What’s interesting to me is how stories are able to bring characters, or even people back to life. If you’ve ever watched a soap opera, you will remember people coming back to life. After being dead and gone for, sometimes 20 years. It’s no different in the world of comic books. Death is not the end, but more like a stay at the world’s most popular hotel. I am going to reveal a spoiler, so please stop reading if you don’t want to know. Marvel is bringing back a fallen hero. Which may or may not surprise you. He or she will be making their grand return in this week’s roster. Will you be shocked?
Marvel Comics has confirmed that this week’s Legacy #1 will see the original Wolverine return to life. He will also possess one of the Infinity Stones, for some reason. This week’s Legacy will also explore thousands of years of Marvel Universe history and set the stage for the fall lineup. Editor-in-Chief, Axel Alonso, had this to say about Wolverine’s shocking return:
“Yes, Logan is back from the dead. After three years of a Logan-free Marvel Universe, Logan is back, claws popped and ready for action. How he came back, why he came back, and just how he came into possession of that Infinity Stone are part of a fascinating story that’s going to unveil soon, and in some unusual places.”
Wolverine has been long gone since the events of the 2014 storyline “Death of Wolverine”. Which saw Logan’s body encased in a puddle of adamantium. How does this work exactly, when his skeleton is made of the same substance? Wolverine’s skeleton was originally coated with the material because the mutant already possessed a knack for healing. Meaning he could recover from injuries and surgeries without dying. Wolverine was supposed to be used as a weapon, but he escaped.
In the comic book, adamantium was created by mixing a bunch of metals together, but the doctor who was doing it fell asleep during the process. When he woke up, adamantium existed. He struggled to replicate it because he didn’t know exactly how it was made. Adamantium is poisonous. Well, it’s supposed to be. Marvel killed off Wolverine by covering his body in cooling adamantium, which leaves him as a metal statue.
But does he actually die? Or is this like a soap opera, where anyone can come back to life? This “death” scene gives Marvel an out and an explanation that he’s not really dead. Immediately before he turns into an adamantium statue, Wolverine is seen reaching for the only remaining vial of the healing factor serum. He injects that into himself, which means he can survive being frozen inside the cooled metal. He will just need someone to heat it up or manipulate the metal.
In Wolverine’s absence, we have seen Marvel introduce Wolverine-like characters. Take, for example, Laura Kinney, aka X-23. She is currently in action as the all-new Wolverine. What about Old Man Logan? He’s a displaced version of Logan from the Old Man Logan storyline. He’s currently running around with the X-Men like it’s no big deal. There’s also Jimmy Hudson, the estranged son of the Ultimate Universe’s Logan, who is now a member of the young X-Men Blue team. Last, but not least you’ve got Daken who is one of Wolverine’s sons. Which means that even without Wolverine this past couple of years, we’ve still had our fill of Wolverine at Marvel.
Wolverine’s return might not surprise you. For the reason, I mentioned above, but also because Marvel is shaking up the entire roster in order to appeal to the fans of the old Marvel comics. I do kind of like the “original” characters, but change isn’t always a bad thing. I am honestly more interested to hear how they’re going to spin his return, more than anything. Will this lead to more original characters coming back? Which makes you wonder what Marvel will do with these original characters going forward?