Thoughout its run, the Predator vs. Wolverine miniseries has spanned centuries in chronicling the fight between the clawed Canadian and a singular Yautja. Now, the end is in sight with Predator vs. Wolverine #4 from Benjamin Percy, Ken Lashley, Juan Fernanex, Kei Zama, Alex Guimaraes, Gavin Guidry, Matthew Wilson, and Cory Petit. Having set a trap for the Predator, Wolverine engages the intergalactic hunter in a duel to the death. A pair of flashbacks also chronicle Logan battling the Predator in feudal Japan, as well as the fallout of the Predator deciding to attack the X-Men’s mansion in Westchester County.
As he’s done throughout the rest of the miniseries, Percy highlights the various similarities (and differences) between the Predator and Wolverine in his script. Though both of them are living weapons, Logan has his bonds with the X-Men as well as the desire to be a better man. In contrast, the Predator is driven by its feral nature and its desire to possess Logan’s adamantium skeleton. Phrases like “the gravity of a hundred years of war” and “I needed to become deadlier than the death he wore” are peppered throughout Wolverine’s narration, and will stay with readers long after they close the book; it’s this insightful dialogue that makes Percy’s take on Wolverine so engaging.
It also doesn’t hurt that he’s been working with some great artists throughout this miniseries; especially Lashley and Fernandez in the present day sections. Lashley draws a dark, violent throwdown between the Predator and Wolverine that tests both combatants’ endurance. Flesh is ripped apart by plasma bolts. Blood, rendered in deep crimson and fluorescent green thanks to Fernandez’s colors, splatters throughout the panels. When all’s said and done, Lashley and Fernandez make sure this book earns its “Parental Advisory” rating.
However, while Zama delivers some genuinely haunting work – especially the sight of the Predator sporting a skeletal, bleached-bone helmet; it pales in comparison to the Westchester sequence. A large part of that can be attributed to Guidry’s artwork; he has a sleek yet simple style that fits the Classic Era X-Men – if you love the Chris Claremont/John Romita Jr. era of X-Men, you’ll love seeing Wolverine take on a Predator with the help of Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde. The other thing is that the Muramasa sequence feels a little bit lacking, especially in its ending. I’d have preferred it if the Westchester sequence was longer.
Predator vs. Wolverine #4 puts a bloody, brutal bow on the titular matchup, and it definitely more than lives up to expectations in the end. My hope is that Wolverine won’t be the only Marvel hero to face off against a Predator – personally, I’d love to see Spider-Man test his luck against the dreadlocked demon.
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