Excuse me while I groan at the prospect of Wolverine returning to Marvel in 2018. I grew up with this character, I absolutely LOVE this character, and yet for all he’s been through and all that he’s been pining for death to finally take him, the time seems right to let him be and allow X-23 to take up the mantle as it’s been teased for so long now. But that wouldn’t be keeping with the Marvel way of resurrecting characters that have actually earned a rest. So long as there’s a way for the writers to keep bringing them back the characters you thought were dead will return again and again until they’re no longer a worthwhile prospect to keep around. A cash cow like Wolverine has been in demand since his inclusion into the Marvel universe, and obviously this idea hasn’t been wrung all the way out yet.
Do you detect a hint of cynicism? It’s real enough since like I said, I love this character and have followed some of the more insane arcs that he’s been put through since he came on the scene. Like a lot of heroes Wolverine has been built up beyond belief and torn down for various reasons that other writers and fans have deemed appropriate. The guy I like and the guy I miss is the one that was just flat out mean and did what he did best without apologies and without the rest of the X-Men there to keep him in check. He was the guy that was smiling on the front of the cover of his OWN comic book with the claws on one hand extended while he beckoned the reader on with the other. That’s Wolverine, and that’s the guy that a lot of people have expected throughout the years.
The moment that Wolverine went PG was the moment that he started going downhill. His character and his attitude were still on point, but when the studios had to conform to the fact that there would be no blood and no true berserker rages happening it was almost like Wolverine had become de-clawed in a way. Putting a damper on a character such as this was a dangerous proposition since he lived hard, fought harder, and was one of the only characters in the Marvel universe that would gladly use deadly force when it was needed.
I get the understanding of having Wolverine develop into a more stable character. He had to grow at some point, but it almost seemed to take the wind out of him a bit. In Old Man Logan, the comic, he was a beaten-down old man until his family was butchered, and then the Wolverine came out in full force. In Logan he was a beaten down man until the end and would only show bits and pieces of his former self when really pushed to do so.
And now, when he’s earned a good death, when he’s got someone to pass the torch onto, they’re going to bring him. Back. And they’re going to do so with an Infinity Stone, something in the original comics that Wolverine never once possessed. Oh-my-head Marvel. Please stop.
Follow Us
