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Underground > Comic Books >

Is Wolverine immortal?

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Matthew Fluxington

16:29 / 18.05.03

C'mon folks, this is an easy one.

Sentinels kill Wolverine in Days Of Future Past by Claremont/Byrne.

Thus, Wolverine can die.

If it can happen to Claremont's Wolverine, then it is definitive enough for me.

One of the plans that Claremont had for the X-Men before he was pushed off of the book in favor of Jim Lee was to have Wolverine killed in X-Men #300, and for him to come back a few years later resurrected by the Hand, and as the X-Men's new archnemesis.

Matthew Fluxington

16:42 / 18.05.03

Ah, Kiss My SARS beat me to it. S/He's right, though.

Re: How did Wolverine get his adamantium skeleton back?

I'm not clear on the specifics of this because I just skimmed over the story, but Apocalypse gave it back to him when he briefly made Wolverine his horseman Death. (Angel was given his metal wings when he became Death back in X-Factor, then he changed his name to Archangel.)

Wolverine's origin is so convoluted and has been rewritten so many times over that it's really hard to go along with any of it. In some cases, this kind of retroactive continuity would be a bad thing, but I think it serves Wolverine well - I think the character is better off having all sorts of gaps in his history, and having conflicting ideas of what made him what he is. Things like Weapon X and Origin serve to complicate and confuse matters, but ultimately make the character more mysterious. After all, it is established that Logan has several "memory implants", and much of his past that he remembers are lies. Another writer can easily come along and say "well, the Origin miniseries is yet another memory implant!" and that's that.

The Origin mini was just horrendous, I'd retcon it if I could. I really hate the idea of Logan having a "real name" (James Howlett), that's such fucking lame bullshit.

I think that the bone claws thing is only logical, and a positive retroactive contribution - Wolverine could control the retraction of the claws with his nervous system, they were working as though they were a natural part of his body all along.

17:50 / 18.05.03

I quite liked Origin; was okay, anyway. Howlett is such a bad pun of a surname I didn't get it for ages, though.

15:34 / 19.05.03

No - see Days of Future Past. His entire body was incinerated by the sentinels leaving just his skeleton. Dead as a dodo.

Well sure, but I took the question to mean "barring accidents or attacks, will Wolverine ever die of natural causes?" So far the answer would appear to be no, or at least not for a long, long while. Anyone know of any alternate futures featuring an aged Logan, and if so how far in the future was it?

16:58 / 19.05.03

Well, but Wolverine. Surely. Could. Be. Drowned. Right??

(don't bother to answer. it doesn't matter anyway)

Matthew Fluxington

17:10 / 19.05.03

You know, I'm surprised that I forgot about it, but Wolverine has died in mainstream continuity - he was officially dead when the X-Men sacrificed their lives to defeat the Adversary in Fall Of The Mutants. Roma resurrected him, but he was dead. Dead dead dead!

18:26 / 19.05.03

He got old and fat in Universe X or whatever it was called.

19:20 / 19.05.03

In "Ruins", he got crippled hands.

Brigade du jour

20:47 / 19.05.03

Big thank you to everyone who replied to this - been away from a computer for a week so unable to say that until just then.

Spent some of my weekend discussing the subject again (I was in Ipswich okay? There's not much to do there) and this skeleton issue kept coming up. Assuming you could strip all the flesh from Wolverine's body, would his skeleton (and therefore a sufficient part of his genetic material to precipitate cellular regeneration) remain protected by the adamantium?

It was a very, very, very quiet weekend.

This is a killer screenname

22:16 / 23.01.07

I hate to resurrect an ancient thread, but I'm starting to feel that there's a predilection for the writers and editorial staff at Marvel (and in the movies for that matter) to go way overboard when it comes to what Wolverine's body is capable of withstanding. To me it smacks of sensationalism (above and beyond the comic standard) as well as being a bit unimaginative. Damon Lindelof's getting the guy torn in half, in his solo book he's emerging from burning plane crashes as nothing but anadamantium skeleton, and in the last movie he's regenerating flesh against the Phoenix's power which dispatched all others in a matter of seconds. I may be mistaken that it's a matter of creative entropy, seeing as I've been unable to track every development of Wolverine over his storied existence, but I feel that it detracts from the appeal of the character to make him this invincible. All the dramatic tension goes out the window; in the golden Claremont days there were many instances where Wolverine was actually in dire peril, where you truly felt for his plight after getting really messed up. After the whole Reavers/Donald Pierce torture scenario played itself out, there was a time where it was actually in doubt as to whether he would survive if he didn't take it easy - thereby creating ... conflict. *Predicament*. It's cool and all when he's a badass and takes a licking and keeps on ticking, but when he's running around throwing himself into any physical harm like a maniac, why do I care?
So, is this the natural progression that one should expect in a franchise this long in the tooth, and I should shut up, or does this bother anybody else?

02:36 / 24.01.07

Yes, this is true...in the past year or two, Wolvie has gone from 'healing factor' to 'almost instant regeneration of everything' to earthworm-like proportions - ripped in half and he's totally fine, just needs to some time to regenerate, burned alive til only bones remain, etc. etc.

I think one of the Marvel editors in his defense cited a story from maybe 10 years ago where Wolverine/Logan regenerated from a single cell or something outrageous like this, but I don't remember the details. Anyone...?

02:39 / 24.01.07

Just realized that this, referenced earlier in this very thread, is what I was thinking of:

>> Don't know about the Savage land, but in X-Men Annual #11 a drop of Wolverine's blood landed on the Crystal of Ultimate Vision after he had his heart ripped out, and amplified his powers enough to completely regenerate him. So, there's a heartless Wolverine corpse lying around somewhere in space. That, and he had the opportunity to become a God, but turned in down, thereby winning the human race the right to evolve, or something.

But in this case, of course, his healing powers were amplified, um, a LOT by this magic crystal thingie. Not exactly usual condiitons.

10:50 / 24.01.07

in his solo book he's emerging from burning plane crashes as nothing but anadamantium skeleton

Don't you usually need those things to do that? You know... those string things... muscles.

Or actual puppet strings I suppose.

11:02 / 24.01.07

It's a well known fact that Canadians can move their skeletons without needing muscles.

Those fellas in Jason and The Argonauts at the end? Ray Harryhausen SFX? Nah, Canadians!

11:38 / 24.01.07

Canadian! Run!

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

12:19 / 24.01.07

I've never actually bought the whole admantium skeleton/healing factor thing. I've always just put it down to the fact that Wolvie (Hear that, Byrne? I said WOLVIE! Wolviewolviewolvie-poos!") drinks tons of beer, and is thus indestructible.

12:33 / 24.01.07

Makes sense. Like that time he was dossing around Mangapore calling himself Patch. Wearing a pirate hat and calling myself Hat is exactly the kind of awesome thing I'd do if I was caned 24/7/52.

13:01 / 24.01.07

In the Enemy of State book, there's a single issue where Nazis keep killing Wolverine, and they thought he was-a goner, but the cat came back the very next day. Rather lame, really, considering the rest of Enemy of The State was good, a-thank you, Millar.

13:10 / 24.01.07

>> Don't you usually need those things to do that? You know... those string things... muscles.

LOL. Nice one.

Regrettable Juvenilia

14:11 / 24.01.07

I've been unable to track every development of Wolverine over his storied existence

Surely only through lack of effort, though? Apply yourself a bit, you young scamp, and we could have a riveting set of data tables and graphs which empirically demonstrated the blah blah blah God I want to kill myself

The Natural Way

14:56 / 24.01.07

I love you.

This is a killer screenname

15:18 / 24.01.07

so much for reasonable discourse...

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

16:16 / 24.01.07

No one so far has mention His Grantness' own run in with uber-Logan. In E Is For Extinction he gets his arm burned off to the shoulder leaving just the skeleton and is healed up a few frames later.

In the last few years it seems like the healing factor/adamantium has only been used when a really killer visual is needed. Unfortunately this means that some writers over do it. I mean, yeah, a burning skeleton coming out of a wrecked plane is neat and all, but come on, that is just silly.

Silly in a bad way, not silly in the good way like us talking about this on an internet forum instead of doing real work.

16:16 / 24.01.07

Now I want a diagram in simple primary colours of Changes In Wolverine's Healing Factor vrs Flyboy's Will to Live.

It must happen.

17:21 / 24.01.07

A Venn diagram, perhaps?

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

20:51 / 24.01.07

I'm not sure how a Venn would work. There have been so many version of WHF (Wolverine's Healing Factor) that a Venn diagram would be overly complex.

I think it is easy enough to say that there is a direct correlation between changes in the effectiveness of WHF and Flyboy's wish for a quick death.

I think a line graph would be the cleanest presentation.

The Natural Way

09:15 / 25.01.07

I know what you mean about Wolvie's invincibility, Screenname, but I say, fuck it, the X-Men are boring anyway. Don't you prefer superdogs? I mean, really?

When the wind changes, I'll rail about how crap current writer's handling of Logan is.

10:44 / 25.01.07

Well yeah, but, MARRIAGE TO A GOAT AND A PIG, mate, that seems a bit beside the point.

The point seems fourfold, or quartered, perhaps, from where I'm sitting, thus;

Point 1: Would Wolverine win a fight against The Hulk?

Point 2: Would Wolverine win a fight against The Punisher?

Point 3: Would Wolverine win a fight against The Phoenix?

Point 4: Would Wolverine win a fight against a proper pint of English beer, the kind a spoon stands straight up in, as opposed to all that bloody rubbish they drink over there, in America? Or, all right, ten pints of the above. All the same, fifteen pints of Wallop'd test his bloody healing factor! His liver would pack up, if he couldn't hack it! And his heart! And his stomach! And his kidneys! And his ... soul, I suppose.

Or would it?

This thread, frankly, seems a bit 'blah' until the above questions have been dealt with in, if not forensic, then certainly enough detail to 'fool the judge,' as it were, guys?

Or you all just going to brush it under the carpet, again.

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:37 / 25.01.07

Point 5: James 'Logan' Howlett vs. the morality of his own actions.

11:38 / 25.01.07

Point 1: YEs if they actually allowed him to stick his claws through the hulks head , and the proiftabilty of the hulk franchise had sunk

Point 2: In all comic logic , oh heavens yes , Franks a bit mad and wear Kevlar . Would be funny to have him smash his fists on Wolverines skull (he he) . Any way from a "charcter " point of view same traning , experinces etc Wolervine just lived longer and is finacily a better deal

Point 3: Comic logic again , no . She tears out his heart next
Point 4: Old Whollape ? Only with help from a Nice roast , (yorkshire pudding and Roasties )and a Treacle pudding or maybe SPotted dig ?

Regrettable Juvenilia

12:14 / 25.01.07

I'm glad you're here with me at the end, osymandus.

13:41 / 25.01.07

Well yes , we had to answer the important question there. Beef stock gravy or Chicken as well . Would this add to potencie , or could he be overcome by a Toad in the hole .
I missd out the custard issue completly

On a quick MArolity part though... No , rasied as he was minus the big 3 moraitly (I,J,C) and surviving in the dog v dog world . James propably had no issue . Now for another to judge his actions .. well by what right them ?

I think Bishops finger might get him though (Captain Britain and Wolverine Pub crawl !!)

13:47 / 25.01.07

I think Bishops finger might get him though

What goes on between two consenting X-Men is no business of yours.

14:25 / 25.01.07

I think Bishops finger might get him though

What goes on between two consenting X-Men is no business of yours.

I set them you , knock them down.

Thank you we're here al week , i recommend the spotted dick

17:07 / 25.01.07

"My name is Wolverine, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

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