Return of Wolverine - Why I'm Conflicted
Wolverine is the best there is at what he does, and apparently, that’s being resurrected. On September 19, Charles Soule and Steve McNiven are bringing the X-Men’s clawed berserker back from a four-year-long dirt nap in the first issue of Return of Wolverine. Many people are, as you can imagine, over the moon at the revival of their favorite mutant. But for me, it’s not that simple.
“But Myles!” my friends and family cry out, “Wolverine has been your favorite fictional character since you were in diapers! You should be overjoyed that he’s coming back.” Well, to some extent I am happy that Logan is back. When I saw him kill one of Loki’s frost giants in last year’s Marvel Legacy, I could barely contain myself! But then I learned that his resurrection came with a price: Wolverine would be receiving a new power.
Truly Hot Claws
Well, what is this power? Something meaningful that adds depth to the character? Nope. Not even close. On June 12, Charles Soule announced on his blog that Wolverine would be returning with “truly hot claws.” Now, ignoring how ridiculous that sounds, maybe Soule can shed some light on this change for us. After all, he did write 2014’s acclaimed Death of Wolverine. Maybe he knows what he’s doing.
“I thought this was a real opportunity to do things that would make him feel new and fresh in a way; if you come back from the dead, it should mean something. One of the outwardly physical manifestations of that is that now, from time to time, his claws—once they’re popped—they can heat up. They can get really hot.”
Nope. Nevermind.
This addition to Wolverine’s character feels, in my opinion, hollow and pointless. Adamantium is already the strongest metal in the Marvel Universe and cuts through Sentinels and goons with enough ease as is. Surely making it even more powerful is a moot point, especially when Logan’s Adamantium, Adamantium Beta, already heals along with his skeleton. This is not even mentioning the insane notion that coming back from the dead should mean something. By that logic alone, Wolverine should be on par with Galactus at this point (and don’t even get me started on Jean Grey or Charles Xavier).
All in all, I am excited about Wolverine’s resurrection. I’ve been waiting four years for this to happen! But not like this. Logan’s revival shouldn’t be overshadowed by a new and ultimately pointless addition to the character.
Wow. Never think like that