Marvel Announces A Brand-New Wolverine
In Marvel's newly announced "Weapon X-Men," several Wolverines, including a new version of the hero from across the Multiverse named Jane Howlett, will face off against a significant threat requiring some of the deadliest clawed mutants to assemble for the first time.
The four-issue miniseries spins out of the recent events of "The Original X-Men" #1 (by Christos Gage, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Frank D'Armata, and VC's Clayton Cowles), where Jean Grey's Phoenix assembles the earliest versions of the X-Men to try to stop a version of Onslaught, a villain possessing the powers of both Magneto and Professor X, from attempting to drain the mental energy of every human on Earth to ascend into godhood. After the mission fails, Jean returns them to their timeline and wipes their minds. The story ends with James Howlett (aka Weapon X) of Earth-295 from the Age of Apocalypse reality arriving as Jean tells him they need to assemble a team of Logans from the Multiverse to put an end to the coming chaos.
In "Weapon X-Men," Jean Grey calls on five different Wolverines from different realities to aid her in taking down an unknown threat. One of the Wolverines is Jane from Earth-1281, a variant of the usual X-Men hero. While little is revealed about the character and the reality she comes from, she is one of the first female counterparts of the hero. Jane will play a vital role in the events ahead, joining a deadly superteam ready to draw blood against Onslaught.
Meet the Weapon X-Men
The main image for "Weapon X-Men" #1 showcases Jane Howlett wearing a white shirt and vest, with three claws coming out of her hand. While readers might not know much about Jane yet, the team of Logans features several familiar faces.
The Age of Apocalypse Wolverine of Earth-295, who appears at the end of "The Original X-Men" #1, is one of the deadliest and most indestructible versions of the hero, who became the heir to Apocalypse as Weapon Omega in the dystopian timeline. The one-handed Logan teaming up with Jean seems to be from before his villainous turn. Conversely, Wolverine from Earth X transformed from a hero into a schlubby, bitter man with little interest in fighting for what's right. Zombie Wolverine comes from Earth-2149. The former X-Men member was among the many heroes infected by the zombie plague on Earth, turning him into an undead creature with his adamantium bones intact.
Old Man Logan (who inspired the 2017 film "Logan") is one of the most recognizable Wolverines besides the main hero himself. On Earth-807128, Wolverine operates in a conquered United States, where heroes have been decimated, with different locations being overrun by villains. In the story, Logan takes on a mission alongside Clint Barton to pay off his debts to the Hulk Gang. He offers protection to the blind hero by delivering a package (later revealed as the Super Soldier Serum) through the dangerous territories. The comic features his fight for survival in a decrepit world. Another version of Old Man Logan, from Earth-21923, also fought enemies in the Wastelands before eventually ending up in the Earth-616 Marvel universe.
The story will move across the Multiverse
The only non-Logan featured on the team is Jean Grey. She continues her mission from "The Original X-Men," providing a much-needed resource for the team of Logans against Onslaught with her incredible powers of the Phoenix Force. What time period the Logans are being pulled from in their respective universes remains to be seen, but Jean is likely bringing the most potent versions of Logan to the battle with Onslaught. Their arrivals won't come at the cost of effectiveness, as Earth X's Wolverine doesn't appear to be the overweight lost cause he ends up being in his original story, nor has Age of Apocalypse Wolverine descended into becoming a full-blown villain. She should be able to contain the group of Logans.
Discussing the series with Marvel, Christos Gage describes "Weapon X-Men" as an Earth-shattering event readers shouldn't miss.
"Getting a chance to continue to explore the Marvel Multiverse in the pages of 'Weapon X-Men' with the amazing Yildiray Çinar is the perfect Christmas gift!" Gage stated. "A team of nothing but Wolverines...one of whom, Jane Howlett, has never been seen before? Against a threat from the pages of 'Original X-Men'? With Yildiray Çinar, whose character acting is as brilliant as his action scenes and who has a George Perez level of skill with crowds? Moving from one alternate Earth to another? Sign me up! We are packing a TON of action, story, character moments, pathos, and sometimes literally earth-shattering moments into these four issues, so don't miss it!"
The Weapon X-Men are coming soon
Jane Howlett is an exciting addition to the slew of Wolverines from across the Multiverse. While plenty of Wolverine variants exist, few, if any, characters who have adopted the mantle have been women, besides his daughter Laura Kinney. In this case, Jane appears to be the main version of the clawed hero from her world, so it will be fascinating to see what personality traits and powers of hers are the same as her Earth-616 counterpart's and how her life has diverged from his. Check out Dike Ruan's cover for "Weapon X-Men" #1, featuring the different Wolverines set to star in the four-issue miniseries.
Marvel Comics
The synopsis reads, "A Multiverse of Logans bands together! He's the best there is at what he does, in every universe he does it in... and this job is too big for just one of him. Wolverines from across the Multiverse converge to take on a foe even the Phoenix fears! But with friends like Old Man Logan, Age of Apocalypse Wolverine, Zombie Wolverine, Earth X Wolverine, and newcomer Jane Howlett of Earth-1281, who needs enemies?"
The multiversal team-up of Wolverines officially begins in "Weapon X-Men" #1, which arrives at comic book stores and online retailers on March 6, 2024.