After 60 Years, X-Men Officially Kills Off One of Its First Ever Villains

Warning: Contains spoilers for Wolverine #46!!Sabretooth’s body count continues to rise as the massive “Sabretooth War” progresses and his latest victim is another mutant he shares personal history with. Along with his army of Creed variants, Earth-616’s Sabretooth has cut a bloody path through any hero that opposes him. When the Exiles arrive beneath Krakoa to confront him, Toad takes the lead, and pays the price.

Wolverine #46 – written by Benjamin Percy & Victor LaValle, with art by Cory Smith, Alex Sinclair, and Cory Petit – reaches a pivotal moment in the “Sabretooth War” epic, as the Exiles confront Sabretooth in the ruins of Krakoa, at the pivotal moment that he has acquired a key part of his plan: a depowering gun.

While Toad manages to snatch the depowering gun with his prehensile tongue, the move only makes him a target. In a brutal move, Victor rips his arm off and tosses him aside, killing the villain who first appeared in 1964’s X-Men #4.

Sabretooth Just Added Toad To His Endless List of Victims

Not A Moment’s Hesitation

In Wolverine #46, Sabretooth uses Kid Omega to guide him to Forge’s weapon cache beneath Krakoa. Although Quentin cooperates, he also sends their location to Oya and the Exiles, which leads the group right to them. Just as they’re poised to finally finish the job they accepted when they left the Pit, Mortimer Toynbee steps forward to announce their arrival. Unfortunately, his moment of heroism turns into still further evidence that Sabretooth is one of the Marvel Universe’s most unrelentingly brutal killers.

Toad losing his life is hardly the first time he’s crossed paths with Sabretooth. The two have a considerable amount of shared history, including their mission in House of X #1 which ultimately landed Creed in the Pit, while Toad and Mystique managed to return to Krakoa. That incident came to a head in Sabretooth and the Exiles #3, where the two fought with their recently acquired Astral Plane abilities. Creed walked away from that battle victorious after severing Mortimer’s upgraded tongue – a move that now seems prophetic.

Toad’s Demise Could Push the Exiles to Fight Harder

Toad Is A Hero In Death

In general, both Sabretooth and Toad have always stood outside the barriers of “normal” mutant society, and they’ve spent the majority of their time as villains. Toad served as one of the original members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and Victor Creed acts as a major antagonist for Wolverine while filling his days with the same savagery he used against Toynbee. Yet Toad tries, sometimes in twisted ways, to do good, and he has grown too strong-minded to tolerate someone as cruel as Victor. Toad’s sacrifice may yet give the Exiles and Wolverine a chance to defeat him.

If Toad had died just months earlier, the X-Men would have been able to resurrect him, but now there’s no chance of coming back. Krakoa’s Resurrection Protocols are no more, and as an Exile he lost access to them. His death may be a catalyst for his team to go full power, however, and ultimately allow him to die as a hero. Though it was a long time coming, Sabretooth’s attack just eliminated one of Marvel’s unsung heroes (and former villains) for good.

Wolverine #46 is available now from Marvel Comics.