As a relatively young country, American society has been marked by a deep need to create its own cultural identity. The easiest way to achieve it has been to develop a body of artistic works that reflect everything the country requires: the United States, the Promised Land, a place where dreams and prospects are supposed to come true; the so-called “cradle of multiculturalism”, tolerance and new beginnings; but also a strong country, able to get ahead on its own. There is no shortage of examples in American literature depicting these ideas in many novels, poems and theatrical pieces whose main target is to provide the United States with a sense of unity. However, some of the greatest cultural expressions of