One year after Wolverine was first revealed to be walking the 616 once again (and holding the Space Stone) in the pages of Marvel Legacy #1, he is officially back with the debut of the miniseries Return of Wolverine. While he has not technically returned to the X-Men and might have a tiny issue with being controlled by a manipulative villain who is using him to assassinate innocents, this issue still feels like an official return after so many months of prologue and hints about what fans should expect from his eventual return to the center stage of Marvel Comics.
Videos by ComicBook.com
There’s still a question of whether this was the right moment for Wolverine’s return to occur though. The folks at Marvel Comics certainly seemed to have drug their heels to wait until September of 2018 after giving fans their first taste of the ol’ Canuckleheads return. Superhero comics always bring their heroes back, but finding the right time where it’s not too soon or too late is quite the balancing act. Taking a look at the big picture, everything from scheduling to story beats to the current state of the X-Men movies, now genuinely seems like the right moment for Wolverine to make his return. If you’re still feeling skeptical though, we’ve assembled a full list of reasons as to why now is the perfect time for Wolverine to pop his claws once more, hot or otherwise.
Enough Time Has Passed
It’s worth noting that it has been a full four years since Wolverine died at the end of Death of Wolverine, encased in adamantium as his curse also provided his tomb and monument. Now it might seem like less time has passed, given that X-23 has been wearing Wolverine’s classic blue-and-gold outfit and Old Man Logan from an alternate universe has been filling in for Wolvie’s role on the X-Men. Four years may not seem too terribly long, but consider that Avengers: Age of Ultron hadn’t even debuted when Wolverine expired and it suddenly seems much longer. After four years of events and X-Men stories without him, Wolverine has been gone long enough.
Too Much Prologue
Given that four years is a surprisingly long time for superhero stories, filling an entire year with prologue miniseries and one-shots to reach this moment seems all the more egregious. When Wolverine reappeared in Marvel Legacy #1 it was a genuinely exciting moment. There was a mystery surrounding both his resurrection and possession of the Space Stone, plus the obvious fun of just having Wolverine back. All of that excitement is long gone now as the mysteries have been slowly trickled out across too many issues to count. There’s no more enjoyment to be found in seeing Wolverine return, so it’s time to just have him officially be back.
X-23 Has a Great Restart
One genuine disappointment about the return of Wolverine was that his successor would be required to step out of his role. Laura Kinney, a.k.a. X-23, did a tremendous job as Wolverine and her adventures made All-New Wolverine the must-read X-title of the past several years. In addition to gathering a strong supporting cast, Laura also went on every type of adventure imaginable and has left a strong legacy of fun and moving stories. However, Laura and her friends have continued that story in the new X-23 title which is every bit as good. While the loss of the costume and popular title might still stink, Laura is in a good place for Wolverine’s return.
Wolverine’s Villains Need Attention
Most X-Men villains don’t require any one character to be at their best. Magneto, the Sentinels, or Hellfire Club are capable of popping up for a great story in any world where mutants exist. Wolverine, due to his popularity and proliferation of solo series, has accumulated his own rogues gallery throughout the years, and they tend to do best when he’s around. Sabretooth is the most obvious example, but Lady Deathstrike, Omega Red, Daken, and others all tend to be better when they have Wolvie to scrap with. For the sake of their stories, if not their health, it’s a good thing that Wolverine is back now.
The X-Men Need a Leader
It looks like dark days are ahead for the X-Men, and the current team is scrambling in the pages of Extermination. While Jean Grey and Kitty Pryde are offering a guiding hand, the heroic mutants currently appear divided with no single person to rally around. The return of one of their greatest champions could offer the extra leadership necessary to stick together and face the increasingly difficult challenges on the horizon. Wolverine has proven to be a great leader before and should resume the role quickly.
The X-Men Need a Tough Guy
Wolverine is also the X-Man who is the best at doing things that aren’t pretty. With Cable having been recently killed in Extermination, the X-Men are in desperate need of a tough soldier who can dispatch the worst threats indiscriminately and remain standing during those difficult battles. Wolverine is the hero that can always make the difficult decision and trudge through any fight no matter how much damage he takes. It’s a terrible spot to be in, but someone has to do it. Cable’s death leaves a big opening that Wolverine is perfectly suited to fill.
Wolverine Has a Role Across Marvel
While Wolverine’s place will always start with the X-Men, he has become an increasingly important part of the entire Marvel universe over the last couple of decades as a dedicated Avenger and guest star in series too numerous to count. Wolverine’s return will provide a boost for the entire line and may even cross into the future of Marvel Studios. As the Fox purchase clears every hurdle placed before it, now it just seems like a matter of time before Wolverine and the X-Men find their place with other Marvel heroes on the big screen as well as the comics page, and it would be fun to see the two offer some synchronicity.
Wolverine Is Too Great to Stay Gone
The bottom line on why now is the right time for Wolverine to return is simple: Wolverine is awesome. Ever since his reimagining in Giant-Size X-Men #1, Wolverine’s star in superhero comics has only continued to grow. It’s not just comics either, as Hugh Jackman’s performance has become one of the most iconic in the entire genre of superhero films. He is a complex character capable of delivering epic action and poignant portrayals of the human condition. While not every Wolverine story is bound to be great, the opportunity to receive more Wolverine stories will never be a bad thing. Long live Wolverine.
