Summary
Warning: Spoilers for X-Men #1!Wolverineis officially leaving the X-Men. Since officially joining the team in 1975, Logan has been synonymous with the X-Men, to the point that he has becomethe team’s most popular member. He’s usually the first character that people think of when they hear the name X-Men, but he’s been on the outs with the mutant squad in more recent times.
Now, Wolverine’s low morale with the X-Men has finally reached its breaking point inX-Men#1 by Jed MacKay, Ryan Stegman, Marte Gracia, and Clayton Cowles. In a conversation with Cyclops, Wolverine reveals that he’s done with the team. He no longer considers himself an X-Man and, as a result, the two parties are going their separate ways.
The issue itselfserves as a creative resetand an overview of the fallout from the Krakoa Era, the period where much of Wolverine’s frustrations with the team began.Analyzing what went wrong can bring readers a step closer to understanding why he has left the team.
Wolverine made his first full appearance on-panel as a comic character in 1974’sThe Incredible Hulk#181 by Len Wein, Herb Trimpe, Jack Abel, Glynis Wein, and Artie Simek. He wouldn’t debut as an X-Man until 1975’sGiant Size X-Men#1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum.
Wolverine Wants No Part of the X-Men’s Newest Reboot
X-Men#1 by Jed MacKay, Ryan Stegman, Marte Gracia, & Clayton Cowles
The Krakoa Era began in 2019, and while Wolverine would join the rest of the mutants in coming aboard the living island, there were times where he’d be on the fence about whether Krakoa was doing more good for the mutants than bad. These moments were typically small agitations, like suggesting that mutants had grown soft because of Krakoa, buthis agitations turned into frustrations during his conflict with Beast.Wolverine never agreed with the Quiet Council’s decision to appoint Beast as head of X-Force operations, even when it was becoming clear that Beast was abusing those privileges.
The last straw came when Beast killed Wolverine, resurrected him in a feral state using Krakoan technology, and then used that same Krakoan tech to build an army of Wolverine clones. This all compelledWolverine to leave Krakoa.The tragedy of the Hellfire Galawould follow, andWolverine’s morale would worsen as he became disheartened with how Orchis turned the world against mutants, as he explains to Cyclops inX-Men#1. Another factor, surely, had to be Wolverine realizing howKrakoa bastardized Xavier’s original dream, and worse,getting in conflict with Professor Xhimself.
Krakoa and Its Fallout Was Wolverine’s Last Straw
He’s Tired of Rebuilding
Wolverine’s initial frustrations were built more from Krakoa than the X-Men itself, but it’s his experiences on the X-Men’s homebase that soured his dedication to the team and their vision.Even as Krakoa has fallen and there are opportunities to rebuild, it’s the rebuilding process that sours Wolverine all the more. He’s been through that process one too many times, whether it’srebranding schools under a new nameor moving to a living island. He’s rebuilt the X-Men from scratch several times only for the world to still hate mutants.Wolverine’stired of X-Men reboots and is actively escaping another one.
X-Men#1is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Wolverine
The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men’s wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics' biggest stars. He’s played in Fox and Marvel’s movie franchises by Hugh Jackman.
