Wolverine: Origins #5

Issue Date: 
October 2006
Story Title: 
Born In Blood: Conclusion
Staff: 

Daniel Way (writer), Steve Dillon (pencils), Dan Kemp (colors), VC’s Randy Gentile (letters), Michael O’Connor (assistant editor), Axel Alonso (editor), Joe Quesada (editor-in-chief), Dan Buckley (publisher)

Brief Description: 

Years ago, a mysterious man wearing a red cape and his partner take a baby away from Itsu, whom they have just murdered. Some time later, the same man tells Logan, who he has defeated in battle, that he isn’t entitled to have his own thoughts and that he belongs to him as a weapon. Several years after this, Wolverine has found a new love in a Blackfoot Indian woman known as Silver Fox. Unfortunately, Silver Fox got killed by Sabretooth, who later lied to Logan that the people in a village nearby were responsible for it. Logan headed toward this town, and massacred it completely. Today, in Vietnam, Wolverine breaks free from Hellion’s holding grip, and starts fighting him, Cyclops and Captain America. The battle doesn’t stop until Emma telepathically orders them to. During the brief calm moment, Emma reveals to Logan that she saw someone in a dream she had. And that someone was… Logan’s son! Wolverine is shocked to hear that his boy is still alive. But, Emma warns Logan, his son doesn’t seem to have any thoughts of his own and, above all else, he truly hates Logan. Wolverine gives his Muramasa sword to Cyclops, telling him that the sword is the only thing in the world that can completely take him down. After remembering terrible things from his past, Logan believes that the people who have his son probably want him to use the sword on his boy, and he can’t do that. And in return, these people will probably brainwash him once again, and bring him back into their field. When that time comes, Wolverine wants Scott to use the sword to kill him, as he can’t live like this again. He also asks Emma to help Nuke if she can, because he no longer has a mind of his own. But if she can’t help Frank, Logan promises he’ll finish the job he came to do there. Wolverine leaves, ready to go find his son.

Full Summary: 

Wolverine, still holding his Muramasa sword in his hand, is trapped in Hellion’s green telekinesis field. Captain America, getting up and almost out of breath, orders Hellion, calling him “son,” to maintain his hold on Logan but warns him to get to cover. Hellion angrily defends that Cap isn’t his father and that he doesn’t have to take orders from him.

Logan suddenly throws his sword at Hellion and Cap warns the boy to get down! As Hellion scared covers his eyes, Cyclops quickly fires an optic beam at the sword, deflecting it away from the boy just in time. Julian warns Mr. Summers that he almost burned his face off with that beam. Scott, noticing that Hellion dropped his field, warns his student that that’ll be the least of his worries: Wolverine is loose, and snikts his claws out, ready for action!

Wolverine growls and tries to slice Cap, but Steve protects himself using his shield. Cap punches Logan into his face and Cap warns Hellion to get into safety, as he’s Logan’s primary target! He orders everyone else to move to the flanks while he goes up the middle! Logan again jumps at Cap, but Cap punches Logan away again with his shield. But suddenly, the wound in Cap’s leg starts to hurt again, forcing the legendary hero to his knee.

Ready to press the advantage, Wolverine is ready to kill Cap, but Cyclops shouts at Logan not to do it and starts shooting blasts non-stop. His first beam gives Cap enough time to roll into safety, while Logan jumps over him in an attempt to reach his sword again. Logan manages to pick it up from the grass and, as Scott fires another beam, Logan swings with the sword, causing the beam to bounce off on it. The beam ricochets against Cap’s shield, which then gets fired right in front of Scott’s feet! He just in time manages to jump into safety. Logan angrily turns his attention towards Hellion, who panics.

On that very moment, Emma telepathically shouts at all the combatants to stop fighting! Cap, Wolverine, Hellion and Cyclops are all reeling from the mental blast and have to cover their ears in pain. Emma calmly walks over to Wolverine, and Scott who tells her to stay away from him. Taking a moment to look at him with a cold stare, she then proceeds. Emma explains to Wolverine that she had a dream, something she believes was actually a precognitive vision. In it, she saw something. Someone. She tells Logan he has to set aside this “selfish” quest for revenge. He has to.

Wolverine reminds Emma that “they” used him. “Precisely,” Emma states. “They”. And “they” are using Logan’s son. “…What?” a stunned Wolverine replies. Emma reveals to Wolverine that his son... lives.

Years ago, a house in Japan…

A man, covered in shadows and wearing a red cape, holds a baby who is covered in blankets. The man takes off, leaving the dead body of Itsu behind on the floor, in a pile of blood.

Now…

Wolverine wants to know how that’s possible. Emma suspects Logan’s son is possibly still alive because of his lineage. She believes it would be safe to assume that the baby survived due to… Looking at his claws, Logan interrupts Emma, realizing she’s talking about his healing factor.

When Wolverine asks Emma where he is, she turns her face downcast in regret. She informs him she only saw his son in a vision. Logan angrily shouts at her, demanding to know where his son is, to which Emma reiterates that she doesn’t know. She was unable to fully… bring Logan’s son into focus. His mind is… it’s as if the boy doesn’t have a mind. Or any thoughts, whatsoever. At least, no thoughts of his own. Logan is speechless upon hearing that.

Years ago…

The man with the red cape and his mysterious partner look at someone who has been dumped into a pit. The man explains to his victim that he has no thoughts of his own, because he isn’t entitled to them. That he isn’t entitled to anything. His victim isn’t a man… he’s a weapon.

Logan, lying in the pit with only his pants on, angrily looks at his enemy with furious red eyes.

The man tells Logan that he is his weapon.

Now…

Logan, remembering these horrible things from his past, recalls that “they” dragged his son in, just like they made him do with Nuke, just like they did to himself.

Years ago…

Wolverine remembers how he shot Betsy, and how he stabbed an Indian girl wearing red clothes with a knife.

Now…

Hellion asks Emma what Wolverine is talking about. Emma doesn’t respond.

Years ago…

Wolverine remembers. The Indian girl with the red clothes’ name was Silver Fox. She was Blackfoot and her husband had died three winters before. Logan used to see Fox out in the woods when he was hunting. Maybe it was because Fox didn’t have anybody else… but eventually, Fox became Logan’s woman. She was a beautiful woman, and strong. She taught Logan how to trap. She also taught him it was alright to love again. Logan remembers the happy times he and Silver Fox shared at their cabin, eating dinner together.

That morning, when Logan was leaving, he remembers thinking how warm the fire in the fire place of their cabin was, and how the fire made it seem all the more cold outside. Logan put on his hat and left, leaving Silver Fox alone in their cabin.

When Logan came back, Silver Fox was dead, covered in blood. It didn’t take Logan long to figure out who killed her: Sabretooth. He and Sabretooth fight. As Creed slams Logan with a wooden beam, Logan looses the battle. Sabretooth drags Logan’s unconscious body away.

When Logan wakes up, he finds himself in a pit. He doesn’t know how long he has been there, but today, Logan remembers hearing voices. Then he heard his voice. Sabretooth’s. And Logan remembered how hearing Sabretooth’s voice made his mouth water for the taste of blood.

Sabretooth told Logan that he would take it from there. Logan angrily calls out to him. Creed didn’t think that Logan would still be mad at him. He says that Logan has a lot to learn. He claims that the folks living in the town down hill, the ones Logan thought were his friends, that they aren’t his friends at all. So, Sabretooth lies, those peoples got rid of the one thing that kept Logan there!

Wolverine recalls that Sabretooth kept talking, filling in the details how Silver Fox got murdered. Part of Logan knew that Creed was lying, but a bigger part of him didn’t care. Because, as long as he believed it, he could let go of this thing that was inside him, clawing him, desperate to get out. And that would be all right, because those people in the town “deserved” it for what they did to his woman. Logan remembers how furiously angry he was that day.

By the time Logan clawed his way out of that pit, Sabretooth was already gone. But he left Logan a present: an axe. He picked it up, walked towards the town down hill, and murdered all of its citizens!

Logan remembers Nuke massacring a town in Vietnam.

Logan also remembers himself at a young age, covered in blood, holding a knife in his hands and dead bodies of people lie behind him. Logan’s son tells his daddy that he let “them” do this to him.

Now…

Wolverine screams: “No!” When Hellion wonders aloud what’s wrong with Logan. A sweaty Cap admits he isn’t sure about it, but warns Julian to be ready to follow his lead. Hellion agrees to do whatever Cap says.

Quietly, Wolverine thinks that it’s over. They got him. And what’s worse… they got his son. They’re using his son just like they used him. And, Logan realizes, if he gets any closer, they’ll use his son against him. To break him. They’ll corner him, force him to cut and claw his way out, through anything and anyone in his way. Even his own son.

Logan holds his sword proudly in front of him, and stares at it. He thinks to himself that, when he got his memories back, he finally found out who he was. What he is. Under the costume, under the skin… he is an animal. And he cannot be trusted. He looks at Cyclops, who still lies on the ground. Hellion notices this and asks Cap what to do, but Cap screams in pain; his blood cot has finally caught up with him. Logan realizes that pain is probably unbearable.

Emma sees Wolverine walking toward Scott, and asks Logan what he’s doing. Realizing what Logan is up to, Emma asks Scott to wait. Scott, fearing Logan’s sword, fires at his teammate but Logan ducks at every beam, continuing to advance. When Logan finally reaches him, Cyclops expects the mortal blow and screams in preparation. The blow, however, does not come. Instead, when he finally looks up, Cyclops sees Wolverine handing his sword over to him, handle first, as it rests across his forearm.

Logan explains to him that the sword is the only thing in the world that can put him down for good. He wants Scott to take it. Scott does, but wants to know… why him? As the two X-Men stand up, Wolverine admits that he knows when the time comes… Scott won’t hesitate.

Logan continues that the way this is going to go, is that he’s going to be forced to use the sword on his son… and he can’t do that. He won’t. Because of that, these people are probably going to take him down, brainwash him, and bring him back in. Logan can’t live like that anymore, and he’s counting on Scott to make sure that won’t happen.

As Logan walks over to Nuke, Scott asks Logan to wait. Ignoring him, Logan tells Cyclops to get Cap to a medic, and fast. And, as he looks at a handcuffed Nuke, he explains to Emma that Nuke was once called Frank Simpson, but that his mind is now completely gone. He wants Emma to help Frank, if she can. But, if she can’t help him, Logan wants Emma to let him know, because then he’ll finish the job why he came there for.

Emma telepathically tells Logan that there is something he should know. About his son. Above all else, Logan’s son hates him. Logan says nothing for a moment. Then, taking an angry look on his face and walking forward alone, Logan tells Emma that makes two of them.

As Hellion helps up the wounded Cap, Cyclops and Emma watch Wolverine leave.

Characters Involved: 

Wolverine <>

Emma Frost, Cyclops (both X-Men)

Hellion (New X-Men trainee)

Captain America

Nuke

Throughout Wolverine’s several flashbacks:

Itsu (Wolverine’s wife)

Wolverine’s son (unnamed)

Silver Fox

Sabretooth

mysterious man wearing a red cape (unnamed)

the mysterious man’s partner (unnamed)

Nuke

“Betsy” (Nuke’s childhood sitter)

several dead people (all unnamed)

Story Notes: 

A note in the issue reminds readers that the entire “Born In Blood” storyline takes place before Civil War #1.

First appearance of Wolverine’s son, though he doesn’t get named yet in this issue.

Sabretooth murdering Silver Fox was first told in Wolverine (2nd series) #10. This issue does reveal that Fox had a husband before she met Wolverine, and how she and Logan met in the first place. It also reveals what happened to Logan after Creed killed Fox, and takes place before Silver Fox’ reappearance in Wolverine (2nd series) #50 and final death in Wolverine (2nd series) #63.

Logan got his memories back in House of M #8. He learned about his wife Itsu and supposed unborn child in Wolverine (3rd series) #40. Wolverine shooting Betsy was seen in Wolverine: Origins #3.

Issue Information: 

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