Wolverine #9 - "Games of Deceit and Death, Part Two"

[arbre_rieur]

"I think both stories benefit from the separation. I did have a go at killing him, but my heart wasn't really in it, because it changed the theme of my story so much." -- Paul Cornell, on why he's not writing the upcoming DEATH OF...









He meets the spirit of Rose.







It's Sabretooth's Hand ninjas, who've been sent to kill Wolverine. There's some brief fighting.

Comments

[freezer]

I swear, it's like the writers have forgotten that Wolverine existed for decades before they turned him into the Unkillable Death God.

Or that he's lost his healing factor before (two times I recall).

OR THAT HE WASN'T F*CKING IMMORTAL!

[arbre_rieur]

I'd say a key difference is that Wolverine's now in the headmaster role, with responsibilities outside himself and children under his care. He's very aware that he's building a future for mutants. That gets a person thinking about legacy and what one leaves behind and successors all that stuff. Cornell's stated that this run was largely inspired by how recently becoming a father made him start thinking a lot about his own mortality.

[halloweenjack]

I rather like this. The line about Thanos is priceless.

[ozaline]

It does conflict with some of her other characterization... like when she was talking to Thanos, and was directly pursuing him.

She does seem to find him annoying sometimes, but she also does seem to care about him. Still, I do enjoy this one overall.

[espanolbot]

From what I've seen it seems to vary depending on the writer, I've seen a lot of comics where she seems to prefer Deadpool to Thanos, for example, to Thanos' chargrin.

[ozaline]

I did read the one comic where Loki gave Deadpool fake Thor Powers... and while death did in fact favor Deadpool in that instance it didn't make it seem like she hated Thanos or anything.

And if Thanos was really all stalkerish then he would have kept the Gauntlet and forced her to be his consort.

(Can't believe I'm sticking up for Thanos).

[philippos42]

I have seen it contended in canon that the Death that pursues Thanos really is a hallucination that he has.

[sianmink]

That sounds plausible.

[icon_uk]

I think I prefer the MU Death to be the silent type, rather than the chatty, slightly arch type. though kudos for leaving the gender unclear.

Still, this is fun, I just wished I cared about Wolverine even a little.

[thezmage]

At least now we know why Death has a thing for Deadpool

On a side note, does anyone else think that Death calling Albert might be a reference to Discworld?

[pteppic]

That was the first thing that came to mind.

I don't think it's a coincidence.

[seisachtheia]

Stealth Terry Pratchett reference for sure.

[silverhammerman]

I agree, I know a shared universe isn't gonna be strong on themes, but I feel like the Marvel Universe isn't a place where someone can actually have a conversation with a capital-D Death in order to come to terms with their own mortality. Personally I see the Marvel U as a little too nihilistic for that kind of thing to fit.

Plus it's always hard for this kind of take on Death to not seem overly reminiscent of Death of the Endless.

[grazzt]

I don't really get a Death of the Endless vibe from this Death. She's just as chatty, true, but nowhere near as nice. I honestly can't see Death of the Endless killing every microorganism in a person's body, for instance. Or expecting thanks or praise for reuniting a deceased person and a living person so that they can reconcile.

Not that I found this Death unlikeable, she's just likeable in a very mean way.

[espanolbot]

If it was the Death of the Discworld, it would have been a lot more blunt. Kind, but blunt.

[beyondthefringe]

I was waiting for a last minute revelation that it was really Mystique.

[obsidianwolf]

I just go with the implication from Quasar. Everyone sees a Death avatar in their own way. Which would fit perfectly with Death being one half of the abstract force of death/nonexistence/entropy/etc.

For Thanos she's an unreachable, unpleasable goddess who if he can just do the right thing she'll finally love him and talk to him as an equal.

For Jean Death is a chatty male construction worker who doesn't let her delude herself about things.

For Quasar Death is a cheerful, Harvey comics inspired extremely helpful joke character named Kid Reaper.

And this is how Wolverine sees Death.

[icon_uk]

Forgotten about that, also Dani with her Valkyrie-Vision (TM) seeing multiple variations of Death based on the targets belief system about dying

Just not sure I see Wolverine as the sort to see Death as someone who would call him "darling" in an arch fashion.

[obsidianwolf]

It kind of works if you assume Logan is self loathing enough to need Death to be patronizing to him.

[starwolf_oakley]

When did the whole "Logan is a LOT older than he looks" start? Was it the Captain America/Black Widow/Logan story from UNCANNY X-MEN #268?

I have a hard time liking Wolverine. Although his self-loathing over all the people he's killed (accidentally or on purpose or when mind-controlled) caused the other X-Men to have no-killing policies. Jubilee for example.

[philippos42]

I remember noticing it there. Then it may have gotten pushed back because of a Marvel Comics Presents story which was some sort of fantasy/AU/dream where he was even older and some kind of pioneer or something. I guess people liked that enough to keep riffing on it. Having the old-timey costumes is a visual hook some artists like, I think. Kind of like making Mr Sinister a 19th century figure instead of a super-villain that wandered out of a boy's head in 1970-something.

[starwolf_oakley]

Do you know what issue of Marvel Comics Presents?

I hadn't thought of "old-timey costumes is a visual hook some artists like," although it makes sense. Time travel stories being done because artists like drawing the past and/or the future. "Oh no, cowboys and dinosaurs and flying saucers in Times Square! It's wild, but it sure is drawn well!"

[philippos42]

#93-#98. I remember when it came out in late 1991. I think the first scene, establishing it as a dream sequence, actually started with a line like, "I know I ain't that old."

I guess the last chapter (which I don't have) tried to indicate it really happened.

[pteppic]

LOVING.
THIS.
DEATH.

No wonder Deadpool has a permanent boner for them.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Agreed. I see what Thanos likes here.

[pteppic]

Hey.

Have Thanos and Deadpool ever duked it over over Death?

[lbd_nytetrayn]

I love the reference to "this universe's afterlife revolving door policy."

It's just nice to have that up front, for all the seeming absurdity of it all.

[ensiform]

I know the writer is winking at the reader here and all of comics continuity, but the level of interest I have in the "death" of another major superhero character is so infinitesimal as to be undetectable by even the most precise interestometers.

[misanthr0pe]

Oh yeah, he did get a tattoo. I was hoping he would have gone for another on his lower back. You know, for fun.