Marvel is weeks away from delivering a major overhaul of the X-Men comics. The ResurrXion relaunch promises to overhaul the X-Men lineup and kick-start a new wave of nostalgia-driven books like X-Men Gold, X-Men Blue and Generation X. And based on the "ResurrXion" title, it's probably safe to expect the return of at least one major, long-dead X-Man. I'm just hoping that dead X-Man isn't Wolverine. He may be the most popular of Marvel's many mutant heroes, but Wolverine serves more use dead than alive right now.
I don't say that lightly, as I count Wolverine among my favorite comic book characters of all time. But there's only so much Wolverine a person can take before they reach their breaking point. And Marvel was really pushing it by the time they finally killed off the character in 2014's Death of Wolverine. Wolverine was constantly at the forefront of the X-Men franchise thanks to his role as headmaster of the Jean Grey School and the fact that he always had several solo comics to his name. This is despite the fact that so many classic X-Men runs, from Chris Claremont and John Byrne's Uncanny X-Men to Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men, show that Wolverine is a character best used sparingly rather than as the focal point of the franchise.
Even the best of these contemporary Wolverine stories often seemed to collide with and contradict each other. It was a little weird seeing Jason Aaron's Wolverine and the X-Men focus so much attention on Logan moving beyond the sins of his past and inspiring a new generation of mutants even as Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force showcased Wolverine taking lives and making terrible moral compromises. Here we had two terrific, definitive X-Men books that were working at odds with each other where Wolverine was concerned. Logan's character arc in Wolverine and the X-Men always rang slightly hollow because of his actions in Uncanny X-Force.
So it was a relief in a way when Marvel brought Logan's journey to a close in Death of Wolverine. The beleaguered hero was finally given the rest he was so badly needed, characters like X-23, Sabretooth and Old Man Logan were able to step in and fill the void and the X-Men franchise was finally given a chance to focus on other characters again. A win/win situation basically.
Granted, the overall quality of the X-Men line has been in free-fall ever since, but that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the loss of Wolverine. If anything, the post-Secret Wars Wolverine comics have been the lone, consistent bright spot among the X-books. Both All-New Wolverine and Old Man Logan rank among Marvel's best ongoing books right now. What does Marvel stand to gain by messing with a good thing? Sure, Wolverine's return would result in the same newsworthy headlines and temporary sales boost these things always always create, but they'll still be left with a character who was badly overextended at the time of his death (a mere two years ago, no less).
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- Wolverine's final repose. Art by Steve McNiven. (Marvel Comics)
All-New Wolverine and Old Man Logan have worked so well because they allow creators to tell stories they couldn't with the original Wolverine. In the case of the former, Laura Kinney has been undergoing a years-long journey to overcome a lifetime of conditioning. She faces the same struggle Wolverine did in his early years as an X-Man. Is she a killer at heart, or can she reclaim her humanity? And with Wolverine gone, now her journey is about proving to herself and others that she's worthy to take up his mantle. For all that Marvel has worked to create a sense of legacy with characters like Spider-Man, Hulk and Iron Man, the Wolverine/X-23 dynamic is probably their most successful attempt.
As for Old Man Logan, here Marvel has a character who offers the best of both worlds. He basically is Wolverine, just older, meaner and even more antisocial. He has the tragic, "wandering samurai" quality that makes Wolverine so compelling, but his status as a displaced refugee from a post-apocalyptic future gives him a whole new set of problems to contend with. The old Wolverine was defined by his obsession with the past and his quest to recover his lost memories. This Wolverine fears the future and the possibility that his new home will turn out just like his original home. Old Man Logan has even more reason than his predecessor to fear the beast within. The defining tragedy of his long life is the day he was manipulated into killing the X-Men. Can he be sure the future won't repeat itself?
Old Man Logan has other advantages over the original character. The fact that his aged body doesn't function as well as it used to makes him more vulnerable. He has to fight smarter, knowing he can't necessarily rely on his healing factor to patch him up. That's a nice change from the way his predecessor had pretty much become an immortal, unstoppable killing machine until the Death of Wolverine storyline started.
Even better, Old Man Logan isn't necessarily bound by the various origin stories Marvel has published in recent years. The two Origin mini-series probably did more harm than good in terms of removing the mystique surrounding Wolverine's past. And Marvel certainly didn't do the character any favors with the addition of Romulus and that whole convoluted mythology. But who's to say there was a Romulus in the Old Man Logan universe? Marvel could easily use this opportunity to flip the reset button and try again at creating the definitive origin story for Wolverine. Or better yet, just leave his past shrouded in mystery this time.
There are arguments to be made for bringing back some of the dead A-List X-Men characters. The franchise is definitely missing something with Cyclops, Jean Grey and Professor Xavier all out of the picture simultaneously. But Marvel doesn't need Wolverine right now. They have two more than worthy replacements filling the void he left behind. Bringing Wolverine back into the picture now isn't just unnecessary, it would distract from two heroes who are in the middle of very compelling journeys. Let the poor guy rest a while longer.
"Between the Panels" is a bi-weekly column from Jesse Schedeen that focuses on the world of comics. You can see more of his thoughts on comics and pop culture by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.
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