When & Where Will Wolverine Return to the Marvel Universe?

It’s been almost two months since the original Wolverine made his grand Marvel Universe return in the pages of Marvel Legacy #1. It was surprising enough that Logan was back among the living, but the fact he ended the issue in possession of an Infinity Stone sent fans into a tizzy. How is he alive? And why is he interested in an Infinity Stone?

In addition to those most pertinent questions, we were also left asking when, and where, Wolverine will show up next. Recently, Marvel peeled back the curtain just a bit on its plans, releasing teasers for some type of Infinity countdown beginning in February, and an announcement for “special after-credit scenes” to be found throughout some of Marvel’s “key” titles in January.

"Yes, Logan is back from the dead," Marvel’s former editor-in-chief Axel Alonso said following Wolverine’s return in September. "After three years of a Logan-free Marvel Universe, Logan is back, claws popped and ready for action. How he came back, why he came back, and just how he came into possession of that Infinity Stone are part of a fascinating story that's going to unveil soon, and in some unusual places."

Unless Marvel decided to go back on its word promising a halt to blockbuster events for the time being, then these teasers will be more storyline-driven narrative than an epic crossover between multiple titles. With the knowledge of the three January titles that will contain Wolverine-centric teasers (Captain America #697, Mighty Thor #703 and Amazing Spider-Man #794), we can begin to estimate how they tie into each issue's main narrative, and what other titles Marvel Legacy #1’s surprise character will pop up next.

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Captain America #697

The solicitation for this issue of Captain America reads: "Kraven the Hunter has a new target – and it’s Steve Rogers! Trapped in unfamiliar territory, stripped of his shield and on the run, Cap must find a way to evade Kraven long enough to save an innocent life – but this time, that might be impossible! And just wait until you see the final page…" It's not uncommon for comics publishers to keep contents of solicitations vague, so to not give away the story before it arrives in stores for readers. But now that we know who will be making a special guest appearance in the back of the comic, the ominous "final page" tease makes a lot more sense.

The Captain America creative team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee have chosen to take Steve Rogers on a soul-searching road trip across America after the events of Secret Empire. You know who else happens to be traveling through the American heartland in a beer truck? That's right, it's Wolverine. It wouldn't take much for Logan to make a pit stop to aid his former Avenger teammate, with or without Cap'

s knowledge, and maybe even help retrieve his trusty shield in the process.

Mighty Thor #703

This issue's apparent connection to Wolverine is the polar opposite of Captain America's, at least from the solicitation. Promises of a final page reveal are nowhere to be found, and the issue continues the Mangog's path of destruction through Asgardian gods. However, Wolverine's potential involvement isn't completely out of left field; Marvel Legacy #1 had Loki showing interest in the Infinity Stones, specifically the one Logan ended up posessing. The trickster's mission has the potential to cross paths with Wolverine's, if only for a few pages. If nothing else, we're hoping to see Wolverine's reaction to seeing his former drinking buddy replaced with a female God of Thunder.

Amazing Spider-Man #794

Issue #794 of Amazing Spider-Man deals with Spidey confronting the Zodiac after some time-traveling hijinks. The horoscope-themed villain was tossed into the time stream nearly one year ago, and now time has caught up with Spider-Man. It's conceivable that Zodiac gained a powerful artifact during his travels in the form of the Time Stone, the whereabouts of which currently remain unknown

In yesterday's announcement, Marvel stated there would be more titles to feature these Wolverine post-credit scenes. Though only three were revealed, we have our ideas about what other titles should be included to further the Infinity countdown.

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X-Men Family of Titles

Though introduced in a Hulk 2-parter, Wolverine’s popularity came while he was a member of the X-Men. There were many months where he’d show up in titles like Uncanny X-Men, X-Men and Astonishing X-Men, not to mention his own solo series. In short, the man made a habit of getting around. Since Wolverine’s alive again, it’s only a matter of time before he comes knocking on the door of the new Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach. Wolverine may be on a personal secret mission with the Space Stone, but surely he’ll want to let his friends in the X-Men know he’s alive right?

Maybe... or maybe not. It’s possible Logan is trying to stay off the grid, and the fewer people (i.e. a school full of mutants) that know his whereabouts the better. Whatever mission he’s on is a dangerous one, and he may prefer not to put the X-Men in the line of fire after what they went through during his final storyline, "Death of Wolverine." Either way, the chances of seeing Wolverine in prominent role an upcoming issue of X-Men Gold or X-Men Blue is probably a long shot, at least for now. Though if he did, it would make for an uncomfortable introduction meeting an older version of himself (Old Man Logan) in X-Men Gold, or his cloned son from another universe (Jimmy Hudson) in X-Men Blue.

But how about the idea of Wolverine and his older counterpart having a face-to-face meeting away from prying eyes? The latter is currently kicking around in a self-titled series called Old Man Logan, and Marvel is assuredly looking for the right opportunity to have these characters on a comic page at the same time. The headline almost writes itself: “For the first time ever, Wolverine makes his triumphant return alongside his older self, Old Man Logan!” Toss in a splash page with the two Wolverines, claws extended, and you have an eye-catching image, guaranteed to move sales.

And then there's the other Wolverine: Logan’s cloned daughter, Laura Kinney, aka the All-New Wolverine. Laura was so inspired by the passing of her father that she took up the mantle of Wolverine in honor of him. An after-credits scene of Wolverine in Laura’s solo series just makes sense. Sales-wise, it could be a big boon for the book, especially if Logan recruits his daughter for whatever his secret mission is. There’s also the added bonus that Laura is currently teaming with her brother, and Wolverine’s son, Daken, for an adventure, not to mention her little sister Gabby. If the original Wolverine showed up, it would truly be a family affair.

The Avengers

Thanks to writer Brian Michael Bendis’ time crafting stories for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the early 2000’s, Wolverine added “Avenger” to his already impressive resume. Up until that point, characters like Wolverine and Spider-Man were considered off-limits as Avengers, so his addition to the Avengers roster made national headlines. Bendis challenged that way of thinking, and Wolverine would go on to become a prominent member of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

If Marvel has a big story arc planned involving Infinity Stones and Wolverine’s return, there’s no better place to spotlight it than the publisher’s highest profile book, which is arguably Avengers. Writer Jason Aaron has promised that many of the subplots introduced in Marvel Legacy #1 will be picked up in various series going forward, so it stands to reason that Wolverine’s appearance should be addressed by the Avengers at some point. Who knows -- it could even involve the prehistoric Avengers of 1,000,000 BC.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel Legacy #1 isn’t the only place we’ve seen an Infinity Stone make an impact recently. The Guardians of the Galaxy are conducting their own Infinity quest, after the Collector and Grandmaster informed the cosmic team that the stones had gone missing. Most recently, while investigatng a group of rogue Novas, Star-Lord and Richard Rider Nova found an oversized Power Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy #147.

If the Guardians are searching for the six stones, and Wolverine already has one of them, it doesn’t take a genius to see the two crossing paths eventually; in fact, Marvel's teaser all but guaranteed that happening sooner than later. The Guardians already added an Avenger to its roster with Ant-Man, so why not include another? After al, with the Space Stone in his possession, Wolverine can travel to anywhere in the cosmos to meet up with the Guardians.

Captain Marvel

We’re connecting a few dots with this theory, but it merits a mention nonetheless. We know the cover of January’s Captain Marvel #128 shows Carol Danvers and Peter Quill fighting over the Reality Stone, and the stone is also featured floating over Carol’s hand on the aforementioned Infinity Countdown teaser. The turn of the new year will see three of the Infinity Stones in circulation, with the countdown beginning in February. With Carol securing the Reality Stone in January, what’s the likelihood of her teaming with Wolverine (Space Stone) and Star-Lord (Power Stone) in her series, or in the relaunching Guardians of the Galaxy title while they search for the remaining stones come February? The three of them have a better chance of pooling their resources to look for the last three stones together than separately.

Wolverine Miniseries

If the three heroes decide to go it alone, that leaves one last logical option for where we'll see Wolverine's return to the Marvel U dealt with: A self-titled miniseries. Marvel may choose to put a spotlight solely on the original Wolverine, and there’s no better way to do that than making him the star of his own comic. All Marvel would have to do is add an A-list creative team and a story focused on Wolverine tracking the Infinity Stones while the likes of Loki and other villains chase. The saga in the Wolverine miniseries can tie-in to the Infinity countdown, culminating just in time for another Infinity Stone story in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War.

We may not know exactly where Wolverine will show his face next, but Marvel has no shortage of options in deciding which titles it wants to reintroduce him in.