Warning! Spoilers ahead for Wastelanders: Wolverine #1
In a new issue, Wolverine’s grossest kill just got incredibly more disturbing. Set in the dark dystopia that is Marvel Comics’ Old Man Logan story from writer Mark Millar, Marvel has been releasing a series of one-shots set in the alternate wasteland future of the Marvel Universe. As a result, Wastelanders: Wolverine #1 follows Logan and his journey following the events of the original Old Man Logan storyline.
In Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s Old Man Logan, an aged Wolverine agreed to transport a blind Hawkeye across the remains of the United States that had been taken over by the Marvel Universe’s villains. This was in exchange for enough money for Logan to pay off his debts to the hillbilly Hulk Gang who took over the region where Logan and his family lived. Despite Logan joining Hawkeye’s heroic cause more than he intended, Logan still arrived with the money two weeks ahead of time. However, the Hulks got bored while Logan was away and killed his family all the same.
This prompted Old Man Logan to become the Wolverine once more in this dark future, seeking vengeance against all the Hulks who were the disturbing offspring of the Bruce Banner who impregnated his cousin She-Hulk. However, Logan saved Banner himself for last. Despite being eaten by the original Hulk, Wolverine managed to claw and burst his way out of Banner’s stomach, surviving thanks to his healing factor which resulted in Hulk’s incredibly disgusting death. However, Wastelanders: Wolverine #1 from Steven Deknight and Ibrahim Moustafa reveals that Wolverine is forced to fight Banner once more, seeing as how his head survived which he had placed within an adamantium body, the same material as Logan’s claws. However, Logan gets some help from Baby Bruce Jr., the one Hulk Wolverine spared and has been caring for, choosing Logan to be his father by knocking Banner out. Wolverine then decides to make sure the original Hulk stays dead using an incredibly dark method of lethal justice.
Clearly, planting a tree so the roots slowly grow through Banner’s head is far more brutal than simply ending Hulk’s life with his claws, but Logan has no reason to offer mercy. With his entire family having been murdered by Banner’s disturbing family of oppressive Hulks, Logan’s one piece of goodness is his intention to raise Bruce Jr. to be better as his own son. Other than that, there’s no reason for Wolverine to offer any sort of kindness to the dark and gross villain Banner has become.
In any case, Wolverine exploding out of Hulks’s stomach in Old Man Logan has long been considered one of the Living Weapon’s most epic and grossest kills. Now, it’s been made even more disturbing thanks to the surprise rematch in this new one-shot. Furthermore, while it seems Wolverine now has a purpose in this dark future (raising Bruce Jr.), it would certainly be exciting to see how else Old Man Logan makes the Wastelands a better place now that the Hulk Gang has been well and truly defeated.
