The upcoming X Deaths of Wolverine #5 features a variant cover with a dramatically different Wolverine embracing the look of a sleek Asgardian warrior.Shared by Absolute Carnage and Venom artist Ryan Stegman on Twitter, the X Deaths of Wolverine #5 futuristic cover features Wolverine decked out in glimmering armor while standing in front of what appears to be Yggdrasil. The round sigils and skirt armor on Wolverine's uniform are reminiscent of Thor's, while the long ears protruding from Logan's mask are similar to Asgardian helmets worn by the likes of Heimdall and Loki.
"The concept of this cover was that Marvel asked me to draw a futuristic Wolverine," Stegman wrote in a follow-up Twitter post. "I have a pitch for a story for Marvel that I haven't had a ton of time to pursue so I drew it here. The general idea is that Wolverine dies at the beginning of the story. Then the Norns at the base [of] Yggdrasil in Asgard get an urgent warning that they must resurrect this new spirit. But they look at this Logan character's history and are like, 'Why this guy? From all we can tell he's a bad guy.' But the entity that brings him insists that they must because he plays a huge role in the salvation of the entire multiverse. They finally agree to resurrect him in a bubble in Asgard in which they will put him through trials of heroism in order to prove he is worthy of resurrection. Will he make it? Well, I guess if I ever make the book we will find out."
While Stegman's Asgard resurrection concepts may not be reflected in the actual X Deaths of Wolverine run, the time-traveling series does focus on the many demises that Logan has experienced over his many years of slicing, dicing and surviving. Tying in with X Lives of Wolverine, which delves into Logan's various identities from the past and lived experiences, X Deaths of Wolverine #5 will see Logan face off against a twisted version of himself from a dark future timeline that was infected with the Phalanx virus.
Both X Lives of Wolverine and X Deaths of Wolverine have been promoted as ushering in a bold new future for Marvel's mutants known as the Second Krakoan Age, similar to how writer Jonathan Hickman transformed the X-Men with his House of X and Powers of X stories in 2019. X Deaths of Wolverine #5 goes on sale on March 23 from Marvel.