The X-Men Figured Out How To Kill Wolverine (And It’s Horrifying)

Fan-favorite X-Men Wolverine is notoriously hard to kill as many people have learned through constant trial and error throughout the years. While his adamantium-laced skeleton and mutant healing factor have been consistent in many iterations of James “Logan” Howlett, there have been instances where Wolverine been killed successfully. In the Ultimate Universe, an alternate Marvel reality, the X-Men witnessed their mortal enemy Magneto slaughter their teammate in a gruesome manner that managed to destroy him.

In this successful parallel world created to re-interpret characters outside of modern continuity for newer readers but also appeal to generations of older fans, the re-imagined teenage X-Men battled unnatural threats to both human and mutant race which included their consistent enemies, the Brotherhood of  Mutants lead by their feared and powerful leader Magneto. Seeking vengeance for the deaths of his children Wanda and Pietro, in the polarizing Ultimates 3 series, Magneto uses his powers to reverse the Earth’s polarity in the Ultimatum event, a decision that creates a series of natural disasters that kill millions of people. A group of surviving heroes including Wolverine decides to travel to Magneto’s floating citadel with the intent of stopping him, permanently.

In this issue by Jeph Loeb and David Finch, Wolverine attacks Magneto with his signature claws, calling out Erik’s murder of millions, but Magneto brushes off his wounds with an attack that comes from Logan’s allies. Commanding the metal in Cyclops’ visor and Iron Man’s armor, Magneto has them fire upon Wolverine, reducing him to a charred skeleton.

Although this would stop most people, Ultimate Logan’s unusual healing factor keeps him going as his skeleton inflicts a near-fatal wound upon Magneto. A furious Magneto unleashes the full extent of his powers in a brutal yet familiar fashion as the Master of Magnetism kills Wolverine by forcibly stripping all of the adamantium from his skeleton. This appears to kill him as the remaining heroes, including members of the X-Men, overlook the charred remains of his skeleton. After Magneto is dealt with, the only surviving part of Logan, a flesh-covered arm with his signature metal claws, is thought to go down with the citadel when it crashes and sinks into the ocean.

In Ultimatum: X-Men Requiem by writer Aron Coleite and artist Ben Oliver, Kitty Pryde confirms Wolverine’s demise is still cannon as she uses her powers to sneak onto the SHIELD base, the Triskelion. After evading the guards, she discovers the skeletal remains of Logan’s hand complete with adamantium claws with wires attached to it, suggesting that SHIELD recovered Wolverine’s remains in hopes to study and possibly figure out how to bring him back. Kitty steals the remains and returns to the former Xavier Institute where the surviving X-Men are preparing to bury their fallen teammates. When Jean Grey asks if SHIELD was able to do anything with Logan’s remains, Kitty responds that she checked and discovered they tried but all their efforts failed, as whatever Magneto did canceled out his regenerative powers. For all intents and purposes, Wolverine was dead.

While this story was meant to signal the end of one chapter in the Ultimate Universe and usher in a new era, the method of how they did so felt more like treading familiar ground instead of creating something original. Magneto stripping Wolverine of the adamantium in his skeleton was a significant moment in the X-Men Fatal Attractions story-line with Logan’s recovery and adapting to life without that mutant armor helping to evolve and develop Wolverine’s character. Its practical use in Ultimatum feels more like its meant to shock faithful readers while giving a nod to classic X-Men fans instead of doing something completely unexpected and new. Although the scenes are beautifully illustrated by Finch, the fact that this method kills Wolverine doesn’t fit with how his healing factor has been portrayed throughout the Ultimate Universe. Other writers do not elaborate on how the removal of the adamantium from his skeleton could have resulted in his cells being unable to regrow and thus regenerate. What could have been a really bold and significant change in the character’s history or powers became nothing more than another number in the series’ already high body count.

Unfortunately, as successful and well-received the Ultimate imprint originally was, multiple stories suffered from constant continuity errors which created confusion for readers expecting consistency from characters within the same universe who often met or worked together. Although Wolverine would live on with Wolverine’s son Jimmy Hudson (don’t ask), the original Wolverine’s remains were buried as the remaining X-Men sought to survive in a world that hated mutants more than ever. Despite his reputation, Wolverine never did return but considering the promise and creativity of the Ultimate X-Men stories that preceded him, one can’t help but wish he had had a better death than his actual demise.

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