Marvel Reveals Origin of Omega Wolverine

Marvel has revealed the origin of the new "Omega Wolverine" variant that is at the center of the new X Deaths of Wolverine event series. The series introduced this Phalanx-infected version of Wolverine as a Terminator-style cyborg, slashing his way through Krakoa and across the world in pursuit of Moira MacTaggert. Now, thanks to X Deaths of Wolverine #4, we know so much more about how and why Omega Wolverine got to this point – and whether or not he's truly an "enemy" at all...

(WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW!) 

DEATHS OF FUTURE PAST

X Deaths of Wolverine #4 basically tells the origin story of Omega Wolverine from his point of view – starting with the reveal that he came from a near-future timeline where Nimrod and The Sentinels have eradicated mutants, humans, the entire "Wolverine Family" leaving a scant few mutants left to fight. Wolverine and Forge are two of last few Omega mutants left, and they pull off a "fail-safe" for mutantkind: a Krakoan gate that opens a portal through time instead of space – housed in a seed that's embedded in Wolverine's eye. 

From there, X Deaths of Wolverine brings things full circle with the original House of X storyline: Omega Wolverine turns out to be the version of Wolverine that ended up in Moira X's Sixth Life timeline. That distant future saw the war between man and machine result in a new race called post-humanity, that sought to harness the Phalanx collective to achieve a "godhood" free of the mortal cycle of time and fate. Wolverine and Moira were left as the last two mutants left, kept alive in a zoo-like "preserve." Moira escaped that fate by having Logan kill her (and start her next lifetime), even as the Phalanx arrived and assimilated Post-Humanity into the collective. 

However, X Deaths of Wolverine has now revealed that through time-travel mechanics that hurts the mind, Moira has now become the source of Post-Humanity's rise, and mastermind of plot to break the entire cycle of timelines by merging with the Phalanx. Moira shows up in the preserve looking to finish Logan off, but instead, Logan uses the temporal Krakoan gate Forge made and goes back in time, emerging as the "Omega Wolverine" we see. 

The twist in point of view in this series is significant: Moira is now clearly a villain, going so (ridiculously?) far as going full Leatherface on Banshee and wearing his skinned face to sneak onto Krakoa to destroy it and all the mutants on it. Omega Wolverine is still Logan (i.e., a hero), and is more like Arnold Schwarzenegger's reformed Terminator from T2, trying to protect the future. His Phalanx infection is shown to give Omega Wolverine unique enhancements but is also a deadly weakness... 

 Moira is ultimately killed by Omega Wolverine but also blasts him with a shot from Forge's de-powering gun, which now threatens to send Omega Wolverine's Phalanx techno-organic virus spiraling out of control – possibly still ensuring the origin of Post-Humanity and that entire dark future threat. 

X Deaths of Wolverine is on sale at Marvel Comics.