Moribund is always the better word. It’s more esoteric. It has more sex appeal. I mean “defunct” it sounds like the profanity of a dead language. “defunct” It’s just an ugly word.
Not true…I think defunct is a more popular word! After all…we want defunct. Gotta have dat defunct…
(sorry) 
By the way, Wolverine’s healing factor wasn’t originally part of his powers even in X-Men, it just kind of evolved.
–Cliffy
Was that before or after the idea to have Wolverine (the Canuck) be a hyper-evolved wolverine (the animal)? I’m pretty sure I heard Claremont and Byrne debating that idea at one point.
I’ve heard that either Universe X or Paradise X reveal that Logan was originally an actual wolverine. They, and Earth X, revealed many crappy and stupid things which happily are not canon.
I’ve never heard that before, but I imagine that idea would come after the concept I mentioned. The interview gives the impression that Claremont and Byrne only got involved with the character after his appearance in the Incredible Hulk.
IIRC the explanation for the hyper-senses is that they’re a byproduct of the healing factor. His body constantly repairs what would otherwise be normal degradation of the sensory organs.
At least that’s what it said back in the old Marvel Handbook from the miid-80s. God only knows what the explanation is now.
I remember hearing that—apparently, they were going to have it come out that the High Evolutionary had turned an actual wolverine into a superpowered human. They decided against it, so it never made it into his backstory…except during the story arc where Jean first died aboard a space shuttle, in which at one point, onboard a space station, some baddies doing a medical scan of Logan comment that his readings “aren’t quite human, but aren’t quite ‘mutant,’ either.” This was to to be foreshadowing of the “Dr. Moreau” revelation, but since that was abandoned by the writers, can just be written off as A.I.M. having miscalibrated tricorders.
Just figured I"d toss out that according to the 2004 Official Handbook, Wolverine’s strength is rated as in the “Superhuman: 800 lbs to 25 tons” class. Pretty big range there; I’d guess that he falls closer to the 800 lbs. part.