After decades of shining adamantium, Marvel’s Wolverine is returning to his natural bone claws for his next appearance. That’s because Marvel is jumping back in time to give Logan a new mutant team.
Wolverine’s Bone Claws Return in Major Flashback
The upcoming Uncanny X-Men Annual #1 – from Gail Simone, Mikki Kendall and Francesco Mortarino – will showcase the adventures of the Regulators, a group of proto-X-Men operating during the early 1900s.
In a preview of the issue shared by AIPT, the comic reveals the team have a shock connection to Wolverine, digging up the hero from a makeshift grave and uncovering multiple bullet wounds and his classic bone claws.
The main Uncanny X-Men series introduced the Regulators via the adventures of Henrietta Benjamin – a powerful mutant who lived in Louisiana and operated out of Haven House, which is used in the modern day as the base of Rogue’s team. Having arrived in Louisiana, Lady Henrietta discovered a mutant underground, with this annual revisiting the intriguing figures who make it up.
What fans didn’t know until now is that Wolverine had a history with the Regulators. Thanks to his long-lived status, it makes sense that Wolverine associated with this band of mutants in the 1900s, including the fire-wielding hero Witchfire and a mysterious four-armed gunman.
What Do Wolverine’s Bone Claws Mean?
While Wolverine’s claws are part of his mutant physiology, the adamantium that coats them was only grafted to his skeleton once he fell into the clutches of Weapon X. Before that, Logan’s claws were made of bone – still just as sharp, but more fragile – able to be broken and regrown thanks to his healing factor.
The bone claws often signify an earlier, wilder part of Wolverine’s life, back before he suffered the trauma of becoming a living weapon or redeemed his dark past as a hero. That means the Regulators aren’t guaranteed to see Wolverine as an ally…
Wolverine’s Secret History Is Revealed
Marvel promises the Regulators will have a “secret connection” to Wolverine’s past, but fans shouldn’t assume he’ll be a member. Before being mind-wiped by Weapon X, Wolverine wasn’t always a hero, and actually betrayed mutants to the authorities in the past. Indeed, Logan’s long rivalry with Mystique traces back to his betrayal of a mutant gang in 1920s Kansas City.
It’s possible that Wolverine wasn’t a secret member of the Regulators but their enemy, and even if not, the group’s history has some dark surprises to serve up. In the modern day, Henrietta is an immortal mutant who stands guard over the Penumbra – a prison for the souls of humans who caused mutant deaths.
Her transition from mutant hero to eldritch guardian is a story worth telling, and Uncanny X-Men fans also want to know about the history of the St. Juniors family. The family are allies of the X-Men in the modern day, and their shotgun-toting ancestor is another member of the Regulators.
Uncanny X-Men Has Turned Louisiana Into a Major Part of Franchise Lore
Since Rogue and her team set up a new base in Louisiana, the location has become a major new part of X-Men lore, with hidden secrets that establish a whole unseen era for mutants. The state has even redefined the X-Men’s iconic logo, revealing that ‘X’ was a secret symbol for safe harbor originally used by 1900s mutants.
Now, Uncanny X-Men Annual will leap back in time to reveal more secrets of the Regulators, and how they tie into Wolverine’s own past.
Uncanny X-Men Annual #1 is coming April 8 from Marvel Comics.
- Created By
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Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Romita Sr.
- First Appearance
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The Incredible Hulk (2023)
- Alias
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James “Logan” Howlett
- Alliance
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X-Men, Avengers, Canadian Army, OSS/CIA, Avengers Unity Squad, Alpha Flight, New Avengers, New Fantastic Four, Savage Avengers, Weapon X, X-Force
- Race
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Human-Mutant
