Marvel is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Wolverine with Sabretooth War, the most violent Wolverine story ever told, and the event is already racking up deaths left and right.
It is that time of year again when Sabretooth gives his old rival Wolverine a deadly battle for his birthday. The two have had some gruesome beatdowns over the years, with Sabretooth killing several of Wolverine’s loved ones, while Wolverine has lobotomized or decapitated Sabretooth a few times.
One way or another, they both come back, but that may not be the case this time, though. Sabretooth War is billed as “the most violent Wolverine story ever,” with a bold NOT FOR KIDS message slapped on the cover. It’s not kidding, either. The preview pages alone featured a team of mutilated X-Men and a Cyclops who had been split in half.
It’s all payoff for the current state of the X-Men books. After the Hellfire Massacre, mutant resurrection is no longer on the table for the first time in years (at least until the X-Men relaunch happens). For now, dead is dead, and Sabretooth War is capitalizing on that twist with a slew of deaths.
Warning, spoilers for Wolverine: Sabretooth War follow
Contents
- Everyone who dies in Wolverine #41
- Everyone who dies in Wolverine #42
- Everyone who dies in Wolverine #43
- Everyone who dies in Wolverine #44
- Everyone who dies in Wolverine #45
- Everyone who dies in Wolverine #46
- Everyone who dies in Wolverine #47
- Everyone who dies in Wolverine #48
If you’re keeping score, here’s everyone who died in Wolverine: Sabretooth War so far.
Everyone who dies in Wolverine #41
The first chapter of Sabretooth War sees the deaths of Kid Omega/Quentin Quire, Fang/Akihiro, and a whole bunch of X-Men. It also puts a lot more beloved X-Men characters in danger, including Sage and X-23/Laura Kinney.
The issue opens with the reveal of Sabretooths from across the multiverse on Orchis Station Five, where they’ve been killing multiversal X-Men to train themselves to be the ultimate killers. The Sabretooths – consisting of the Earth-616 Sabretooth, as well as Savage, Camo, and Pretty Boy – lead an assault on Krakoa. Having been off the board for the Hellfire Gala massacre, though, they’re surprised to find it abandoned.
X-Force member Kid Omega investigates the presence on Krakoa, thinking it’s just mutants who have found their way home. Instead, he finds Sabretooths, who slash his throat and take him back to Station Five, where he’s eaten alive.
The Sabretooths move the assault to the North Pole, where Wolverine is in hiding with other X-Force members. Sabretooth kills Logan’s son, Akihiro, and other mutants being protected at the North Pole base, the Greenhouse. In a final act, Sabretooth arranges the bodies to leave Logan a taunting message: Happy Birthday.
Everyone who dies in Wolverine #42
The second chapter of Sabretooth War puts Logan in a tough spot. He gets a pretty nasty beatdown from the various Sabretooths, but they ultimately leave him alive. He eventually cuts through his wrists and ankles to escape, chasing Sabretooth variants as more of a bloody stump than a person.
The others at the X-Force Greenhouse base aren’t so lucky, though. A handful of children who were being kept safe at the base are killed by Sabretooth before Northstar and Aurora can intervene. They also manage to save X-Force members Sage and Black Tom, who are able to activate Greenhouse defenses to chase off Sabretooth and his multidimensional others.
But perhaps most shocking is that X-23 is apparently killed. Though “Pretty Boy” Sabretooth is killed by X-23 as she fights back, she’s ultimately overwhelmed by Camo and Savage Sabretooth. Domino is shown dead in the room, but Laura’s body is not depicted in the book’s final pages.
Everyone who dies in Wolverine #43
Shockingly, nobody dies in Wolverine #43. But that doesn’t stop the issue from having its share of body horror.
Camo is grievously wounded in a fight with Earth-616 Sabretooth. However, it’s during this fight that we learn they did not kill X-23 but rather took her hostage to entice Logan.
X-23 doesn’t escape entirely unscathed, though, as Savage Sabretooth rips off her jaw to keep her from antagonizing the troops.
In perhaps the issue’s biggest twist, though, we learn that Kid Omega’s head is being kept alive by the Sabretooths. It’s being used by 616 Sabretooth to track Wolverine and give them the upper hand.
However, while Kid Omega’s head eventually reveals some surprising treasure for the Sabretooths to find, it also manages to alert Exiles member Oya, whose team assembles to try and save the day.
Everyone who dies in Wolverine #44
Much of Wolverine #44 is spent following what’s going on with Wolverine and the residents of the North Pole base. Wolverine himself is aching to get patched up and back in the fight while others, like Aurora, are grieving those who were lost.
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Wolverine’s obviously taking a toll, too, but after having his arms and feet stitched back on, he’s back at it, chasing down the straggling Captain Sabretooth, a Captain America variant of Sabretooth who was left behind when the others escaped.
Phoebe of Emma Frost’s Stepford Cuckoos offers to read Captain Sabretooth’s mind to pull information from it. While she does successfully learn of goings on at Krakoa, a psychic trap nearly kills her. However, Domino kills Captain Sabretooth before that can happen.
Everyone who dies in Wolverine #45
Nobody dies in Wolverine #45 unless you count the security Forge created to dissuade intruders from finding his lab.
If anything, there are some close calls, as the Exiles barely manage to evade one of the Orchis Sentinels patrolling Krakoa by going into space, an act that allows Wolverine to touch down on the abandoned island.
More intriguing are the efforts of “Savage” Sabretooth and “Camo” Sabretooth, who venture back into the multiverse to find a version of Sabretooth’s son, Graydon Creed, who can help them overthrow Victor. Though we don’t see which Graydon Creed they return with, he does appear to be scarred, indicating this could be aversion like the one from Age of Apocalypse.
Everyone who dies in Wolverine #46
Toad and the Melter make up the latest casualties of Sabretooth War. They arrive in Forge’s hidden base in Krakoa, but it doesn’t last long. Toad is killed by Sabretooth, while a brainwashed Wolverine is tricked into killing Melter.
Most of the issue sees Wolverine and Sabretooth at peace of sorts, with Kid Omega’s severed head being forced to trick Wolverine into thinking he’s in his Team X days.
Laura Kinney gets a few kills of her own in, too, taking out a few more of the headless Sabretooth clones.
Everyone who dies in Wolverine #47
Savage Sabretooth is the only death of Sabretooth War Part 7, but not for lack of trying. Laura Kinney finally gets her revenge on this twisted Sabretooth clone by dismembering her and chopping her torso off.
But Sabretooth nearly won the war himself. In Forge’s abandoned lab and with Wolverine robbed of his healing factor, Sabretooth fires a kill shot using a gun designed to melt Wolverine’s brain, all powered by the decapitated head of Kid Omega.
Kid Omega is able to divert enough power for Wolverine to survive, though, and he himself is saved by the timely intervention of Nekra Sinclair and the Exiles, who trap Sabretooth and rescue Wolverine. But with more Sabretooth variants out in the world, Wolverine’s not done with his war yet.
Everyone who dies in Wolverine #48
No one dies in Wolverine #48, though an argument could be made for Wolverine suffering a spiritual death.
Without his healing factor, Wolverine finds himself more at risk than ever. He journeys to a remote location where he’s stashed a final gift from Forge, which Wolverine had designed for what he viewed as the inevitable fall of Krakoa: a forged suit of Adamantium armor.
He’s going to need it, too. With Graydon Creed taking possession of the Stark Sentinels and Sabretooth seconds away from a return, Wolverine’s friends are in more danger than ever as Sabretooth War races to its finale.
What is Sabretooth War?
Set in the shadow of the Fall of X, Sabretooth War sees Wolverine and Sabretooth duke it out. It’s the latest in a lifelong tradition of Sabretooth’s where he attacks and torments Wolverine on his birthday.
In the real-world sense, the event is to commemorate Wolverine’s anniversary. The popular X-Man turns 50 this year, having made his first appearance in 1974’s The Incredible Hulk #180.
Sabretooth War is a 10-part event that runs throughout 2024, with its finale slated for Wolverine #50. The book will ship bi-monthly throughout the event.
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