Sabretooth Finally Has the Power to Destroy Wolverine – Permanently

Sabretooth Finally Has the Power to Destroy Wolverine – Permanently
Warning: Contains spoilers for Wolverine #46!!

The incredibly bloody Sabretooth War could finally be at an end, as Victor Creed finally has the one thing he needs to get rid of Wolverine forever. A deep dive below Krakoa leads Creed right to Forge’s armor and puts the mutant neutralizer, or “depowering gun,” within his grasp. One shot at Logan will theoretically remove his healing factor and allow him to die…once and for all.

Wolverine #46 – written by Victor LaValle and Benjamin Percy, with art from Cory Smith, colors by Alexi Sinclair, and letters from Cory Petit – gets closer to concluding the Sabretooth War and seems to show Victor Creed’s wildest dreams coming true. After forcing the head of Omega-level telepath, Quentin Quire, to guide him to Forge’s weapon stash, he gets ahold of the worst weapon the inventor ever created.

Sabretooth Finally Has the Power to Destroy Wolverine – Permanently

The gun grants him the power to remove Logan’s mutant healing factor with a single shot and, theoretically, allows him to do the same to any mutant who gets in his way. Sabretooth can enact his revenge against Wolverine, but he could cut a bloody path through anyone who wronged him.

Sabretooth Has One of Forge’s Strongest Weapons

Sabretooth shoots Wolverine with Forge's depowering gun and runs to attack him.

In his many years of tinkering and inventing, Forge has crafted an enormous array of devices and weapons. However, he considered his mutant neutralizer to be the most dangerous thing he’d created. Although it was originally created to handle an alien threat, that did not stop the design from being turned against mutantkind – in precisely the way Victor intends to use it to stop Wolverine. With one shot, the effect is instantaneous, turning any affected mutant into a mere human.

Wolverine’s healing factor has allowed him to overcome all manner of savagery, but without it, he’s at Sabretooth’s mercy, and Creed will have no mercy to spare. Although Wolverine #46 ends before the effects of the gun settle in, Victor lands a clean shot when he fires the weapon at Logan’s chest, meaning it’s only a matter of (limited) time before he is depowered. Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton is intact, which gives him some reprieve, but even that will ultimately be a liability if he’s left without his healing factor for long. Sabretooth may have finally struck his fatal blow.

A Depowered Wolverine Still Isn’t an Easy Target

Sabretooth taunts Kid Omega about killing a depowered Wolverine. The image is split between reality (left) and the psychic X-Team illusion (right).

Logan isn’t facing Creed or his depowering gun alone. The Exiles have just arrived, and Quentin Quire is still able to psychically reach out and affect the world, giving Wolverine some serious backup against his arch-nemesis. But should they fail to intervene, it could mean the end of their friend and give Sabretooth a chance to turn the weapon against them instead. Victor now holds an incredible amount of power. With the right moves, he could be unstoppable. Sabretooth has discovered the weapon that will let him end his fight against Wolverine and put himself at the top of the food chain.

Wolverine #46 is available now from Marvel Comics.

Wolverine #46 (2024)

Sabertooth lobotomizes Wolverine with psychic energy.

  • Writer: Benjamin Percy & Victor LaValle
  • Artist: Cory Smith
  • Colorist: Alex Sinclair
  • Letterer: Cory Petit
  • Cover Artist: Leinil Francis Yu

Wolverine Character

Wolverine

Hailing from Marvel Comics, Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) is a human-mutant who primarily works with the X-Men despite his lone-wolf nature. Born with unparalleled regenerative powers, Wolverine eventually is subjected to excruciating scientific procedures that leaves him with an adamantium skeleton that allows him to slice through nearly an material before him. He is often reckless and impulsive and sports a short temper, but he is considered to be a valuable team member with a good heart hiding underneath his gruff exterior.