Wolverine (3rd series) #70

Issue Date: 
February 2009
Story Title: 
Old Man Logan: Part 5
Staff: 

Mark Millar (writer), Steve McNiven (penciler), Dexter Vines (inker), Morry Hollowell (colorist), VC’s Cory Petit (letterer), Joe Sabino & Damien Lucchese (production), Jody Leheup (assistant editor), John Barber (editor), Axel Alonso (group editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Dan Buckley (publisher), Steve McNiven, Dexter Vines & Morry Hollowell (cover), On pages 15-16: Mark Morales (inker) & Justin Ponsor (colorist)

Brief Description: 

Logan tells his tale to Hawkeye of what happened that changed him all those years ago. It was a time when the mansion was attacked by a myriad of villains. After defending the mansion and killing them all, Logan is approached by the villain Mysterio, who thanks him for what he has done. Looking at the destruction, Logan sees that the X-Men have been killed by his hand. Distraught, he wandered the woods until he came upon a train track and laid his head down on the tracks. He then tells Hawkeye that Wolverine is dead and that he won’t fight, not anymore. Hawkeye apologizes to him and they continue their journey. After paying Ant-Man Dwight at a toll, they begin to be followed by a Venom-Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Full Summary: 

(present)

You wanna know what happened? You wanna know why I haven’t popped my claws in fifty years? Well, it all goes back to the night the villains got their act together. Like all their stupid stories...

(past)

Fifty years ago at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in Westchester, New York, Logan was with Jubilee when a number of distress calls came through. Jubilee informed him that they were coming from the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., Fantastic Four, Wakanda, just about everywhere. She’s trying to call them back but all she’s getting is a high-pitched noise. When she asks Logan his thoughts, he tells her they need to get out of there now.

At that moment, a blast goes off that knocks Jubilee out. Uncovering himself from the rubble, Logan is told no, he needed to get out of there twenty minutes ago. Turning around, Wolverine sees the combined forces of Stryfe, Doctor Octopus, Shocker, Klaw and Mister Hyde. Stryfe tells him hello, this is the big one. Before Logan can react, he finds himself slammed backwards by one of Doctor Octopus’ tentacles. Stryfe then asks Logan if he knows how many super-villains there are for every super-hero out there – twenty, fifty? It was only a matter of time before someone recognized all that latent talent.

In other sections of the mansion, villains such as Ultron, Absorbing Man, Bullseye, Scorpion, Blob, Silver Samurai, Green Goblin and Mister Sinister burst through the walls. One of the other students tells the other residents to hit the evacuation tunnels like they’ve done a million times in training.

As Logan is still being held by Doctor Octopus’ tentacles, Stryfe continues that they got their greatest minds together and worked the whole thing out. The best people on their side for the best people on theirs, this is the end little man. At that moment, Logan proceeds to break free from Doctor Octopus’ grasp and jams his claws through Octopus’ and Klaw’s neck, killing them. After slashing and killing Mister Hyde, he slashes Stryfe across the face and tells him not on his watch “bub.”

Coming up behind Trapster and the Green Goblin who are cornering a few of the students, Logan viciously kills Trapster and then Silver Samurai and Green Goblin. As he does, he calls out to Cyclops and Storm and asks where the hell everybody is. The students tell him that nobody knows. They’ve been missing since the alarms went off. They then ask him what they should do. Logan tells them to get outta there and don’t look back no matter what they hear. After killing the Blob, Logan is attacked by a number of villains – Sabretooth, Mister Sinister, Lady Deathstrike, Scorpion, Omega Red, Shocker and Absorbing Man. As they attack him, Logan takes them all out viciously and without remorse.

(present)

Logan recalls that Bullseye was the last to die. They fought for close to ninety minutes but the bastard just wouldn’t go down. All they did was take chunks outta one another. Even with his knives in his back, all he could think about was what was goin’ on out there. What they’d done to the other super-heroes and what he’d do to the kids if he didn’t seize his chance.

(past)

With that, Logan jams his clawed fist into Bullseye’s chest, killing him. As Bullseye lies on the ground dying, he looks up at Logan and asks him to please stop and why is he doing this? He’s supposed to be their friend. Logan wonders huh? Just then, a mysterious figure appears behind Logan and tells him oh dear. Looking down, Logan sees the figure of Bullseye turn into Jubilee. The figure behind him asks Logan if he really thought he could do this alone, take down forty super-villains? Talk about delusions of grandeur. But his friends, people who would hesitate, that’s a different matter entirely. The figure introduces himself as Mysterio, the master of illusions.

As he leaves, he thanks Logan on behalf of the criminal community. Looking in front of him, Logan is shocked to see the dead bodies of Gambit, Havok, Iceman, Cannonball, Psylocke, Colossus, Beast, Storm, Longshot, Nightcrawler, Forge, Polaris and Cyclops.

(present)

At a campfire, Hawkeye asks Logan if he murdered the X-Men? Logan replies that he stabbed every one of ‘em, right through the heart. But he didn’t know it was them. Mysterio made ‘em look and feel and even smell different. He swears to god that he had no idea. Hawkeye asks him what happened then. Logan tells him who knows. All he remembers was walkin’ through the woods and the trees, sobbin’ an’ cryin’. It could’a been days, it could’a been weeks. All that sticks in his head was the leaves bein’ wet and the taste o’ blood in his mouth and the animals. The animals were so scared o’ him. The battle o’ Vegas, that final showdown between the heroes an’ the bad guys, it didn’t even register. They broke him so bad he couldn’t even think. All he wanted was to hurt himself. Pay a price for what he’d done. So he waited on a freight train an’ killed Wolverine dead.

Hawkeye remarks that a train couldn’t kill him, not with his healing factor. Logan tells him no, but it hurt an’ sometimes that’s enough. Remembering when the train ran over his head, Logan says to Hawkeye to try and tell him that Wolverine didn’t deserve to die. Just tell him that he’s been a fool to hide his claws for fifty years. Hawkeye tells him that he wouldn’t dare. Logan adds that he’s a farmer now and that his hands don’t do nuthin’ ‘cept tend the land. So don’t even think about askin’ him to fight again. He will never hurt another livin’ soul. Hawkeye tells him that it’s his call.

The next day at Dwight’s toll, a young kid by the name of Dwight wearing Ant-Man’s headgear stands in the middle of the road and tells Hawkeye and Logan that they need to pay eighty cents to cross the river of he will sic the ants on them. When Logan asks if this is a joke, Dwight tells him eighty cents or the road ends there. He has a million little friends to back him up. All they waitin’ on is Dwight to give the word. As Hawkeye gives Dwight his eighty cents, he tells him to stay outta trouble. Dwight thanks him and tells Mister Barton to have a good day. As they cross the bridge, Logan asks Hawkeye if Dwight was serious. Hawkeye tells him that Dwight’s always serious and that was eighty cents well spent. Underneath the bridge, it is littered with skeletons and wrecked vehicles.

In Doom’s Head, Illinois, Hawkeye and Logan drive past some dinosaurs. While they do, Hawkeye says to Logan that story he told him about what happened in Westchester, he’s sorry for making him do this. If he’d known what he’d been through… Logan cuts him off and tells him to forget about it. The past only hurts if they let it catch up with them.

Just then, a Venom-Tyrannosaurus Rex appears and chases after them.

Characters Involved: 

Logan/Wolverine

Hawkeye/Clint Barton

Dwight (Ant-Man)

Venom-Tyrannosaurus Rex

In Logan’s memories:

Wolverine, Jubilee, Gambit, Havok, Iceman, Cannonball, Psylocke, Colossus, Beast, Storm, Longshot, Nightcrawler, Forge, Polaris and Cyclops (all X-Men)

Doctor Octopus, Klaw, Stryfe, Shocker, Mister Hyde, Ultron, Absorbing Man, Bullseye, Scorpion, Blob, Silver Samurai, Green Goblin, Mister Sinister, Trapster, Sabretooth, Omega Red and Lady Deathstrike (all “villains” attacking Logan)

Mysterio

Story Notes: 

Wolverine joined Hawkeye in his quest back in Wolverine (3rd series) #66.

Issue Information: 

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