19 Years Ago, Marvel Revealed the Real Secret Behind Wolverine’s Healing Factor

As shocking as it is to hear, there was actually another reason why Wolverine has managed to outrun the Grim Reaper as long as he has. Now, I’m not the biggest X-Men fan on the planet, but even I know about Logan’s legendary healing factor. The guy has survived things that would have killed both average humans and his fellow heroes. But whether he’s burnt, stabbed, blown up, or being eaten, he always manages to come back. What Wolverine possesses goes beyond a mere healing factor, at least, what a mutant like him should be capable of.

Again, as someone not as well-versed in the X-Men as other comic fans, I’ve always assumed that Logan was able to survive all the things he’s experienced because he was an extremely tough bastard. And while his stubbornness is part of it, there’s actually a more nuanced answer. Writer Marc Guggenheim had a brief run on the character in the mid-to-late 2000s, and he decided to make Wolverine’s ability to cheat death a focal point of the run. We got answers about why death could never claim Wolverine, and they were not the kind anyone was expecting.

Wolverine Kept Beating the Angel of Death to Survive His Worst Injuries

We first got to see what it’s like when Logan is on death’s doorstep in Wolverine #48. After being fatally injured by Nitro, Logan falls into a fiery purgatory where he meets with a man named Lazaer. Wolverine reveals that in this realm, he fights Lazaer, who wants payback from Wolverine (who had previously killed Lazaer). The two had a deal: if Lazaer wins, then Wolverine is dead permanently. But if Logan wins, he comes back to life. Wolverine has fought Lazaer countless times and has always come out on top.

However, things changed in Wolverine #57, when Logan’s then-partner at the time, Amir, is killed by Shogun. Wolverine is subsequently blown up in the ensuing battle, and though his body heals, Logan is brain-dead. The following issue sees Doctor Strange get on the case to figure out what’s preventing Wolverine from healing like normal. Wolverine #58 reveals that when Logan fought in World War I, he met Lazaer on the battlefield. They were the last two men standing and, naturally, they began fighting one another. What Wolverine didn’t expect, though, was that Lazaer is actually Azrael, the Angel of Death.

Strange eventually meets Logan’s soul in a twilight realm and explains that for close to a decade, whenever Wolverine came close to death, he’d return to the same limbo to fight Lazaer, defeat him, and come back to life. But Strange also notes that Wolverine’s success is tied to his will to live. The reason he’s having particular difficulty this time is that he’s struggling with the death of Amir, knocking Wolverine off his game, and allowing Lazaer to win. However, this time, Strange is able to help navigate Wolverine’s soul back into his body.

Wolverine’s Secret Was a Neat Twist on Healing Factors

To be fair, this aspect of Wolverine disappeared almost as soon as it was introduced. This particular arc ends with Wolverine striking a deal with Lazaer to kill someone he wanted dead in exchange for his soul. However, that bargain meant that the next time Wolverine died, he would die for real, which came to pass in the infamous Death of Wolverine series. Of course, he came back from that, but that was thanks to the mutant Persephone. Regardless, it was Logan’s decades-long battle with Lazaer that kept him from shuffling off the mortal coil.

I’m sure many fans would have been content if Marvel Comics never explained the ‘how’ behind Wolverine’s ability to survive the most brutal punishments. After all, if we accept that he’s got a superhuman healing ability, why does the ‘how’ matter? Well, when you’re dealing with a character like Logan, who’s met with every single punishment a human being can endure, one must wonder if there’s something supernatural about Logan. He’s not the only hero in the Marvel Universe with a healing factor, but he’s survived things that, frankly, defy comprehension, even for a fictional world.

I don’t know if hardcore X-Men fans liked or disliked this element of Wolverine’s history, but as a casual fan, I do think it’s neat. It fits the quasi-magical nature often associated with mutants, and it justifies the extreme limits of Wolverine’s healing ability. I do wonder how Marvel has explained his remarkable ways of clinging to life, but for now, I’m just going to say it all comes down to Wolverine’s will to live. Even without Lazaer in the picture, I doubt Wolverine will give anyone the satisfaction of putting him down for good.

What did you think about Wolverine’s history with Lazaer? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!

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