Wolverine Proves He's Marvel's James Bond in Comic Preview
In a preview of Wolverine #9, Logan resurrects his Patch persona to go play James Bond, packing some unique Krakoan gadgetry thanks to the X-Men's Q.
Warning: minor spoilers for Wolverine #9!
Wolverine has adopted many roles over his long comics career, from killer to teacher to freedom fighter, but the one many forget is secret agent. Yes, as far from his natural skillset as it may seem, the X-Men's razor-clawed enforcer has spent plenty of time undercover in dive bars around the world, usually in search of information that will benefit the mutant cause.
To fulfill these missions, Wolverine uses the identity of "Patch," a white-suited, one-eyed underworld wheeler-dealer seemingly inspired by Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine in Casablanca. A regular on the streets of Madripoor - an entire country dedicated to offering a haven to criminals, and therefore a constant hive of scum and villainy in the Marvel Universe - Logan has cultivated many underworld contacts which he can draw on in emergencies... or just when he feels like taking a break from being an out-and-out hero.
Now, in Wolverine #9 from writer Benjamin Percy and artist Adam Kubert, Patch is back in Madripoor, there to join an auction of superhero memorabilia and retrieve a very special item, which the cover of the issue certainly seems to imply is literally a former part of his body - a unique peril for those pop-culture characters like Wolverine and the Doctor who can regenerate the occasional lost limb. Enjoy the summary and preview pages from Marvel Comics below:
WEAPON X – TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER! WOLVERINE’s back in MADRIPOOR for an underworld criminal auction specializing in super hero artifacts that will surface more than just bad memories for the mutant formerly known as WEAPON X!
It's clear from the preview that Wolverine is working with his X-Force compatriots, giving him the support and gadgets to allow him to return to his role as Marvel's unlikely James Bond. The "ear wax" an enforcer pulls from his ear is clearly a piece of Krakoan biotech designed by Forge - X-Force's personal version of Q - while Sage is shown communicating with Logan, using her computer mind and vast database to give him intel that would put MI6 to shame.
Wolverine #9 is shaping up to be a blast, locking Wolverine underground with no support but ready access to all kinds of superhero gadgets. Many, many Marvel villains have tried to study and replicate Logan's healing factor and experiment on his body, and given his incredibly traumatic experiences with Weapon X, it's understandable that finding out someone is selling a piece of him (if, indeed, the cover is literal) has tempted Wolverine to ditch the paradise of Krakoa and go slumming it in Madripoor for one last mission.
Having bought Wolverine's standard excuse for his Adamantium-coated bones setting off a metal detector, the enforcers and the mysterious Merchant have already made their key mistake, but just like Bond, Wolverine is entering a super-villain's lair with no idea of the tech that might be waiting to be used against him. Happily for readers, one of Wolverine's favorite sayings is as true here as anywhere else: he's not locked underground with a bunch of villains, they're locked underground with him. Wolverine #9 will be available in stores and online January 27.