Contains spoilers for Ultimate Universe: One Year in #1!Wolverine's origin has always been fascinating, but Ultimate Wolverine's reinvention of the hero is turning Weapon X into something even more terrifying. This time, Logan’s not just the pawn of a random government agency - he’s the "ultimate weapon" of a conspiracy that holds the entire world in its clutches.

Ahead of the new Ultimate Wolverine's full debut, Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1 (from Chris Condon, Deniz Camp, Alessandro Cappuccio, Jonas Scharf, Mattia Iacono, Bryan Valenza and Travis Lanham) has given readers the first look at this universe’s version of the Weapon X program, and it’s brutal.

As this glimpse reveals, the Eurasian Republic - this world's equivalent to Russia - was chosen as a home for all mutants. However, far from being a paradise, the Republic is designed to control and weaponize them. Its leaders, the Rasputin family, have turned their own species into tools of war in 'Directorate X' - an ambitious new version of Weapon X, aka Weapon Plus.

Fans are seeing a world where Weapon Plus has the might of a country behind it, turning Wolverine into the new 'Winter Soldier.'

Ultimate Wolverine's New Weapon X Is An Entire Nation

X-Men Icons Have Turned Mutants into Weaponized Slaves

This story acts as a prologue to Condon and Cappuccio's Ultimate Wolverine #1, which will see Logan become this new timeline's Winter Solider. In Marvel's new Ultimate Universe, the villainous time traveler known as the Maker has altered the timeline, neutralizing the heroes who could stand against him by killing them, corrupting them, or ensuring their heroic origins never come to . Now, it's revealed how he stopped the X-Men becoming heroes. The fact that iconic mutant heroes Colossus, Magik and Nightcrawler rule the Eurasian Republic and oversee Directorate X only adds insult to injury.

In mainstream Marvel continuity, Weapon X is the secretive project funded by the Canadian government that turned Wolverine into the partially amnesiac, adamantium-laced killer readers know and love. Later stories then established that the project was, in fact, the tenth incarnation of Weapon Plus - a series of projects to create posthuman soldiers with links to everyone from Captain America to Luke Cage.

Since its original incarnation, countless new versions of Weapon X have cropped up, mostly to bother Wolverine, but nothing’s ever beaten the conspiratorial vibe of the original. Now, fans are seeing a world where Weapon Plus has the might of a country behind it, operating as the Maker's secret weapon to stop mutant heroes fighting against the shadowy cabal who run the world.

Directorate X Is Crucial to the Maker's Regime

Mutants Have a Huge Part to Play in Overthrowing the Mega-Villain

One Year In marks the halfway point to the return of the Maker, who’s currently trapped in a hyperbolic time chamber where centuries of artificial time are ing around him. When he returns in another year, he'll be stronger than ever, having had relative millennia to prepare. That puts an onus on this world's fledgling superhero resistance (aka the Ultimates Network) to destroy the Maker's power base - and crucially his council of villains - before he returns. Directorate X is a key part of that puzzle - One Year In says its mutants have tried to rebel before, offering the heroes a major allied army if they can be freed

The reveal of Directorate X helps to connect several of the dots about this universe’s mutant history. In 2024's The Ultimates #2, written by Camp, drawn by Juan Frigeri, colored by Federico Blee and lettered by Lanham, showed a flashback montage of the past complete with what looked like a mutant rights protest. This didn’t line up with what readers knew at the time, which was that over in Ultimate X-Men, the public had no idea about mutants even existing. Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1 shows exactly where all the mutants went, and it’s into the meat-grinder that is Directorate X.

Directorate X is changing everything we thought we knew from Marvel's Ultimate X-Men series.

How Does This Impact Ultimate X-Men?

The Maker Isn’t in Control of Every Mutant

This reveal also has broader implications for Ultimate X-Men. The series - written and drawn by Peach Momoko with translation by Zack Davisson and letters by VC’s Travis Lanham - has framed mutants as a mysterious cult, the Children of the Atom. Directorate X reframes the cult as only one subgroup of mutants. The cult technically works under Viper, who helps run this world’s Japan, so it’ll be interesting to see how it intersects with Directorate X. How much do the Rasputins know of Viper’s own project, and what’s the relationship between these different mutant factions?

Directorate X also suggests that the little readers have learned about mutant history via the Children of the Atom is laced with lies. Ultimate X-Men #9 introduced this world’s Akihiro, traditionally Wolverine’s son, who claimed he was the first mutant. He could be the first of the Children of the Atom, who’re partially genetically engineered, but is he really the first mutant? If he is, why does Viper have him, and not the Rasputins?

Directorate X Is Reminiscent of Genosha

Is This a New Mutant Homeland in the Making?

Calling mutants "tools" brings to mind the original X-Men stories featuring the nation of Genosha. Originally, Genosha was an anti-mutant apartheid state which flourished thanks to its labor force of near-lobotomised mutants. The country was successful but controversial, attracting the attention of both the X-Men and mutant villains like Magneto. Famously, however, Genosha was freed, eventually becoming a mutant-run state, which could eventually happen to Directorate X

Wolverine is starting off his series as a brainwashed killer, but so did classic Logan and the original Ultimate Wolverine from 2000 (as well as the original Winter Soldier.) If Logan’s able to break free of his programming, then it might be time for another Russian Revolution. In-universe, the Eurasian Republic is geopolitically controversial in a similar way to Genosha, but not for the same reasons. Instead, the Russia analogue is a pariah state designed by the Maker’s council to act as a common enemy to keep humanity from realizing the entire world is managed.

Directorate X is the perfect opportunity to introduce Deadpool into Ultimate Universe continuity.

Of course, that means mutants overthrowing the nation would shatter a lot of illusions set up to protect the Maker's regime. If mutants are able to gain a foothold on the world stage, then it might become impossible for even the Maker’s Council to cover up their vast conspiracy.

Who Else Is Trapped in Ultimate Wolverine's Directorate X?

This Could Lead to the Debut of Some Major Heroes & Villains

It’s also worth asking whether Directorate X involves other characters readers might know. Traditionally, Weapon X is also responsible for the creation of characters like Deadpool, Maverick, and Garrison Kane so Ultimate Wolverine could introduce the new versions of many familiar faces. The wider Weapon Plus program also connects to many heroes and villains, so fans shouldn't be surprised to see new versions of characters like Nuke and Fantomex appear.

One already revealed victim of Directorate X is Russian mutant Ursa Major - a member of the Winter Guard superteam in Marvel's mainstream continuity.

Ultimate Wolverine is a chance to reinvent any and every part of Logan's origin, taking decades' worth of Weapon X lore and tying it into a globe-spanning conspiracy. Hopefully, Ultimate Wolverine will break free of his captors, becoming a new force for good against the reprehensible Directorate X.

Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1 is on sale now, and Ultimate Wolverine (2025) #1 is on sale January 15, 2025, both from Marvel Comics