| Bigby Wolf | |
|---|---|
 Bigby Wolf, as illustrated in cover art of Fables: The Wolf Among Us #22 by Eric Nguyen. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Vertigo Comics |
| First appearance | Fables #1 (July 2002) |
| Created by | Bill Willingham Lan Medina |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Werewolf (Fable) |
| Team affiliations | Fabletown |
| Notable aliases | Big Bad Wolf (sobriquet) |
| Abilities |
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Bigby Wolf is a fictional character in the American comic book series Fables published by DC Comics and its alternative imprint Vertigo. The character first appears in Fables #1 (July 2002) and was created by Bill Willingham and Lan Medina. He frequently serves as the lead character among the ensemble cast of Fables and is the central protagonist of Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland as well as Fables: The Wolf Among Us, the comic book adaptation of the 2013 video game The Wolf Among Us.
Within the series, Bigby Wolf is a member of the "Fable" community – fantastical characters from fairy tales and folklore who formed a clandestine society centuries ago within New York City known as Fabletown, after their Homelands have been conquered by a mysterious and deadly enemy known as "the Adversary". Bigby is the embodiment of the Big Bad Wolf, a villainous wolf character appearing in several cautionary tales that include Grimms' Fairy Tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Peter and the Wolf, and The Three Little Pigs, as well as some of Aesop's Fables. Effectively immortal like most other Fables, Bigby is capable of shapeshifting between human form, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature form, and a giant wolf form. After gaining the ability to shapeshift and being pardoned for his past deeds, Bigby assumed the role of Fabletown's sheriff, and in the following centuries he has mostly remained in his human form and tries to put his dark past as a menacing predator behind him.
Bigby Wolf has received a positive reception for his complex characterization as an anti-heroic figure, and is considered by critics to be the closest character the Fable series has to a protagonist. The video game iteration of Bigby in The Wolf Among Us has also been well received.