It’s official: the X-Men’s Wolverine is going rogue. Logan has always been something of a loose cannon, the X-Man who almost gleefully abandons the traditional superhero rule of “do not kill.” It’s hardly a surprise to see him struggling to fit in on the new mutant nation of Krakoa.
The X-Men have done their best to accommodate him. They’ve made Wolverine a key player in X-Force, the mutant equivalent of the CIA, and the only group that Krakoa’s Quiet Council allows to kill humans. In spite of that, though, Wolverine still doesn’t feel comfortable in the new mutant paradise. He distrusts the island itself, believing it’s a trap that will trick people into letting their guard down. And he’s no fan of the mutant amnesty - understandably so, given the X-Men have welcomed everybody from the vampiric Emplate to the terrifying Apocalypse, from the Neo-Nazis called Fenris to the self-serving Sebastian Shaw.
Marvel’s May solicitations confirm Wolverine is going rogue. They tease that he’s in a state of conflict with the Quiet Council, and he even has at least one secret Krakoan Gateway that he uses without their knowledge. Here’s the full solicitation for Wolverine #4:
- WOLVERINE #4 BENJAMIN PERCY (W) • VIKTOR BOGDANOVIC (A) • Cover by ADAM KUBERT VARIANT COVER BY PATRICK GLEASON DARK MARVEL VARIANT COVER BY TBA DAYS OF FUTURE PAST VARIANT COVER BY JAVIER RODRIGUEZ THE RED TAVERN! After getting dressed down by the Quiet Council for rogue activity, Wolverine escapes through his own secret gate to the Red Tavern, a snowbound, backwoods watering hole where he only wants to guzzle whiskey in peace. But Logan soon discovers that peace isn’t possible as a twist-and-turn murder mystery unfolds — and at the heart of it all is an enemy from the past. In comic shops May 20, 2020.
Wolverine’s longing for beer has been one of the recurring gags of the X-Men relaunch. He’s been getting the Marauders to bring him regular shipments, but it seems that just hasn’t been enough for the Canucklehead, and he’s decided to take matters into his own hands. Of course, if Wolverine would break the rules in order to get a drink, he’s most likely got other secret gates to ensure he can go off-island and do his own thing. The cover of Wolverine #4 strongly suggests these secret gates will become a problem, simply because they mean Wolverine can be hunted down and even neutralized without the X-Men’s knowledge. It’s not hard to imagine a scenario where the X-Men wind up having to investigate whether or not Wolverine’s still alive in order to decide on activating the resurrection protocols.
Meanwhile, the cover hints Omega Red is more dangerous than even Wolverine believed. The clear implication is that Omega Red has somehow learned about Wolverine’s secret gate, and has pursued him through it in order to settle an old score. Officially, when a mutant goes to Krakoa they’re supposed to abandon their past feuds; but it’s becoming clear neither Wolverine nor Omega Red subscribes to this philosophy. This is likely to be a duel to the death - and whoever wins will have to decide how to spin it to the Quiet Council.
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