WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Avengers #42 by Jason Aaron, Luca Maresca, David Curiel & VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.
Wolverine has never been particularly fond of the Phoenix Force. Having watched this cosmic entity possess and corrupt his friends on several occasions, Logan is certainly sick of the Phoenix by now. But now, Logan seems downright eager to fully embrace the power of the Phoenix Force.
In Avengers #42, the Avengers and other heroes participating in the Phoenix's tournament are trying to figure out what to do once the Phoenix claims its next host. Wolverine chimes in, clarifying that many of the other heroes there, he's not an Avenger anymore. Furthermore, Logan claims that no one is going to be the next Phoenix, since humans have taken enough from mutantkind, and they're not taking the Phoenix too.
Logan elaborates on his desire to bond with the Phoenix during his own inner monologue. Wolverine talks about how everyone wants the power of the Phoenix, even those who are too scared to admit it. As opposed to the other heroes, Logan is used to his own nasty thoughts, which he acknowledges.
Despite these thoughts, Wolverine still believes he can do the right thing by claiming the Phoenix Force for himself. After seeing the Phoenix take so much from Jean Grey, Rachel Grey and Hope Summers, Wolverine is sick of others taking the proverbial bullet for him. Believing it's his job to sacrifice himself for others, Wolverine accepts that he should be the next Phoenix. This idea scares Logan, but he's willing to go through with this transformation.
Wolverine's thoughts here are a drastic shift from his perspective in Avengers vs. X-Men. Indeed, when the Phoenix Force was last headed to Earth, Logan sided with the Avengers to stop it from claiming another host. Wolverine was so resolute in his attempt to stop the Phoenix that he fought against the X-Men, the only real family he's ever known.
Of course, the Phoenix ultimately possessed several of Logan's fellow X-Men before Hope used it to reignite mutantkind. But since he and the other X-Men came together on Krakoa, Wolverine seems to be more aligned with his fellow X-Men. Witnessing what the Phoenix did for mutants earlier, maybe Logan believes he can use it to help Krakoa.
Additionally, Wolverine may better understand the inevitability of the Phoenix now, too. When the Avengers tried to stop the Phoenix's last arrival, it still claimed several of his fellow mutants. Now, Logan probably recognizes that it's necessary to become the Phoenix's next host so that others won't become corrupted like the Phoenix Five. As someone who has been subjected to various forms of mind control over the years, perhaps Logan believes he can handle the Phoenix's dark influence.
There's no better example of this control than Logan's appearance in Thor #5-6, by Jason Aaron and Christian Ward. In this possible future, Wolverine became "Old Man Phoenix," the Phoenix's next host in an alternate timeline. With entropy and decay killing the universe, he used the Phoenix to quickly destroy stars, putting them out of their misery. This is a nasty job, but it's very much in line with Logan's character since he often does what no one else is willing to do.
Even though Logan came into conflict with King Thor, the two of them still teamed up to defeat Doctor Doom. Logan even sacrificed himself, transferring the Phoenix Force into Mjolnir so Thor could beat Doom. Later on, Old Man Phoenix joined a new Avengers team, led by Thor's granddaughters. All of these actions illustrated Logan's heroism, even when possessed by the Phoenix.
Of course, in Uncanny X-Force #12, by Rick Remender and Mark Brooks, the Logan from "Age of Apocalypse" became Apocalypse's heir after taking a similar cosmic burden. Sacrificing himself to prevent the Celestials from culling the Earth, Logan became a force for cosmic evolution. While Logan's intent may have been noble, he was ultimately corrupted by his new role. The Celestials' power warped Logan's mind as he attempted to force the next stage of evolution on Earth.
While Wolverine's future makes him seem almost destined to wield a cosmic power on the order of the Phoenix in some capacity. Still, Logan's noble intentions still betray the possibility of being potentially corrupted by the Phoenix Force. In claiming the Phoenix Force, Wolverine may intend to save everyone, but he could become the latest embodiment of a threat that's already tortured his lfie.