It's a struggle to find a more visceral and feral foil for the X-Men than Sabretooth. Though Sabretooth is most commonly associated with his longtime rival, Wolverine, the first hero he ever tangled with was Iron Fist. Victor Creed has filled a number of roles throughout his reign of terror, from a humble railroad worker to a crime boss in Asia -- he's even had stints as an X-Man. With his animalistic abilities and a formidable healing factor, Creed's longevity rivals some of Marvel's greats.
Though he's woven a storied and bloody path spanning decades, Victor's seemingly been put to a permanent stop. With the birth of a new world in Dawn of X, the mutant nation of Krakoa appears to have no place for him. Recently, Sabretooth was brought before The Quiet Council and sentenced to an eternity in prison. In the bowels of the island, in stasis but fully aware, Sabretooth remains trapped. So, how did he end up there and did his past influence the decision?
A Sliding Scale of Crime
One aspect of Creed that's ensured his longevity is his versatility as a character. In his beginnings, Sabretooth was little more than a murderous young mutant on the run, which would develop later into his sadistic enjoyment to killing both professionally and personally. He is able to fill any role within an antagonistic organization, be it muscle, assassin or brains. In Uncanny X-Men, he was able to form his own Brotherhood of Evil Mutants with Mystique and defeat Wolverine's team.
Victor's role seems to change with his mood; when he doesn't want too much responsibility, he's happy to play a support role. However, when Sabretooth is motivated, he unlocks another level in the danger he poses. At one point, he infiltrated The Hand, rising to prestige within their ranks before betraying his boss and taking their place. From there, he built his own crime empire across East Asia, declaring himself The Invisible King Of Asia and opening cooperative relations with the Hellfire Club.
Wolverine And The X-Men
The deadly dance between these two feral phenoms seems destined to go on forever. In the current Marvel 616 canon and many alternate timelines and dimensions, Sabretooth and Wolverine are often seen tearing into one another. Their destinies are intrinsically linked by their similarities, their pasts and even the circles they run in. It's not all bad blood, however. Old Man Logan, while time-displaced in the present, lamented his lifelong battle with Creed and made real efforts to reform the villain while the duo served on the Weapon X team.
Though more often seen as a foil to Professor Xavier's X-Men, he's been known to be a roster member at times. Not all of his stints on the team have been willing, but rather out of necessity. When Creed was hunted by a villainous group of superhumans known as The Children, he sought refuge among the X-Men. Understandably suspicious of Creed, they used nano-sentinels to keep him under control. More recently, following the events of AXIS, Sabretooth's moral alignment was changed by ritual magic. This now remorseful incarnation of Sabretooth wanted to make amends by becoming an X-Man proper. He later joined the Avengers.
Victor Creed: Avenger?
Yes, even Sabretooth had an Avengers membership card -- more than once. In recent history, he was drafted into the Avengers Unity Squad following his moral realignment in the AXIS storyline. This Avengers squad was created to improve public relations for mutants, featuring veteran Avengers and mutant superheroes, working together as a sign of solidarity. With these events happening after Logan's passing in Death of Wolverine, Sabretooth seemingly filled the role Wolverine left vacant, moving between X-Men and Avengers rosters.
This wasn't the first time Victor Creed was an Avenger, however. Way back in 1959, Sabretooth was recruited by none other than Nick Fury into a special team of Avengers. He stood alongside Blonde Phantom, Dominic Fortune, Dum Dum Dugan, Ernst Sablinova, Namora, Ulysses Bloodstone and even Kraven the Hunter. Though he locked horns with Kraven, the two villains managed to coexist long enough to complete Fury's mission. It's interesting to note that in both instances leading to Creed having an Avengers membership, the missions involved taking down some incarnation of the Red Skull.
Unfortunate Ends
Recently, Sabretooth met unfortunate ends three times over. In the first circumstance, Creed gave his life for his Weapon X-Force teammates. Following the example set by Old Man Logan who helped the reformed Sabretooth become a leader, he selflessly sacrificed himself for the team, trapping himself in Hell. When Victor finally found himself back in the land of the living, he was once again the rabid beast he'd fought to suppress. His return was short-lived, however, as during War of the Realms he was decapitated by Magik after aligning himself with the invading Dark Elf forces.
His most recent end is his most curious and where the culmination of all his life's events have led. Revived along with countless other perished mutants by The Five when the island nation of Krakoa was established, Creed rejoined the Brotherhood. He worked alongside Mystique and Toad to obtain information for Krakoa, though he was captured in the process. While on trial in a human court, he was rescued by Emma Frost and tried once more on Krakoa, despite the fact he was acting in mutant interests.
It appears The Quiet Council of Krakoa sought to make an example of Creed. They laid out their laws, which forbade the murder of humans, something Creed particularly delights in. When Sabretooth refused a chance to change his ways, he was sentenced to a lifetime of exile. He was dragged into the bowels of Krakoa, to remain there for an eternity in a suspended state, awake and aware of the entire experience.