Very few characters embody hero-villain duality like Wolverine. The claw-wielding mutant from the Marvel Universe is known for his distinctive adamantium skeleton, superhuman healing factor, and primal fury. Wolverine is often hailed as a gritty antihero rather than a conventional beacon of virtue. Yet there have been occasions when he has crossed the line into darker territories, driven by manipulation, mind control, or the shadows of his own complex nature. In this article, we will delve into “10 Instances in Comics When Wolverine Used His Powers For Evil”. These tales venture beyond his brash exterior and explore the depths of his character, painting a picture that is at times disturbing, but always engrossingly complex.
10 Instances in Comics When Wolverine Used His Powers For Evil
Wolverine Goes to Hell
So, ever heard of this spooky group called The Red Right Hand? These guys did something nuts – they actually managed to send Wolverine’s undying soul straight to Hell. Talk about a bad day, right? But hold up, it gets worse. While Wolverine’s soul is getting the third degree down below, they’ve got his body on earth, possessed by some mega-powerful demon. And this demon? Its only job is to off everyone Logan ever gave two hoots about.
Pretty harsh, but it seems like dark things and nasty deeds just go hand in hand with mutant fate, don’t they? And it doesn’t stop there. This madness spirals out into the “Wolverine Goes to Hell” storyline. With his soul trapped in Hell, Logan finds himself squaring off against a rogue’s gallery of his past enemies. Back on Earth, his demon-possessed body is tearing through friends and foes alike, even including his X-Men family. The situation gets so out of hand that Ghost Rider and Damian Hellstrom have to step in to calm the storm.
The Dark Transformation: When Wolverine Morphed into Apocalypse
You know the Age of Apocalypse universe, right? It’s where some of the most epic X-Men stories come from. Well, in one crazy twist, our guy Wolverine, or Weapon X in this world, gets his hands on these super-powerful Celestial Death Seeds – yeah, the ones that turned En Sabah Nur into Apocalypse. Thinking he could use them for good, Wolverine grabs them, but instead, he turns totally evil and becomes the new Apocalypse. He ends up brawling with the X-Men, and even the 616 X-Force pops over to help out. Worse still, he makes his own empire and becomes an even bigger nightmare than Apocalypse ever was. Wild, huh?
Marvel Zombies
The series continues right after the crossover story-arc, where Magneto destroys the cross-dimensional transporter, trapping the survivors in the Ultimate universe. However, our attention turns to Wolverine, who has succumbed to the zombie virus along with other infected heroes. They ravage the planet, killing and wiping out all life. Magneto, after battling the zombies, discovers that the Acolytes and Forge are still alive on Asteroid M. Unfortunately, he meets his demise at the hands of the zombies, although he manages to behead the zombified Hawkeye.
Meanwhile, the Silver Surfer arrives, bearing the news that Galactus is en route to devour Earth. The zombies attack and overpower the Silver Surfer, devouring him and gaining a portion of the Power Cosmic. With their insatiable hunger, they seek to satisfy it by slaughtering their zombified counterparts and later setting their sights on Galactus himself. As the story progresses, Wolverine’s role as a zombie and his actions within the group become a significant part of the narrative.
The Omega Red Episode
Alright, now let’s shift gears to the Omega Red episode in the “X Lives Of Wolverine”. Crafted by the talented team of writer Benjamin Percy, artists Joshua Cassara and Federico Vicentini, colorist Frank Martin, and letterer Cory Petit, this storyline throws Wolverine into a time-tangling mess with a time-traveling Omega Red. Get this – Omega Red’s hijacking Wolverine’s memories to zip through time. And he’s not just sightseeing. He’s puppeteering people from Wolverine’s past, using them to target Professor Xavier.
In the rollercoaster that is the fourth issue, Omega Red actually gains control over Wolverine. Now, with Xavier in his sights, he’s barreling towards a South American village. But just when you think it’s all over, Sabretooth steps in. He lays the smackdown on Omega Red, offing Wolverine before he can reach Xavier. And as if that isn’t enough, he drags Wolverine’s quick-healing body away for a sinister reprogramming session. When it comes to dramatic turns, this episode doesn’t pull any punches!
Wolverine Rises as the Lord of Vampires
Now, if you think you’ve seen it all, wait till you hear about the time Wolverine turned into a full-blown vampire in “What If… (Vol. 2) #24”. This wild ride of a story was brought to life by writer Roy Thomas, artist R.J.M. Lofficier, inker Tom Morgan, colorist Tom Vincent, and letterer Janice Chiang. In a face-off with Dracula, Wolverine gets bitten and, instead of falling under the Count’s control, his healing factor kicks in, lets him dust Dracula, and claim his spot as the new Lord of Vampires.
In his new, fanged form, Wolverine goes around turning the X-Men and any other heroes he can sink his teeth into. Imagine it – Wolverine’s already a force to reckon with, and now throw in vampire powers! The comic takes a super dark turn and shows us a completely unhinged Wolverine, proving just how dangerous he can be when he’s let loose.
Akihiro’s Stint as Wolverine in The Dark Avengers
Ready for a twisted take on the Avengers? Enter the Dark Avengers era. Norman Osborn, the big bad himself, decided to build his own Avengers squad, plucking members from his Thunderbolts team to play the roles of our favorite heroes like Hawkeye and Spider-Man. But here’s where it gets interesting – he brings in Akihiro, Wolverine’s son who was going by the name Daken, to dress up in dear old dad’s costume and play the part of Wolverine.
Osborn wastes no time in siccing his faux Wolverine on his enemies, including one particularly gory showdown with the Punisher. Even for Frank Castle’s standards, this fight was brutal. Akihiro, though, was a cut above (pun totally intended) and took down the Punisher in a seriously gruesome way.
But that’s not all. Daken also teamed up with the Dark X-Men, clashing with the original X-Men and making them look like the bad guys for not bowing down to Osborn. Talk about a public relations nightmare! The Dark Avengers era truly shows what happens when evil gets a hold of the Wolverine mantle.
Wolverine’s Involvement in Sins of Sinister
This storyline brought a whole new level of chaos to readers. So, the deal was that Mister Sinister got a ticket into Krakoa because of his top-notch genetic library. Sure, nobody really trusted the guy, but the Krakoan Quiet Council thought they had him on a leash. But boy, were they wrong! Sinister had secretly rigged Krakoa’s resurrection tech to give him control over people every time they got resurrected. The more resurrections, the more control for Sinister.
Fast forward a bit, and Sinister’s pulling the strings of some major players like Xavier, Emma, Hope Summers, and Exodus. He’s essentially the puppet master behind Krakoa’s throne, and he’s using the X-Men like a surgeon’s scalpel to take out any threats to his rule. And guess who was one of his early pawns? Yep, our guy Wolverine. He was under Sinister’s thumb, carrying out his orders and even offing some less formidable mutants like Cipher. A stark reminder of what can happen when Wolverine’s power falls into the wrong hands.
The Horseman of Death
Its another earth-shaking chapter in Wolverine’s saga – the moment he lost his adamantium. Genesis, Cable’s son who was raised under the harsh hand of Stryfe, once attempted to reinfuse Wolverine with his signature adamantium and mold him into the Horseman of Death. While Genesis’ plans fell flat, Apocalypse proved more successful. Capturing Wolverine, he threw him into a gruesome battle against Sabretooth, who was sporting an adamantium skeleton of his own at the time. After clawing his way to victory, Wolverine found himself under Apocalypse’s spell, having his adamantium skeleton returned, and reshaped into the menacing figure of Death.
In his terrifying new persona, Wolverine took on an entire team of X-Men, including Cyclops, Jean Grey, Archangel, Cable, X-Man, and another Wolverine, who turned out to be a Skrull. This tormented chapter saw Wolverine as Death, fighting against his friends until Archangel managed to pull him back from the brink. This transformation highlighted the haunting depths Wolverine can descend to when his powers are manipulated for evil purposes.
A Mindless Killing Machine: Beast’s Manipulation of Wolverine into an Assassin
“Wolverine (Vol. 7)” really kept readers on their toes, serving up some downright shocking plot twists. Perhaps one of the darkest surprises was Beast playing puppeteer with Wolverine’s life at Legacy House, an auction venue catering to the superpowered crowd. Beast persuaded the Five to resurrect Wolverine, but with a twist – they tweaked his mind to be more savage. Using a control collar forged from Krakoan biotech, Beast transformed Wolverine into the ultimate assassin.
Beast, already pushing boundaries as the leader of X-Force, now had an unstoppable killing machine at his disposal, letting him eliminate multiple targets. Things hit a snag, though, during a mission against a US general. Wolverine, in full feral assassin mode, triggered the security system before Beast could hack it. Caught red-handed during the assassination, Wolverine’s capture spelled big trouble for Krakoa and saw Wolverine himself thrown into the Pit. This story highlights the potential for havoc when Wolverine’s animalistic side is manipulated for nefarious ends.
Ultimate Wolverine Murders a Kid
The gritty tale unfolds in “Ultimate X-Men #41,” penned by Brian Michael Bendis, with arresting artwork from David Finch and Frank D’Armata. The plot revolves around the cruel necessity of killing a child for the greater good of mutantkind, a task deemed suitable only for Wolverine.
This chilling storyline centers on a child identified simply as “J,” who awakens to find his world eerily deserted. The subsequent revelation is a nightmare – he’s inadvertently causing everyone around him to spontaneously combust. The harsh reality of his powers comes crashing down, revealing he has unknowingly obliterated over 265 people merely by strolling through town. Enter Wolverine, the only one capable of surviving J’s lethal aura thanks to his healing factor. The encounter in the cave is heartbreaking, as J realizes the terrible implications of his existence and willingly accepts his fate, telling Wolverine, “Just do it.” And so, Wolverine departs the cave alone, having carried out the grim execution.
It’s a shocking episode that sees Wolverine taking the life of a child – a fellow mutant – to shield all of mutantkind from violent retribution. The revelation that Nick Fury, not Professor Xavier, assigned Wolverine this grim mission adds a coldly pragmatic twist to the story. This tragic narrative marks a bleak chapter in Wolverine’s history, as he faces the harrowing task of taking a young life to preserve the precarious balance between humans and mutants.
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