Exclusive Weapon X-Men Preview Reveals Why Marvel Must Enter The Wolverine Multiverse
Contains spoilers for "Weapon X-Men" #1 (by Christos Gage, Yildiray Cinar, Nolan Woodard, and VC's Clayton Cowles)
To stop a horrifyingly powerful threat about to cause major damage across space and time, a team of Wolverines is being assembled by an alternate reality's version of Jean Grey's Phoenix. Together, the group will work to try to save the multiverse from one of the biggest threats it has ever faced: Onslaught.
"Weapon X-Men" #1 spins out of the events of 2023's "Original X-Men," where the '60s versions of the Marvel Comics heroes are convinced to join this Phoenix to stop another Phoenix from wreaking havoc in the different universes. However, it turns out the Phoenix the X-Men are tasked with eliminating isn't as they initially appeared. The true danger is an alternate, disguised version of Onslaught, the manifestation of the evil side of Professor X and Magneto, who temporarily destroyed the main Marvel Universe and created the Heroes Reborn reality in its place back in 1996.
When the original X-Men are unable to stop Onslaught and are teleported back to their timeline and reality, the Phoenix turns to a handful of various Wolverines from across the mutliverse to take down the villain before it's too late. But getting the clawed heroes to work together to stop such a powerful foe will require some convincing on the Phoenix's part. After all, the five Wolverines, like their Earth-616 counterpart, are hardheaded and don't want to play nice, so their personalities predictably clash as the threat of cosmic chaos looms.
Meet the Wolverines fighting to save Marvel's multiverse
In Looper's exclusive preview of "Weapon X-Men" #1, Marvel introduces readers to the five X-Men assembled by Jean Grey's Phoenix to stop Onslaught.
The group consists of several familiar faces. The Wolverines include the one-handed Logan from Earth-295, from the "Age of Apocalypse," who has seen many of his fellow heroes die in his dystopian reality. An undead Wolverine from Earth-2149, aka the "Marvel Zombies" universe where a zombie contagion decimated the planet, is also a recruit. A schlubby Wolverine from Earth-9997, the "Earth-X" reality where Logan retired and put on some extra weight as a grumpy former hero, is also among the team. Old Man Logan from Earth-807128, who comes from a world overrun by supervillains and has previous experience traveling the Multiverse, appears in the group as well. Lastly, a new Wolverine variant, Jane Howlett of Earth-1281, is part of the roster. Few details are provided about the hero besides very basic information on her world, which reveals she's from the year 1909 CE.
The team doesn't get off to the strongest start, as bickering between them begins almost immediately. However, the Phoenix from "Original X-Men" #1 arrives on the scene and informs the Wolverines of the mission ahead. The powerful cosmic entity tells them Onslaught is a powerful enemy, and she will need all of their help to stop him. The Wolverines ask why Phoenix can't take Onslaught out herself, and she explains that if the villain somehow manages to gain her powers, it will become truly unstoppable.
Check out the full preview of "Weapon X-Men" #1 below.
Marvel Comics/Yildiray Cinar
Marvel Comics/Yildiray Cinar
Marvel Comics/Yildiray Cinar
Marvel Comics/Yildiray Cinar
Marvel Comics/Yildiray Cinar
Weapon X-Men promises some epic Wolverine adventures
If the Wolverines don't want the powerful Onslaught to wipe out entire realities, they will need to put aside their differences and find a way to work together. However, despite all being cut from the same cloth, the five X-Men are very different from one another. As the preview shows, finding harmony among the group will be a challenge in itself. But any clashes should be put on the back burner as the fate of the entire Marvel multiverse may rest in their clawed hands.
Check out Dike Ruan's cover for "Weapon X-Men" #1, featuring a closer look at the five Wolverines alongside the Phoenix Force. The text solicit for the issue follows.
Marvel Comics/Dike Ruan
A MULTIVERSE OF LOGANS BANDS TOGETHER! In Original X-Men, you saw the Phoenix recruit the young X-Men to fix yet another time-displaced disaster. But now the threat is deadlier than ever... and it's time to call in the X-Men's big gun. He's the best there is at what he does, in every universe does it in... and this job is too big for just one of him. Wolverines from across the Multiverse converge to take on a foe even the Phoenix fears! But with friends like Zombie Wolverine, who needs enemies? Christos Gage and Yildiray Çinar kick off an action-packed epic!
The epic Wolverine team-up begins when "Weapon X-Men" #1 from Marvel Comics arrives in comic book stores and online retailers on March 6, 2024.