Warning: SPOILERS for Marvel Comics Presents #6

Wolverine may remember less of his past than most superheroes, and chooses to reveal even less. But fans shouldn't blame themselves for not knowing about Wolverine's never-ending fight to keep a demon from consuming Earth... because none of Marvel's heroes knew about it, either. Until now.

The version of Earth that Marvel's superheroes call home is no stranger to planetary threats. But for every cosmic villain or alien invasion, there is a team, a force, or a hero who manages to save the day... and usually, those saviors are honored for their bravery and victory (whether or not they lived to see it). But now that Marvel has revealed Wolverine's ongoing mission to save Earth from total Hell, it's clear the world has some serious making up to do. And if you thought Logan had a lot of reasons to be in a permanent bad mood already--you don't know the half of it.

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That mention of Hell isn't hyperbole, as the Marvel Comics Presents series has now revealed a previously unknown chapter of Wolverine's life, battling demonic forces on an endless crusade to keep all of Earth and humanity from being consumed in eternal torment. More than a chapter, in fact, as the story reveals a previously unknown life led by Logan, including a commitment to a woman most Wolverine fans wouldn't think possible.

Marvel Comics Wolverine Truth Demon

It all started back in World War II when, in a scene pulled right out of Raiders of the Lost Ark, a French witch/sorceress is forced by Nazis to either conjure a demon, or watch her daughter killed in front of her. The woman concedes, calling forth a demon called 'The Truth,' and whose arrival on Earth kills everyone nearby except the sorcerer... and Wolverine. It seems that the witch actually intended to defeat The Truth once the Nazis had been dealt with, but ended up battling a demon beyond her control. Lucky for her, Wolverine doesn't scare easy.

Long story short: Wolverine keeps the demonic Truth from simply murdering the sorceress, long enough for her to banish him from this world. But The Truth has inflicted enough damage to cause the sorceress to bleed out. Before she departs, she informs Logan that he is now part of something larger than himself. Not a mission, and not quite a curse, but a divine duty: her spell was only powerful enough to banish The Truth for a decade. Which means when the time is up, the demon will return, and Logan must once again do battle with it--so that the woman's daughter, Sylvie, can repeat the spell. After another ten years, they will reunite once again. And so on, and so on, and so on...

Wolverine Comic Truth Demon

As each decade passes, fans are able to glimpse Wolverine's own story progressing between each once-in-a-lifetime battle. First from an immortal, wandering soldier, to brandishing metal claws earned as a military test subject in the Weapon X program, and finally as a full member of the X-Men. Fans will catch these references as they are dropped, even if they could never have been seen in the comics of the era (Wolverine kept this secret from almost everyone). And for those wondering why the spell only lasts for a decade, it's suggested that The Truth spends its time in exile regaining its strength. The fact that it's an inexact amount of time just makes the uncertainty of the wait even more of a living nightmare!

After the ten or so years have passed, and The Truth has regained enough strength to break through, Logan is once again magically transported to "the worst place in the world." Sylvie is there to meet him, playing her own part in this never-ending cycle. It's unclear if The Truth's growing power is what actually causes the tragedies or threats taking place, or if it's a case of being opportunistic. Either way, Logan and Sylvie are cursed with the knowledge that they will eventually head to the most terrible, horrifying place on Earth, and battle a demon knowing full well that if they fail, they will die in the worst place possible, with the entirety of humanity and Earth soon after them.

One has to wonder what kind of a bleak, permanently dour mood that would bring to even Logan's happiest times... which, in hindsight, actually helps to explain his permanent mood in the comics that spanned the same decades. Eventually with nobody else to understand their burden, Logan and Sylvie develop feelings, and make love before disappearing yet again. Things finally fall apart in Marvel Comics Presents #5 when Sylvie is killed by The Truth, leaving Logan without any clear options for the next time The Truth returns.

And so in the 1990s of Marvel history, Wolverine must come clean with the rest of the X-Men about his ongoing, unknown battle to single-handedly save the world from Hell. Sadly, Marvel's famous mutants are shown to be unequipped for this fight, with Cyclops getting killed almost instantly. Now that the secret is out, Marvel fans can finally thank Wolverine for saving the world time after time, and not even asking for the slightest bit of recognition. Then, they can begin re-examining their own definition of Marvel's greatest heroes and victories.

But not before finding out how the death of Cyclops must be undone, The Truth defeated, and Logan duty restored or relinquished. Until then, read below for the full solicitation information:

  • MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #6
  • Released: June 26th, 2019
  • Writer: Charles Soule, Ed Brisson, Tim Seeley
  • Art: Paulo Siqueira
  • Cover by: Arthur Adams
  • Welcome to the 1990s, by far the most embossed, holographic and collectible era of them all! First up, that Adamantium foil hero Wolverine gets a real shock during his Vigil! Then, Deadpool gets into the collectibles market at JUST the wrong time! And finally, a new Marvel U status quo for Danny Ketch who caught fire as the Ghost Rider of the era!

Marvel Comics Presents #6 is available now at your local comic book shop, or direct from Marvel Comics.

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