Did Marvel Just Introduce A New Wolverine?

04/12/2017 09:44 am EDT

The X-Men's ResurrXion enters its second week today with the release of X-Men Blue #1, written by Cullen Bunn, into comic book stores. In addition to the main story, illustrated by Jorge Molina, which features the original five X-Men going up against Black Tom Cassidy and the Juggernaut, the issue also includes a back-up story drawn by Matteo Bufagni that may have introduced a new, and possibly familiar, Wolverine to the Marvel universe.

The story finds the members of a community near the wilderness tracking down a large predator. After finding a few mangled animal corpses the hunting party soon discovers that they've bitten off more than they can chew when they come face to face with the monstrous Wendigo.

Lucky for them, the Wendigo isn't the only predator in the wilderness. The hunting party comes upon a figure they don't recognize in the woods. When the Wendigo attack, one party member's gun falls to the ground and fires a bullet through the stranger's skull. He hits the ground but soon stands back up again. There's the familiar "SNIKT" sound as the stranger pops three claws out of each hand and charges at the Wendigo.

Up Next: Juggernaut Gets A New Costume

Healing factor? Six metal claws? Berserker rage? Fighting a Wendigo? These are all hallmarks of the Wolverine. So then...who is this guy?

To recap, Wolverine is dead and has been for a couple of years now. He died at the end of the appropriately named Death of Wolverine miniseries by being encased in adamantium after losing his healing factor.

Since then, X-23, Wolverine's female clone who also goes by the name Laura Kinney, has taken over the mantle of Wolverine in the pages of All-New Wolverine. A version of Logan from an alternate, post-apocalyptic future, Old Man Logan, has also somehow found himself now a part of the main Marvel universe following the events of Secret Wars. Old Man Logan now operates in his own solo series, as a member of the X-Men Gold team, and as part of the group of mutants forced together for survival purposes in Weapon X.

So who is the newcomer? We can't say for certain since he hasn't revealed his name in print yet and Marvel hasn't made an official announcement, but his light hair and retractable claws do resemble Jimmy Hudson, the son of the Wolverine in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. In that universe, Wolverine discovered he had a child and trusted the boy to the care of war buddy. Jimmy only learned who his true father was when Kitty Pryde brought him a message from Logan after Logan's death.

It was also Kitty that gave Jimmy the idea that he could have inherited his father's mutant gifts. Jimmy discovered his claws, which were bone but could naturally coat themselves in metal as part of his mutant gift.

The Ultimate Universe died during the Secret Wars event, but certain characters and objects from that universe – Miles Morales, the Maker, the Ultimate Mjolnir – ended up in the main Marvel universe. Perhaps Jimmy Hudson is one of them and he's been hiding out in the wilderness for the past year or so.

Future covers for X-Men Blue have shown this character, Jimmy Hudson or otherwise, with his face pixelated to hide his identity, so expect to learn more about him and his place in the Marvel Universe as X-Men Blue continues.

MORE COMICS: DC And Marvel Are Drinking And Drawing For Charity / X-Men Gold Artist Officially Terminated By Marvel / Ghost Rider, Gwenpool Enter Edge Of Venomverse In July

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.