Ultimate Wolverine Vol. 1: The Winter Soldier, one of Marvel’s hottest books, is out in trade paperback this week, and a whole new audience will witness Wolverine in a brand new way. He’s the Winter Soldier of the Ultimate Universe, and at the start, he’s not in control of himself. So not in control, familiar X-Men will die at his hand, but for how long can he be contained?
Wolverine as the Winter Soldier is very apparent right off the bat, as Wolverine sits in an airplane waiting to be dropped off on his next kill mission. The soldiers near him are afraid of him and are shocked to learn he doesn’t use a parachute when jumping. Soon, he’s rocketing towards the Earth for his first kill, but before he lands, we see what appears to be a flashback when he’s bloody and dying.
After the kill, with a nice nod to Batman: Year One by artist Alessandro Cappuccio, his mission continues into a church. Crosscutting with the current mission is a flashback with Colossus, Omega Red, and Magik all observing him through the glass. Beating the glass with his fists, we see an X remains in blood, seemingly as a clue to some other life.
Alas, the wild animal that is Wolverine is unleashed on familiar mutants, with some major casualties. It seems that the Ultimate Universe gets to play fast and loose with known characters, which will cause the most shock. Those harrowing deaths add to Wolverine’s trauma and ongoing victimization. He’s a weapon for The Maker’s goons, and now it seems there’s a chance he may escape their grip if the heroes of this universe are lucky.
Things open up with issue #2, with characters like Magik, Omega Red, Colossus, and Dr. Alonya Prostovich. The latter character runs Directorate X, a research program that has turned Wolverine into the Winter Soldier. Considering every character in this book is a villain, it does not look so good for Wolverine to escape slavery.
That guy is cooked.
Credit: Marvel
Much of this issue is about Wolverine getting field-tested. The clearly very evil Colossus puts Dr. Alonya on the chopping block to see how Wolverine does against his own men. The brutality is animalistic and unrelenting. On top of that, Colossus gets no pushback when he puts his hand on his throat. He seems to be the dog they want, but in the final moments, one might see something wrong with Wolverine that could turn him against his masters.
Things get a lot juicier with Ultimate Wolverine #3 as more X-Men we’re familiar with are popping up. Nightcrawler and Mystique may not have made it, but the mere sight of Wolverine sprung memories for them. The same can be said for Kitty and Gambit, who open this issue in a snowstorm. They’re looking for a driver, and lo and behold, it’s another character you’ll remember from the 616 made new in the Ultimate Universe.
Alessandro Cappuccio’s visuals are striking. From the streaky snowstorm at the start to a cool montage of memories spurred on by Kitty Pryde’s powers, there’s a lot to take in. Cappuccio and color artist Bryan Valenza truly deliver something very different from the standard superhero art style, which suits Wolverine’s fever dream of being someone else’s weapon. Cappuccio also hammers home the ferocity and violence of Wolverine well. He’s slashing without mercy and is truly a weapon that can’t be stopped. The atmospheric colors by Bryan Valenza continue Cappuccio’s dreamlike visual qualities carried over from Moon Knight. The dramatic lighting enhances the kills and gravity of each cut as well.
A standout moment for this collection is Ultimate Wolverine #4, which opens with a 13-page battle between a wolf and a bear. It’s a risky choice as it’s a major thematic departure from the previous issues, as well as a tougher sell with Wolverine absent visually. He’s there in spirit, however, as writer Chris Condon uses captions to detail the scientists in the room of a slowly wakening Wolverine. As the wolf battles the bear, it appears Wolverine is fighting too, or maybe the wolf is Wolverine trying to wake himself from the scientist’s controls.
Ultimate Wolverine Vol. 1 crafts a dark, atmospheric reimagining of Logan as a relentless weapon stripped of his humanity. The story unfolds as a slow-burning descent into violence and control, aided by unsettling, memorable visuals and symbolic storytelling. Though the emotional core, Wolverine’s internal conflict and identity, remains largely mysterious, each issue gradually reveals fragments of an awakening self amidst the carnage. If you’re drawn to eerie, visually striking tales and are patient with pacing, this arc promises a haunting journey toward redemption – or destruction.
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