Marvel teases Wolverine‘s death at the hands of the villain who’s stealing his powers. Wolverine is nearly impossible to kill, but that hasn’t kept him from dying several times in Marvel lore. Death of Wolverine famously covered a weakened Logan in liquid adamantium in 2014 before he was resurrected by Persephone four years later in 2018’s Return of Wolverine. Not long afterward, Wolverine died a heroic death stopping Mother Mold in House of X #4 before being brought back from the dead by the Krakoan Resurrection Protocols during the X-Men’s utopian era.
It takes a lot of power and luck to kill Wolverine. His healing factor makes him immune to almost all possible attacks, and his adamantium-coated skeleton ensures there’s enough material to regenerate. Wolverine’s heightened senses allow him to detect danger long before it arrives, and his claws can turn almost any enemy into mush if his integrity is threatened. Throughout the decades, Wolverine has survived everything from massive energy blasts to atomic bombs to poisoning to drowning, effortlessly but painfully regaining his full health every time.
Everything changes when Wolverine loses his most useful ability, as he can fight as violently as usual, but he needs to change his combat style completely when he can’t rely on his healing factor to keep him from dying in the middle of a berserker rage episode.
Wolverine #23; Written By Saladin Ahmed; Art By Julius Ohta & Jesus Aburtov
Wolverine lost one of his set of claws during his battle with Adamantine, and since then, he has been losing his healing factor gradually. A simple skirmish with Titania and the Absorbing Man leaves Logan severely weakened, and he realizes that adamantium poisoning has started to kick in. In Wolverine #23, Logan struggles to fight Taskmaster, who not only dominates the fight but also reveals that he now has regenerative abilities of his own. As Wolverine explains, “someone” has been siphoning his healing factor and putting it into “that money-grubbing weasel.”
Half a century after Wolverine’s comic book debut, Logan finally wears his most logical costume for the first time, for all the wrong reasons.
As soon as Logan confirms Taskmaster is healing from his wounds, the bounty hunter unsheathes two sais. Besides mastering these weapons following encounters with Elektra, Taskmaster also knows how to use them exactly the same way Wolverine uses his claws. This weapon choice adds insult to injury, as Taskmaster intends to kill Wolverine with his own signature moves. Wolverine #23’s main cover features Taskmaster wielding a real set of Wolverine claws, which suggests the villain will also upgrade his weapons soon.
A Healing Factor Is The Only Upgrade Taskmaster Needs To Become Unstoppable
An Unkillable Taskmaster Might Make Deadpool Completely Redundant
Taskmaster holds his shield in Marvel Comics
The main reason why Deadpool is so effective at his job is the fact that he literally can’t be killed. Wade Wilson’s healing factor has made him careless, as he doesn’t need to protect his body from wounds considering how quickly it regenerates from the most gruesome injuries. This makes Deadpool uniquely creative in his combat style, but also sloppy. Taskmaster has learned to fight just like every hero, anti-hero, and villain he has ever faced, from street-level vigilantes like Daredevil and the Punisher to Avengers like Captain America and even Thor himself. Hence, Taskmaster knows how to dodge and redirect any attack and strategize on the spot.
Marvel · Mutant Profile Which X-Men Character Are You? “Mutation: it is the key to our evolution.”
🐺 Wolverine The Loner
🧠 Professor X The Visionary
🧲 Magneto The Survivor
01
Humans discover your mutant abilities. What do you do?
02
Anti-mutant protesters surround a school full of young mutants. What’s your first move?
03
A team of mutants needs a leader for a dangerous mission. What role do you naturally fall into?
04
A powerful mutant threatens innocent humans. How do you respond?
05
A human politician offers to champion mutant rights — but has a shady past. What do you do?
06
What’s your biggest flaw?
07
Sentinels are hunting mutants in your city. What’s your move?
08
What do you believe about coexistence between humans and mutants?
Cerebro Scan Complete Your X-Men Identity
🐺
Wolverine (Logan)
“I’m the best there is at what I do. But what I do best isn’t very nice.” You’re the fierce loner who acts first and philosophises later — but beneath that adamantium-plated exterior beats a heart that cares far more than you’d ever admit. You’ve been burned enough times to distrust the world, so you keep people at arm’s length, yet you’d throw yourself into any fight to protect the ones who slip past your defences. You don’t need a cause or a manifesto — you just need someone worth fighting for. Like Logan, your greatest strength isn’t your claws or your healing factor; it’s the stubborn refusal to let the people you love face danger alone.
Fierce Protective Resilient Untamed
🧠
Professor X (Charles Xavier)
“Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.” You’re the visionary who sees the best in everyone — even when the world gives you every reason not to. Your greatest power isn’t telepathy; it’s an unshakeable belief that understanding and compassion can bridge any divide. You lead not through force but through hope, building bridges where others build walls. Some call you naive, but you know that real strength lies in extending a hand to your enemy. Like Charles Xavier, you carry the weight of a dream that most consider impossible, and you refuse to let it die.
Visionary Empathetic Diplomatic Hopeful
🧲
Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr)
“Peace was never an option.” You’re the survivor who learned the hardest lesson life has to offer: the world will not protect you, so you must protect yourself. Your conviction is unbreakable and your patience is terrifying — you’ll wait years to set the right plan in motion. You don’t hate humanity; you simply refuse to let your people be victims ever again. Every action you take, no matter how ruthless, is driven by a profound love for those who share your struggle. Like Erik Lehnsherr, you are both revolutionary and tragic — a leader forged in pain who will bend the world before it bends you.
Resolute Strategic Ruthless Unyielding
Add Wolverine’s healing factor to the mix, and Taskmaster becomes virtually impossible to defeat. Fighting Tony Masters is like fighting an entire team of Defenders or Avengers at once, so even if somebody manages to overpower the abilities of dozens of fighters, they would also have to be powerful enough to pulverize Taskmaster’s body. Luckily, Taskmaster hasn’t received an adamantium enhancement yet, otherwise he would make Wolverine, Deadpool, and countless other characters redundant if he chose to take their place.
Would you like to see Taskmaster receive a permanent power-up?
Wolverine #3 is available July 8 from Marvel Comics
Created By
Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Romita Sr.
First Appearance
The Incredible Hulk (2023)
Alias
James “Logan” Howlett
Alliance
X-Men, Avengers, Canadian Army, OSS/CIA, Avengers Unity Squad, Alpha Flight, New Avengers, New Fantastic Four, Savage Avengers, Weapon X, X-Force
POWERS
Retractible claws and Adamantium skeleton. Superhuman senses, stamina, and strength. Healing factor and longevity.
