Does Marvel’s Newest Wolverine Story Contains Massive Continuity Error?

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The latest storyline of X-Men’s team “From the Ashes” has some flaws, but one of the biggest issues was recently highlighted in the new issue of Wolverine. This current run of Wolverine’s solo comic book has been intriguing, but labeling it as fantastic might be pushing it. There are some good concepts at play here – Adamantine is one of Wolverine’s most distinctive villains ever – however, it often feels like a repetition of Larry Hama’s 90’s run on Wolverine. While that Wolverine series is the best solo comic about him, for long-time readers, it seems overly familiar. Issue #400 of Wolverine marked a significant change in Wolverine’s life by bringing back his previously believed deceased mother Elizabeth Howlett.

In issue #9 of Wolverine, the numbering was temporarily increased to commemorate issue #400, and then returned to its original sequence in the following issues. This issue hinted at an upcoming clash between Wolverine and Sabretooth, with Sabretooth holding Wolverine’s mother captive. However, as the story progresses into issue #10, there’s a continuity inconsistency: the Howlett Estate, where the action is set, was destroyed in 2013’s Wolverine (Vol. 5) #10. This apparent error in timeline is not just a simple oversight, as the current narrative shares many similarities with a previous storyline.

The Howlett Estate Was Transformed into a Shopping Mall

To fully grasp the magnitude of this error, let’s delve into “Killable”. This event transpired following Wolverine’s loss of his regenerative abilities. The narrative begins with a confrontation between Wolverine and Black Panther, as he was romantically involved with Storm, who was once married to the Black Panther. Upon returning home, he discovered that one of his treasured katanas from the Yashida family had been stolen. It was unveiled that Mystique was behind this theft, collaborating with Sabretooth at the time. Sabretooth learned that Wolverine had lost his healing factor and sought to verify this theory. He orchestrated a trap, leading Wolverine and Kitty Pryde to the former Howlett Estate, now transformed into a shopping mall. Unbeknownst to them, the estate had been sold years ago. Sabretooth, now a powerful crime lord in control of Madripoor and its ninja forces, took the mall hostage, forcing Wolverine and Kitty to infiltrate it. This led to a lopsided battle where Sabretooth overpowers Wolverine, taunting him about his vulnerability throughout the fight. The story concludes with Wolverine at his most defeated, realizing the extent of his predicament without his healing factor.

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Moving forward with the current narrative, Wolverine discovers his mother is captive, held by Sabretooth, prompting him to journey to the Howlett Estate for her rescue. Interestingly, Sabretooth appears to be collaborating with the Marauders once more, as Wolverine first clashes with Harpoon and Vertigo before reaching his ancestral home. The latest installment concludes with Sabretooth challenging Wolverine.

In essence, this plot bears a striking resemblance to the story “Killable”. Both tales share the same fundamental premise: Sabretooth steals something valuable from Wolverine and uses it as bait to lead him to the Howlett Estate. It seems that neither the editors nor the current writer were aware of this significant similarity, or perhaps they overlooked the fact that a crucial aspect of the setting was altered years ago in the series. While maintaining continuity can be challenging, such oversights are particularly glaring and should be avoided. It’s reasonable to expect that writers read through previous issues of the series, but if not, it is incumbent upon the editors to ensure such inconsistencies are addressed.

A New Low for the X-Men Books

Although ‘From the Ashes’ has sold well, it doesn’t seem to evoke the same level of enthusiasm as the initial X-Men storyline did. There are some outstanding titles like ‘Uncanny X-Men’ and ‘Storm’, but generally speaking, they fall between good and average. The ‘Wolverine’ series, usually one of my top picks, has been an exception. Despite introducing a new Wolverine adversary, it feels somewhat repetitive. I’ve followed various Wolverine series over the past three decades, and this one hasn’t even come close to being a favorite. As a big fan of Wolverine, who is my preferred Marvel character, this current run has been far from satisfying. The recent developments in ‘Wolverine’ really highlight the issues that the X-Men comics have been facing since ‘From the Ashes’ began.

Although Tom Brevoort, a longtime Marvel editor, has been leading the X-Men series, these comics have faced numerous issues instead of thriving as expected. An editor’s role is to ensure stories run smoothly and address any problems that arise; unfortunately, it seems the editors on Wolverine failed in this regard. This isn’t a minor oversight but rather a significant continuity confusion. Many devoted X-Men fans have expressed disappointment over Brevoort taking charge of the X-Men books, as there are hints suggesting he has lost interest in the X-Men for quite some time. The recent blunder is particularly concerning because it disregards past achievements and shows a lack of reverence for the series’ history.

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2025-06-20 15:10