X-Men’s Wolverine: A Zen Buddhist?

Is Wolverine a Buddhist? Well, that may be pushing things, but as Jeffrey Kripal’s book Mutants and Mystics: Science Fiction, Superhero Comics, and the Paranormal says, “Wolverine spent some time in Japan as a boy, speaks fluent Japanese, and practices Zazen.” (He also, as Kripal adds, has practiced tai chi.) And now that he’s got a new film, The Wolverine, coming out this summer, we see in both the advertising and the film itself that a little of his background is coming into play. See one of the film’s posters to the left, which makes sly use of a pseudo-sumi-e style, and the film’s trailer — which includes some temple-based brawling, as well as, as The AV Club puts it, “lots of sulking and ninjas.” Enjoy, fellow comix fans: