SABRETOOTH

Publication Date: 27th Jul 2023
Written By: Douglas Mangum and Monolith.
Image Work: Tanwer and Binaryan (Ryan Jones).
Alternate Versions

ALTERNATE VERSIONS

In the dystopic divergent timeline known to some as the Age of Apocalypse, Sabretooth had an unusual moral hesitation about the actions of Apocalypse, resulting in his expulsion. Taken in by Magneto, Sabretooth became a loyal X-Man and fought against Apocalypse’s forces. At some point after the fall of Apocalypse, Sabretooth was recruited by the timebreakers and eventually became leader of the group of heroes called the Exiles, attempting to fix timelines which had accidentally been broken. After his time with the Exiles, Sabretooth returned to his native reality and rejoined the X-Men. However, when his world was threatened by extra-dimensional forces, Sabretooth gave his life to assist in their destruction and thus save his world.

Read more about this version of Sabretooth in our Spotlight SABRETOOTH (EXILES)


Several alternate versions of the Age of Apocalypse have also included Sabretooth as a prominent character. In What If? (2nd series) #81, Bishop failed to end the Age of Apocalypse and it continued as the humans and mutants eventually united against the coming of Galactus. In the X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #62-66, Nightmare showed Charles Xavier an Age of Apocalypse that was a recursion from Moira MacTaggert’s repeating lifetimes. Instead of joining the Human High Council in this world, she helped Magneto found the X-Men after Xavier died. Sabretooth fought for these X-Men with Wild Child and Laura X as his comrades. However, in the Age of Apocalypse of Battleworld, Sabretooth returned to Apocalypse’s side and became Lord Creed of the Horsemen.


Other versions of Victor Creed existed elsewhere on Battleworld as well. In Killville, he was a member of the Assassins Guild sent after M.O.D.O.K. Several versions of Victor Creed were condemned to the Deadlands, appearing as zombies trapped behind the Shield. Zombie Sabretooth was the first test subject in Zombie Magneto and Ultron’s alliance to create cybernetic undead and storm the haven of Salvation.


In the highly diverged reality of Earth X, Sabretooth was actually not a mutant, but a descendent of one of several tribes of early humans which had evaded genetic tampering by Celestials. Part of the “Bear Clan,” Sabretooth and his species had diverged from that of Homo sapiens hundreds of thousands of years before. Another group of early humans had done the same, but these descendents of the “Moon Clan” were nonetheless mortal enemies of the Bear Clan, leading to the true origin of the animosity between Sabretooth and one of the Moon Clan’s descendents, Wolverine.


In the Mutant X, the Weapon X program had a very different affect on its subjects, leaving Sabretooth, Wolverine and Wild Child with minds more animal than man. Known as “the Pack,” the trio roamed the woods of Saskatchewan for prey, not caring if it was human. When the hero group known as the Six crashlanded, Sabretooth and the Pack would have killed them, if not for the intervention of Alpha Flight. Returned to Weapon X, the trio were soon returned to their normal intelligence, which Logan used to escape. Still the mercenary, Sabretooth took the commission to retrieve Logan and even killed Wild Child along the way. However, Logan eventually got the better of him and decapitated Sabretooth.


Even in the reality ruled by the House of M in which global peace had been achieved, Sabretooth’s bloodlust caused him to be imprisoned to keep the populace safe from him. However, when Magneto decided he needed an assassin to kill political powerhouse Graydon Creed, he unleashed Sabretooth to do the job. When the US government then retaliated by sending a strikeforce into Genosha, Sabretooth was on the front line to intervene. However, he found himself quickly bested by Bucky Barnes. Despite the setback, Sabretooth was later sent by Magneto to kill the Black Panther, the ruler of Wakanda. Unfortunately for Sabretooth, the Black Panther was quicker and decapitated the mutant, after which the head was sent back to Magneto as a warning.


In the reality depicted in X-Men Forever, Sabretooth was most definitively the father of Wolverine. Though he had taken great joy in tormenting his son, when he learned that Wolverine had been killed by Storm (or someone posing as her), Sabretooth broke into the X-mansion looking for vengeance. Instead, Storm escaped from him and the X-Men, but not before permanently blinding Sabretooth with her lightning. Already suffering from burnout of his powers which prevented the regeneration of his eyes, Sabretooth agreed to join the X-Men on their terms, with the promise that he eventually got revenge on the woman who posed as Storm and her masters, the mysterious Consortium. Though he gained his revenge, Sabretooth also lost his right hand during the battle, crippling him further. Sabretooth remained with the X-Men, hoping that they would eventually be able to restore his sight and his hand. Though they never succeeded, Sabretooth nevertheless seemed to accept his place among the team which also seemed to accept him among them.


In the Ultimate Universe, Sabretooth retained the bloodthirsty, sadistic personality as in most other realities, but this one seemed to have a soft spot for animals, urging their protection. An operative of SHIELD’s Weapon X department, Sabretooth was sent to bring back the recently escaped Wolverine. Failing at that, he was upgraded with adamanium claws like Wolverine’s (though with four in each hand) and attacked the base of the X-Men, who had taken in Wolverine. Barely escaping with his life, he joined the Brotherhood of Mutants, operating first under Quicksilver and later under Magneto. However, in yet another battle with Wolverine, Sabretooth was seemingly killed by decapitation, only to return months later, explaining that there had been enough residue connecting tissue to allow him to heal. When next meeting Wolverine, Sabretooth made the startling claim that Wolverine was his father, a claim Wolverine highly doubted due to Sabretooth’s scent. During the events of Ultimatum, Sabretooth was recruited by Rogue and his old Weapon X boss, John Wraith, against Magneto, after which he eventually joined Quicksilver’s new Brotherhood of Mutants.


The mentally unstable mutant Legion warped reality, creating the Age of X, a contained reality with radically different history. When the government in this world began cracking down harshly on mutants, Sabretooth was one of those captured early. Faced without the hope of escape, Sabretooth allowed the US military to transform him into "Weapon S." His mandible was removed and replaced with tusk-like appendages, making Weapon S more beast than man. Via an electronic leash, Weapon S led his masters in the hunt for other mutants. One such hunt was leading the government's Avengers to the newly-formed Fortess X, the last stand of the world's remaining mutants. However, rather than being given his freedom as he hoped, Weapon S was killed by the mutant-hating Hulk, who brutally crushed what remained of his skull.


In one world, a heroic Sabretooth was described as a man of action, wanderer, explorer and secret agent. He lived happily with his love Besty Braddock, travelling the world and having breathtaking adventures. Unfortunately, the pair became the target of Slaymaster and his allies, who were killing versions of Psylocke across the multiverse. Sabretooth fought valiantly to save his love, but ultimately failed, and was killed by an evil version of Wolverine. [New Exiles #11]


In the Old West town of Greymalkin Arizona, Victor Creed fell afoul of Charles Xavier when he accused the man of playing cards.  A cruel man on this world, Xavier took control of Victor’s mind, and the minds of every other superhuman in town, and made them into his army, taking over the town.  Eventually, a group of reality travelling X-Men came to the town’s rescue and Creed was reconditioned into a docile and prodictive member of society by that team’s Xavier. [X-Treme X-Men (2nd series) #4-5]


In Old Man Logan’s dystopian future, Sabretooth degenerated into a savage beast who killed people for food. Logan cut the man to pieces and buried him in separate boxes so he couldn’t regenerate.  Years later, Creed was stitched back together by Mister Sinister thanks to his regenerative powers, and served the new Weapon X assembled by Essex. Sabretooth lead an army of degenerate clones of himself in a hunt for Logan across the Badlands before eventually being torn to pieces by Logan once again.