Marvel’s Ultimate Wolverine begins off with a bang, actually. The primary concern from Chris Condon and Alessandro Cappuccio’s collection culminates in, spoiler alert, the deaths of each the Ultimate Universe’s variations of Mystique and Nightcrawler, two fan-favorite X-Males characters, at the palms of Ultimate Wolverine himself. These deaths had been an enormous subversion of our expectations, as a result of exterior of the X-Males’s Krakoan Period, we’re not used to seeing marquee X-Males characters like Nightcrawler and Mystique die. I imply, Mystique has survived being shot in the head in the mainline Marvel Universe. In Wolverine (2010) #303, Mystique moved “most of [her] mind down into [her] neck” in anticipation. She’s not a simple character to take down in any universe.
The Ultimate X-Men series from Peach Momoko would not embody the ordinary suspects you would possibly count on from an X-Males e book, which left Mystique and Nightcrawler on the desk for Ultimate Wolverine writer Chris Condon to put into his personal story. However in an interview with Popverse, Condon spoke about how the stunning deaths of Nightcrawler and Mystique in Ultimate Wolverine #1 set the stage for the place the collection went subsequent.
“It is type of humorous as a result of we kill two folks in concern 1. After which we do not kill anyone else till concern 8. However as a result of of what we did in concern 1, all people says that we kill so many individuals [laughs],” Condon started.
“So there was this span of time the place no person’s died, however all people appears like all people can die as a result of of what we did in concern 1. So it is a actually attention-grabbing factor to watch and to learn, however I believe that that is good as a result of I do assume you need stakes. And that was why we made the determination that we made in concern 1. I did not know, essentially, in the event that they’re gonna let me do it and then [editor] Wil [Moss] stated, ‘Yeah, we will do it.'”
It is exactly as a result of Mystique and Nightcrawler acquired killed off so early on that it created in our minds a a lot greater physique rely in Ultimate Wolverine than there really was in the story. It pressured us to rethink our understanding of Logan’s lethality. Positive, we have seen Wolverine have a breakdown (or get possessed by a demon) and combat his fellow X-Males earlier than, however not essentially in the identical brutal method that we see him use in opposition to The Hand or different hordes of baddies. Seeing him take out Mystique and Nightcrawler is a real second of “This isn’t my stunning home,” our stunning home being Logan himself, and how he usually features inside a narrative.
And to be clear, it wasn’t straightforward for Condon to take out these beloved characters, particularly Nightcrawler. Condon stated, “It was completely wrenching. I like these characters, you realize. Nightcrawler particularly was a tricky one, however I assumed we gave him a worthy dying once we gave him some cool motion earlier than he kicked the bucket, you realize. That is, you realize, spoiler territory, however it’s additionally the first concern, and it has been out for practically a 12 months at this level. However that was a tricky one to write as a result of I like that character, however I felt like not solely with the pages that Alessandro drew, but additionally in the again matter, I put that piece of again matter in the prayer for Logan as a result of I needed that second to really feel real and really feel not prefer it was simply for shock worth. I assume partly it was not shock worth essentially, however we did want to present those who this is not 616, it is a totally different universe. And the issues right here that occur right here have stakes. I needed this to really feel like something might occur, anyone might die at any level. “
Personally, I can not assume of a more efficient means to set up the established order of an alternate universe story like Ultimate Wolverine than that.
Popverse members can learn our full interview with Chris Condon about Ultimate Wolverine right here.
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