Warning: contains spoilers for Rise of the Powers of X #5!As X-Men‘s 2019-2024 Krakoan Era comes to an end, mutants win the final battle for survival by unleashing the ultimate, god-tier form of Wolverine‘s claws. For years now, the X-Men have been preparing for their decisive battle against artificial intelligence, as the futuristic sentinel Nimrod has plotted the extinction of all mutantkind. However, when this battle finally arrived, it turned out Nimrod wasn’t the final threat – instead, the X-Men faced the godlike AI known as Enigma, with the power to alter time and reality on a whim.

In Rise of the Powers of X #5, the X-Men finally bring down Enigma. Their victory is possible because the mutants are able to kill and rebirth the Phoenix Force – a cosmic force of change that is wielded by Jean Grey. This moment of rebirth connects the Phoenix to all mutants, past, present and future, who lend their power in the battle against Enigma. These powers are steered by Jean Grey, who chooses to deal the final blow with a manifestation of Wolverine’s claws. However, this time they’re not bone coated in adamantium, but the raw cosmic power of all mutantkind.

In an awesome additional detail, the issue’s artist Luciano Vecchio recently took to X, revealing a numbered guide to the many mutants who make up the fiery ultimate form of Jean Grey’s Phoenix power and its Wolverine claws.

The X-Men’s Combined Form Has Its Own Wolverine Claws

The Phoenix Wields “Three Blades Made of Every Mutant Who Has Ever Lived”

Formerly the human Nathaniel Essex, Enigma managed to ascend to godhood by combining the knowledge of four clones who each believed they were Essex’s one true heir – a group that included longtime X-Men villain Mister Sinister. Having become a godlike being known as a Dominion, Enigma was empowered beyond the constraints of time and reality, and could travel up and down the timeline, making changes to history in order to erase the X-Men from existence.

Thankfully, the X-Men were able to resurrect the Phoenix before Enigma could grow into its full power, with Jean Grey having recently accepted her connection to the cosmic force of creation. It turns out that the Phoenix’s rebirth during the Krakoan Era represents its true moment of cosmological creation, connecting it to Jean Grey in their closest bond ever, as well as to all mutants who will ever exist (including in alternate timelines and other realms of existence.) While the Phoenix boasts that “our talons are the focused totality of mutantkind,” it’s clearly Jean who chooses to manifest the power of mutantkind in the form of Wolverine’s claws, paying tribute to one of the true loves of her life.

Over the last five years, Wolverine and Jean have been closer than ever, with X-Men comics strongly implying that Jean, Wolverine and Cyclops had entered into a polyamorous relationship behind the scenes. When Jean was killed by Nimrod, she used the last moments of her power to visit Scott Summers and Logan, reminding them both of her love for them. Jean’s choice of Wolverine’s claws honors Logan’s history of making the hard, often bloody choices on behalf of mutantkind, often sacrificing himself to strike the definitive blow where others would falter.

Wolverine’s Connection to the Phoenix Gets a Totally New Meaning

Logan’s ‘Hot Claws’ Make a Lot More Sense

While Jean’s choice of Wolverine’s claws makes sense as a reference to a friend who has often acted as a protector of mutantkind, it may also have major lore implications for Logan’s connection to the Phoenix Force. In Jason Aaron, Michael Del Mundo, Christian Ward et al’s Thor volume 5, fans witnessed a possible future timeline in which Wolverine is the final mortal host of the Phoenix, existing in a nearly empty cosmos alongside Thor, who at that point has become the elderly king of Asgard. This ‘Old Man Phoenix’ character has appeared on and off since, and his existence has changed how fans understand Logan’s connection to the cosmic firebird, giving him a far more important role in its era-spanning saga.

Fans had speculated that this link to the Phoenix Force was the true cause of Wolverine’s short-lived ‘hot claws’ evolution, which debuted in 2018’s Return of Wolverine #2​​​​​​​. Following his death and resurrection, Wolverine’s healing factor was essentially overclocked by the villainous Persephone, with the excess energy superheating his claws. The new power wasn’t well-received by fans, and it was quickly undone and forgotten. However, fans have since speculated that this odd power may connect the present-day Wolverine to his future ‘Old Man Phoenix’ self, especially because the Phoenix Force isn’t bound by the laws of time.

Now, Jean’s choice to manifest Wolverine’s claws to defeat Enigma gives fans even more reason to believe that Logan’s fiery claws are connected to the cosmic entity. The Phoenix’s rebirth in this series is – in cosmic, non-linear terms – its true birth into reality, tying this manifestation of Wolverine’s claws into the Phoenix’s origin. It suddenly makes a lot more sense why the Phoenix Force would choose Wolverine as its final host – not only is he close to Jean (its favorite and most compatible host) but he was there at the ‘beginning,’ acting as the blueprint for the Phoenix’s epic connection to all mutantkind.

Wolverine’s Adamantium Is Good, But He’s Had Multiple Upgrades

Even Before the Phoenix, Different Claws Enhanced Logan’s Power

While it’s Jean Grey who pops them, the Phoenix Force claws are still likely to live on as the definitive, most powerful incarnation of Wolverine’s claws in Marvel lore. The power of “every mutant who has ever lived” makes even the unbreakable metal adamantium look second-rate. However, these new ‘Phoenix Claws’ are far from the first time Marvel has upgraded Wolverine’s adamantium. Just recently, Wolverine gained the powers of Ghost Rider, manifesting Hellfire claws as the ‘Hellverine.’ Also during the Krakoan Era, a future version of Wolverine infected with the techno-organic Transmode Virus traveled back in time, showcasing the ability to hack any type of technology with a touch of his claws. Logan was also empowered by mystic armor during his stint with the Midnight Sons, adding eldritch power to his claws that increased the range of his swipes.

Fans have also seen Wolverine upgraded to godlike levels – in Fear Itself, Odin enchanted Wolverine’s claws, which were enhanced by dwarven smiths, while his stint on the New Avengers saw Logan enhanced with the powers of Iron Fist and Doctor Strange, allowing him to take on the ancient sorcerer Agamotto. Several alternate-reality versions of Wolverine also got their own claw upgrades – his merged form with Emma Frost had diamond claws that gave him telepathic access to anyone they touched, while Governor-General James Howlett of Earth-12025 has adamantine claws which can absorb energy, including Cyclops’ optic blasts. Meanwhile, in the Ultimate Universe, Wolverine’s son Jimmy Hudson developed the mutant ability to generate metal, coating his own bones and claws without the need for Weapon X’s experiments.

As impressive as all these upgrades have been, none come close to the version of Wolverine‘s claws that X-Men just unleashed, turning Logan’s signature weapons into not just a symbol of mutant liberation on the cosmic level, but also a tribute to his and Jean’s undying love and faith in each other, now and forever.

Rise of the Powers of X #5 is available now from Marvel Comics.

Source: Luciano Vecchio, Tom Brevoort