The hairy mutant known as Wolverine will always be comic book fans' favorite former spy, samurai, X-Man, and Avenger. But even devoted fans may not know the story of Logan reuniting with his long-lost older brother -- since he didn't know he existed, either (classic Wolverine).
Marvel’s 2004 limited series, Wolverine: The End is the spiritual successor to 2001’s Wolverine: Origin, marking the first and only appearance of Wolverine’s older brother, John Howlett III. The hugely successful Origin revealed that Logan, born James Howlett, was the son of the family’s groundskeeper Thomas Logan, and Elizabeth Howlett, who went mad after John died under mysterious circumstances, leaving her with scars seemingly caused by claws. Though The End was not canon, it did allow Jenkins to address plot threads left hanging in Origin and set up John as Wolverine’s ultimate nemesis, the mastermind behind major events in his life and the original subject of the Weapon X program.
Though John’s role in Origin is barely existent, it is hinted at by the character Rose’s discovery of the aforementioned claw marks, as well as Elizabeth’s reaction to her son James popping claws of his own. The distraught woman cries “Not you too” before ending her life with a shotgun. In The End, John and James share the same instantly recognizable sideburns, courtesy of Thomas Logan. Factor in a regenerative healing factor, acute senses, and superhuman agility, and you have yourself one long-lost brother.
The grueling experimentation of the Weapon X program triggered John’s secondary mutation, the ability to become invisible, which means Wolverine literally could not see him coming. He does, however, alert Logan to his presence by sending him an ancient, obscure book carrying the scent of their ancestral estate. It contains the legend of Kitsunebi, also known as the White Ghost, which leads to Logan making one more pilgrimage to the mountains of Japan. A confrontation brings to light the truth: that the White Ghost is John, the mysterious figure that has been following Logan for 200 years.
Of course, there can only be one protagonist with razor-sharp claws. So, despite the mystery and intrigue, John Howlett does have an evil plan to blow a hole in Nevada with a nuclear bomb named “Ecstasy.” With the help of that time period’s X-Men, not to mention guidance from the spirit of Professor X(!), Logan tracks John to Las Vegas and kills him. The tale ends with Wolverine cradling his brother, whispering one last dangling plot thread before breathing his last breath.
That sense of tragedy, along with other bits of Wolverine’s origin story, was supposed to have carried over to the plot of X-Men: Wolverine Origins, a tragedy in its own right. Instead, audiences got adamantium bullets, the tale of Kuekuatsu, and of course, Scott Adkins as Deadpool (looking suspiciously like Neo when he is first interrogated by Agent Smith). Hugh Jackman’s cinematic run as everyone’s favorite hairy X-Man ended on a triumphant note in 2017’s Oscar-nominated Logan, but who knows? Maybe the MCU’s inevitable reboot of Wolverine will have his very own secret brother.
Fans of the comics, however, can read all about Wolverine's older brother, John, in the pages of Wolverine: The End available now digitally from Marvel Comics.