In Marvel Comics, the healing factor-enabled mutant hero known as Wolverine has a long and storied history involving father figures who treated him in ways that affect him, for better or worse, to this day. And when visiting the torturous place that is Marvel’s hell, Wolverine meets his birth father where thanks to some parting words delivered to a man that never did him any favors, Logan’s true nature is revealed.
Revealing who he really is in Wolverine #5 (2010), written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by Renato Guedes, this issue acts as the finale to a five-part story arc titled "Wolverine Goes to Hell.” Spinning a tale that sees this popular X-Men member’s soul descend to the unholy depths where demons, ghouls, regret, and violence reign supreme, Logan meets, to his surprise, a man he thought he’d never see again: his biological father.
Cutting back and forth between this unexpected pairing and the real world where Wolverine’s demon-possessed body is giving Mystique, Ghost Rider, and a whole slew of other supernatural-related characters a run for their money, Logan is having a hard time coming to terms with seeing the man that killed his step-father and the man he himself gutted and sent packing to their current location. But in a twist, Wolverine’s father praises Logan for sending so many souls to the devil’s domain over the years and for making him proud, leading Logan to show what kind of man he is with a few final words to a man that doesn’t know his son as well as he thinks.
Wolverine Proves What Kind of Man He Is
Tossing the sword away that would see Wolverine made a Lord of Hell after his dad suggests they could rule the place together, Logan’s father immediately becomes irate and begins spewing degrading and angry comments his son’s way. Saying, “You had it all and you threw it away! You pathetic little coward! You’re no son of mine!” Logan’s dad reveals who he truly is as a person — a stain of a man not worth anyone’s time — while also letting Wolverine reveal who he truly is as a person. Replying to his pops with a swift, bone-clawed punch to the face and a resounding “Damn right,” Wolverine’s final words to his father come across as a huge redemptive moment, as Wolvie makes it abundantly clear that whatever he is as a mutant and a man, he's the complete opposite of the abusive, amoral, and all around terrible person that gave Logan life.
So while Wolverine has always been rough around the edges, it’s good to know the most unforgivable and unsavory qualities his biological father tried to imbue in him at a young age didn’t take. Wolverine will forever be defined by his relationship with his father and those he looks up to like one, and for that, his moral compass will always point in the right direction despite his more brutal tendencies.