Warning: SPOILERS for Predator vs. Wolverine #3
Wolverine has lived one of the most haunted and violent lives in Marvel Comics’ history. Logan has constantly fought for little more than survival during his centuries-long life, and as such, he’s rarely known peace. Readers might think what morsels of grace Wolverine has managed to capture for himself would have come with the X-Men, but as it turns out, that’s not the case.
Predator vs. Wolverine #3 – by Bejamin Percy, Ken Lashley, Hayden Sherman, Kei Zama –finds Logan recalling his history, going back to his time in Japan studying under the swordsman, Muramasa. Logan confirms that he’s never known peace, but he does go so far as to say that this period of his life was the closest he ever got.
In the end, the swordsman ended up being a less than reputable role model – yet at the same time, he afforded Wolverine a level of serenity that his association with Professor Charles Xavier and his X-Men seemingly ever has.
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Charles Xavier Denied Wolverine Peace
Recalling his training in Predator vs. Wolverine #3, Wolverine thinks: “Maybe it sounds like a bunch of hippie nonsense, but I’ve never gelt as much of a connection between my mind, body, and the earth as when I studied under the madman swordsmith Muramasa.” While Professor Xavier has played a major role in Wolverine’s journey towards becoming the man he is today, Charles’ impact is undoubtedly a double-edged sword for Logan. Just because Charles’ induction of Wolverine worked out for the X-Men and mutantkind as a whole, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s what was best for Logan himself – and his statement regarding Muramasa’s training proves it.
Years before his time with the X-Men, Wolverine studied under Muramasa, a legendary Japanese swordsmith, following the murder of Logan’s wife at the hands of the Winter Soldier. Training Wolverine in bladed combat, the immortal madman would eventually forge the legendary Muramasa Blade – the one weapon capable of permanently killing Wolverine. His time in Japan has always been pivotal to his backstory, but Predator vs. Wolverine #3 makes it clear how important it was to Wolverine personally. Ultimately, Muramasa and Logan went their separate ways, but it’s clear from Logan’s memories that his time with his former teacher was far more healing for him than any spent in the iconic X-Mansion.
Logan Is Good For The X-Men, But They’re Bad For Him
During Logan’s time with the X-Men, he’s spent his life constantly fighting not just for his own survival, but for the survival of an entire race. That’s not an easy burden to bear, especially for one such as Wolverine who constantly struggles to keep his violent nature in check. By positioning Logan into a role as the X-Men’s muscle, Charles essentially withheld any chance of peace Wolverine could ever truly know, and considering his history with characters like Storm or Colossus, it’s far from the only example of Professor X putting his own mission over the lives of those he would consider his students.
Wolverine is known for being “the best there is at what he does”, and he’s had countless opportunities to prove it during his time fighting for Professor X, on various X-teams throughout the years. Unfortunately for Logan, a life of combat clearly doesn’t leave a lot of room for the peace he has so desperately sought for so long. The swordsmith Muramasa and X-Men founder Charles Xavier are both complex figures, who influenced Logan in both positive and negative ways. However, while Muramasa’s influence can be taken for what it was, Xavier can be said in some ways to have failed Wolverine by not helping him find peace.
Predator vs. Wolverine #3 (2023) | |
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