Can Wolverine Be Killed, Even With His Healing Factor?

In the Marvel Universe, Wolverine is one of the most resilient superheroes ever, and also one of the deadliest mutants alive as a member of the X-Men. A killer with adamantium-coated bones and enhanced senses, Wolverine was born in the late 19th Century and has spent most of his time since absorbing otherwise fatal damage thanks to his mutant healing factor.

The level of damage that Wolverine has sustained begs a question, however: can he actually be killed? The Marvel Universe is a big place with a plethora of threats and dangers, both common and fantastic. Logic and common sense dictate that there has to be something that can kill Logan.

Wolverine Can Heal From Almost Anything (Even From Bone)

Wolverine’s healing factor is insanely powerful. Some Marvel fans may not realize that there have been times (like during 2007’s Civil War) where his healing factor went into overdrive. Logan was hunting the villain that incited the entire feud between the  superhero community, and the foe’s explosive powers burned Wolverine’s flesh down to the bone. Quite horrifically, Logan was still standing despite only having his adamantium-covered skeleton remaining as he had already begun to heal and regrow his flesh. Even having his adamantium bones is a testament to how strong his healing factor is – the procedure that was forcibly done to him by Weapon X to cover his bones with the near-impenetrable metal could only happen because of his body’s ability to heal as fast as the molten metal was injected into him.

Beyond those examples, Wolverine has survived the nuclear bombings of Japan, being struck by lightning (even Thor’s), getting ripped in half by the Hulk, and even getting crushed and flattened by a steamroller courtesy of the Punisher in 2001’s Punisher #17. There are several other more common and frequent injuries that happen to Logan on the daily as an X-Man that his healing factor allows him to simply shrug off. Examples include getting burned, shot, and stabbed – often with extremely exotic, even alien, weaponry. Wolverine can handle nearly anything the Marvel Universe throws at him, though the price of his mutant gift is that he’s lived far longer than any normal man should, especially considering that there have been times where Logan would have liked nothing more than to die. In this way, Wolverine’s healing factor is both a gift and a curse.

Yes, Wolverine Can Technically Be Killed

Even with his healing factor, there are some ways Wolverine can still be killed. One of the most effective methods some of Wolverine’s enemies have found is drowning. In Ultimate X-Men #12, Sabretooth had the light-bulb idea to try drowning him: “How does a healing factor fix a suffocated brain?” Essentially, the reasoning was that while Logan’s body could heal all the way to perfect condition, the brain would still be rendered inoperable. Likewise, in the most recent Wolverine series, longtime foe Omega Red used the same tactic, throwing and holding Logan under the icy waters of a frozen lake in Canada. While neither of them actually held Wolverine under long enough to cause permanent damage or death, Logan once used this technique to kill his son Daken, which suggests it would be just as effective if used on him.

Another possible method that could work to kill Wolverine would be for Wolverine himself to do the job like in Bryan Hitch’s Age of Ultron #9. In Age of Ultron, Wolverine and the Invisible Woman go back in time to to kill Hank Pym before he creates Ultron, as the sentient robot turns evil and seeks to eliminate all of mankind in favor of machines. However, Pym’s death ends up making things worse for the Marvel Universe at large, forcing a slightly older Logan to kill his younger self before he can kill Pym. It’s unclear how Logan actually did the job, but it may have ultimately involved asphyxiation, recreating similar conditions to his potential drowning.

Wolverine Has Died in Comics, in Some Extreme Ways

Even though it has long served as a source of additional strength and protection, adamantium would prove to be Logan’s undoing. In 2014’s Death of Wolverine, Logan was killed by Dr Cornelius, the new director of Weapon X. Cornelius wanted to take Wolverine’s power to create more living weapons for his program, but Logan fought and resisted his efforts. However, in the process, Wolverine’s body was covered head to toe by a vat of molten adamantium, encasing his entire body, which suffocated him as it hardened. This method did indeed kill Wolverine, and served as a permanent death for a few years (even though Wolverine would be brought back to life a few years later by the mutant leader Persephone.)

However, Wolverine has had another more recent death in the pages of House of X #4, where he sacrificed himself by jumping into the sun to save the day. When the X-Men attempted to destroy the Mother Mold Sentinel that was being constructed near the sun, Wolverine had to stay behind to finish the mission, getting completely annihilated by the Sun’s power. Not even his healing factor could protect him from that. However, the X-Men have recently come up with way to cheat death on their island nation of Krakoa, gaining the ability to create new bodies and restoring their minds courtesy of Charles Xavier and the power of Cerebro. Wolverine was quickly resurrected, and the inventor mutant Forge even had a vat of adamantium ready to re-coat Wolverine’s body with the metal once more.

Essentially, the answer to whether or not Wolverine can be killed with his healing factor is yes, but it’s super, super hard to achieve. Short of suffocation or being completely annihilated by the sun, Wolverine is pretty much going to be able to handle anything he gets bombarded with. It’s why he’s the best at what he does, even if what he does isn’t pretty, as he likes to say. In any case, it seems as though Wolverine will be sticking around for the long haul in the Marvel Universe, especially considering that even if his healing factor does fail him and he dies, he’ll still have Krakoa to bring him back to keep on going.

About The Author

Kevin Erdmann
(2511 Articles Published)

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Kevin Erdmann is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers. With a major in Cinema Studies and a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin is pretty sure he’s writing for the right site. While Kevin is a huge Marvel fan, he also loves Batman because he’s Batman and is a firm believer that Han shot first. Disney also shares a big part of his fan patronage. Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

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