How Do Wolverine's Claws Work?

Decades ago, the explanation was that Logan's entire skeleton was replaced with adamantium, not infused with adamantium. The sheaths for his claws to be stored in, the path for each to travel, and his wrist structure was engineered specifically for the claws to operate. And his forearms consisted of multiple smaller rods of adamantium so they acted like a cage that the claws were stored in when retracted.

This is why the first X-men movie was so accurate, because his bones were not just completely covered in the Adamantium. When you look at the x-ray, you see the Adamantium was applied in a series of plates in strategic areas. So this would allow for his ligaments and tendons to stay attached to his bones yet still have his bones covered in Adamantium. Even in Wolverines wrist, in the -ray you see the Adamantium pockets that his claws would have to travel through as to not damage any other part of his wrist or hand. In X-men Origins they completely messed up the detail of how it would actually be done. The details in the first X-men movies was amazing. Even down to the screws in Wolverines claws at the base. Watch the scene on the train where Magneto stretches Wolverine's claws out to the limit, you actually see screws at the base of his claws.

The actual explanation given is that his healing factor basically broke down the coating and adapted to it, creating (so far as I know) the only case of adamantium beta. Basically, the adamantium became a natural component of his bones, maintaining the ability to produce blood cells, heal attached ligaments, etc. The metal became a natural component of the bones. As far as muscles to move the claws, considering the length of movement, traditional claw deployment is out and he would actually need two sets of muscles, one for extension, one for retraction, since muscles technically only ever pull.

The scene where wolverine raises from that tank in rage is THE ULTIMATE badass superhero moment in history - period.

he probably breaks his wrist every time the claws come out but it instantly heals in place, and when he retracks it breaks the ligaments again but its continues to heal. There was a quote from one of the movies, i forget which, where hes asked if it hurts and he says "every time". hes basically acknowledging thats its a painful event but he can heal through it quickly and has got used to the pain to some degree.

During the series where Logan gets his adamantium rip off his bones by Magneto, this is when the X-Men found out Logan's claws were part of his body natually. Additionally, his healing factor was kicked into overdrive to try and keep him alive to the point where it temporarily "burned out". I think it was Kitty Pryde who asked him about the claws and why he keeps using them when his healing factor is down and he says he wants to "keep the channels open", knowing full well he normally slices through his own skin so for the time he opts to keep the "wounds" open and essentially lets his body heal around them, much like how ppl tend to do with holes made for ear piercings, so that he can use his claws without further damaging himself during his more vulnerable time.

It makes sense that Wolverine's ligaments would tear apart to make room for the claws to fit in between the bones, explains why in the first Xmen movie when Rogue asks him if it hurts when the claws come out, Logan says "everytime". Good thing that his healing factor works so well.

His pain when his claws coming out hurts everytime in the first xmen movie when Rogue asks "does it hurt when they come out?" And he says "everytime" it's because he's grown used to the pain

How do Wolverine's claws work? Realistically, they don't. The bones of his arms do not allow the claws to eject through his wrists properly and when they are exrended there is nothing holding them in place except a thin layer of flesh. Any downward blow with sufficient force to cut would rip them right out of his hands. And coating his bones with adamantium would kill him, you need blood vessels going in and out to keep the bones alive and healthy. It might work if you used a full robotic body.

I studied anatomy & physiology & I figured the metal didn’t coat the bones, but bonded to the molecular cells of bones. Therefore, the bones still maintain their A&P

Fun fact: The advantages of his indestructible skeleton comes at the cost of limiting his healing factor, being that having all your bones covered in metal would be lethal 100% of the time to anyone without healing powers. So his healing factor didn't just allow him to survive the procedure, but keeps him alive afterwards.

This brings up every point that I always wondered about Wolverine as a kid and even more. As many people have pointed out, Wolverine being a mutant and having even slightly different physiology from normal people could easily explain how his bones and ligaments can grow to be very similar to normal humans, while still allowing room for narrow bone claws attached to thin yet incredibly strong extender muscles. The bone claws specifically could possibly slide in between the ligaments and tendons in the forearm and wrist and not cause as much damage before they’re fully ejected and the damage done can immediately heal, plus the ligaments and muscles being incredibly strong could absolutely explain how his claws don’t get ripped through his hand when he slashes with them. The adamantium does add a ton of problems like you mentioned, from slicing and cutting muscles and tendons to potentially cutting off red blood cell production and and other vital functions. They actually did address this in the comics a long time ago where Wolverine actually did get sick from adamantium poisoning, and his bones eventually got re-grafted with adamatium that had small gaps allowing normal functions to be unaffected while still giving the strength of the metal to his bones. The claws slicing tendons and ligaments issue could also work the same way as with his bone claws as well, to where the damage done is immediately healed and adjusted around the tendons that hold the claws in place

I always assumed the adamantium blades were just molded over the ends of his already existing claws. Meaning the blades extend the same way his bones did. Adamantium can't be destroyed, so there's no need to replace the bones encased within it.

He born with "natural" claws, so i think his arms are adapted to hold it.

I never thought about how the bone claws turned into blades

In reality, Wolverine's claws would be smaller than what artists would like to depict. Knowing that he had bone claws at first his anatomy would already be prepared to be clawed. His muscle and ligament structure would be different than any other human. So yes, he could be clawed. Yet, they wouldn't be nearly as large as what's depicted.

As Mr. Fantastic once pointed out during an exam when his healing factor failed, everytime he resheathes his claws, he’s pulling ungodly amounts of bacteria and germs into his body. Just popping his claws in his current condition, could lead to sepsis

Marvel has shown wolverine's anatomy (along with his family's) on how the claws work and how the adamantium process was done in Marvel: Anatomy book. A great book I'd recommend as shows everything from aliens to mutants, wonders of science, advanced technology to inhumans.

Theory: Logan's healing gene adapted to incorporate the adamantium into his body. His bones aren't simply coated in adamantium, but the adamantium is now part of the bone, like a biometal. Even when getting blown to bits, he is able to almost fully regrow his body, including his skeleton, the few rare times it has been damaged.

What about how in the comics his claws come through almost the top of his hand with his claw ejectors or whatever you call them. And then in the live action movies they come in between his knuckles. Ive always wondered the differences in how they work with both styles