Wolverine’s healing factor makes him one of Marvel’s toughest heroes, but even he can be killed. In fact, Logan has died several times in the comics across various storylines. Now, his most recent death comes courtesy of Marvel’s Maestro series.
Written by Peter David, Maestro is a new, ongoing series detailing the origins of the title character, an evil version of the Hulk from an alternate future. In the first issue, Hulk wakes up in an underground AIM facility after being kept in a simulation for years. MODOK, the leader of AIM, tells Hulk that the world above has been decimated by nuclear warfare, a horrific truth Hulk soon sees for himself. Survivors are sparse, and most of the other heroes are presumed dead. Still, if anyone could survive a nuclear holocaust, it’s Wolverine, right? Unfortunately, issue #2 confirmed that Logan, along with just about every other mainstream Marvel superhero, has already perished. Rick Jones’ lair is filled with mementos of the fallen heroes, including Spider-Man’s mask, Silver Surfer’s board, and, the most grisly of them all, Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton. It’s a sad yet impressive sight, but the question remains, how did Rick build his collection?
Maestro #2 and #3 feature mini-stories titled Relics which show how Rick obtained certain items for his collection, like Thor’s hammer, for example. In Relics part 2, fans not only see how Rick got his hands on Wolverine’s skeleton, but also how the X-Man was reduced into one in the first place. The story’s first panel depicts Logan being incinerated by a Sentinel, leaving nothing behind but his indestructible bones. “This is how it always ends,” Rick narrates, “Oh, the places, the circumstances change…but it’s always the same. This is how Wolverine dies.” Rick goes on to say that he acquired a magic orb that used to belong to Doctor Strange that can show him alternate realities. But in every single one he’s seen, Logan dies in the same way.
Regardless of whether Wolverine lives or dies in other realities, the Logan of the Maestro timeline is undoubtedly deceased. However, his dying at the hands of a Sentinel confirms that Wolverine at least survived the initial wave of destruction that turned the world into a post-apocalyptic hellscape. Looking at the surroundings, the buildings are already dilapidated, and the scavenging Rick Jones arrives not long after to collect the adamantium skeleton, implying he’s already started his collection prior to Logan’s death. It’s also possible Rick and Logan were working together as fellow survivors, which could explain how Rick arrived at the scene so quickly. In any case, Logan lasted a bit longer than the other heroes, but even he met his end in this brutal timeline.
Maestro’s version of Wolverine may be long gone, but that doesn’t mean there’s no hope for Logan reappearing down the line. Maestro was one of the antagonists in Old Man Logan Vol. 2, thanks to interdimensional travel, so that version of Wolverine could pop up later in the series. Wolverine has also regenerated from no more than a drop of blood before, so the fact that his skeleton is still intact leaves the door open for his return.