Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Ultimate Wolverine #1

The Ultimate Wolverine has finally debuted as Marvel’s Ultimate Universe’s next revamped hero. While his powers and physical stature seem to be identical to Earth-616’s Wolverine, this Weapon X has a far more horrific origin story. Where the Weapon X Program used a powerful mutant as the base for their living weapon, this Wolverine variant is a paranormal force of pure terror, unlike anything the Ultimate Universe has seen before.

Ultimate Wolverine #1 - by Chris Condon and Alessandro Cappuccio - is the inaugural issue of Earth-6160’s new Wolverine. Like his Earth-616 counterpart, Ultimate Wolverine, instead known as the “Winter Soldier,” is a shorter, imposing figure of raw physical strength, augmented by metal claws over a foot in length.

Hidden behind a full-face mask, his constrictive fashion choice hides a horrific secret from the hero’s sinister origin. After a brief flashback and glimpse behind the mask, it’s clear that this version of Weapon X is more horrific than anything the Ultimate Universe has seen yet.

Ultimate Wolverine Is a Living Patchwork of Dead Soldiers

Ultimate Wolverine #1 - Written by Chris Condon; Art by Alessandro Cappuccio; Color by Bryan Valenza; Lettering by VC’s Cory Petit; Cover Art by Alessandro Cappuccio & Frank Martin

The introductory story begins with Wolverine and a squadron of soldiers traveling over Latverian airspace. As the soldiers banter to fill the time, Wolverine captures the attention of two nervous combatants. They murmur rumors that Wolverine was a failed experiment of pieced-together corpses of fallen soldiers. The result forged an undying living weapon that lives only to kill its targets. Much like Earth-616’s Wolverine , this variant seems to have been stripped of his identity and personality after the Weapon X Program. Unwilling or unable to communicate, readers are left with a single memory within Wolverine’s mind.

Buried in the frigid Russian wilderness, two Russian soldiers approach the moving corpse of an enemy. Blasted apart by a lethal barrage of airstrikes, only the torso, an arm, and a fleshless skull remain. Slowly pulling itself through the snow, leaving behind a long crimson trail of blood, this is the true face of the Ultimate Wolverine . This Wolverine is no simple man, but a zombie patched together using the bodies of other fallen warriors. Unlike the primary Weapon X Program that enhanced Wolverine’s already terrifying power, this Wolverine was pieced together from nothing to create something more fearsome.

Ultimate Wolverine Is the Maker's Council's Top Asset

Variant Cover Art by Gabriele Dell'Otto

Of course, Wolverine’s compatriots may just be speaking in rumors, but these casual horrors wouldn’t be unusual for the Maker’s Council. In this universe, Wolverine, once again known as the Winter Soldier , is a specialized lethal asset owned and operated by three of the Maker’s Council , Magik, Colossus, and Omega Red. As a military asset for the Eurasian Republic, Wolverine has become yet another pawn in the global conspiracies orchestrated by the Maker and his allies. The Eurasian Republic currently operates as a rogue state within the Maker’s geopolitical schemes, making the Winter Soldier a truly unpredictable threat.

This Wolverine is the perfect specimen that Earth-616’s Weapon X Program had originally hoped to create.

Lies and tactical deceit are another common play among the Maker’s Council, so the rumors regarding their most lethal weapon could only be that. The Ultimate Universe is still new to the presence of superpowers and a near-immortal threat like Wolverine is already a terrifying premise to those who face him. What’s clear is that this soldier has been stripped of his humanity. Expressionless, silent, and potentially without any real life of its own, this Wolverine is the perfect specimen that Earth-616’s Weapon X Program had originally hoped to create.

Ultimate Wolverine #1 releases January 15, 2025 from Marvel Comics.