Summary
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Hellverine #3!One of the darkest moments inWolverine’s life happened back in 2012 during the Marvel Comics seriesUncanny X-Force. During that storyline, Wolverine had no choice but to kill his son, Akihiro aka Daken, as that was the only way to save the X-Men. And now, Wolverine has done the same thing again, only this time, Logan’s act of filicide has become completely redefined - and arguably even more tragic.
InHellverine#3 by Benjamin Percy and Julius Ohta,Akihiro is possessed by a demon called Bagra-Ghul, and together, they have become the Hellverine. While Bagra-Ghul began his Marvel Comics career as a demon who loved nothing more than killing the innocent, he quickly became more akin to the Spirit of Vengeance while inhabiting Akihiro (who the demon resurrected afterAkihiro’s death in theSabretooth War). Only evil is in danger when the Hellverine is around, including some demonic super-soldiers that were not only being hunted by Akihiro, but also his father, Wolverine.
These demonic super-soldiers were wreaking havoc wherever they went, so Hellverine was hellbent on sending them back to hell. Meanwhile, Wolverine was only hunting them to track down his son, and at the end of this issue, he was successful. When Wolverine encounters Hellverine, Bagra-Ghul abandones Akihiro to possess his father. Wolverine allows this to happen, hoping to help his son by ridding him of this vile demon. But, Bagra-Ghul was the only thing keeping Akihiro alive, so when Wolverine allowed Bagra-Ghul to possess him, he inadvertently killed his own son - yet again.
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Wolverine is Seemingly Doomed to Eternal Punishment for Killing His Son
Uncanny X-Force#34 by Rick Remender and Phil Noto
The first time Wolverine killed his son, Akihiro, was inUncanny X-Force#34, and he did so with a heavy heart full of tortured remorse and unyielding regret. Wolverine kills Daken to save the X-Men, as Akihiro and his newfound Brotherhood of Mutants were destined to slaughter every mutant residing in the X-Mansion if Logan let him live. So, Wolverine held Akihiro’s head in a water puddle until he stopped breathing, eliminating a dangerous enemy while seemingly casting a curse upon himself that he’s still experiencing.
Wolverine had to kill Akihiro, though despite having practically no choice in the matter, Wolverine is still being punished for that decision to this day. It’s as though Logan’s been cursed to watch his son die over and over again. Akihiro’s death in this issue is just the latest, but he was also recently killed in theSabretooth War, when Logan found Akihiro’s mutilated corpse spelling out “Happy Birthday” after Daken was brutally killed by Sabretooth. It’s a disturbing trend, and one that began after Wolverine killed his son for the first time.
Akihiro’s Latest Death is a Twisted Reversal of His First (& Extremely Tragic for Wolverine)
The biggest difference between Akihiro’s latest and original deaths can be found in Wolverine himself. Originally, Wolverine was trying to kill Akihiro despite not wanting to, yet inHellverine#3, he’s trying to save his son’s life. The echo of these tragic moments can be felt through the way Akihiro died each time, with the first marked by water and the second by fire, highlighting the twisted reversal of his respective deaths. And Wolverine is getting the brunt of this tragedy, as both instances ended with Logan holding his dead son in his arms.
The redefining aspect of Akihiro’s death inHellverinevsUncanny X-Forceis Wolverine’s intent, which both highlights the twisted nature of these tragic events and suggests that Wolverine has fallen victim to some kind of ‘cosmic curse’ where he must watch his son die over and over to pay the price for killing him the first time. While any suggestions of a ‘cosmic curse’ are mere speculation, this is an undeniably disturbing trend forWolverine, one that was just redefined after 12 years.
Hellverine#3by Marvel Comics is available now.
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.
