WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Wolverine #12 by Benjamin Percy, Scot Eaton, JP Mayer, Oren Junior, Matthew Wilson, and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now

Omega Red has been placed in a very difficult position. While many former mutant villains have found themselves increasingly loyal to the idea of Krakoa -- such as Apocalypse and Black Tom Cassidy -- Omega Red has been increasingly torn between the potential for redemption on Krakoa while also being manipulated by Dracula. The Lord of Vampires intends to turn his Vampire Nation into a major force like Krakoa by utilizing Wolverine's healing blood to allow them to become Daywalkers and spread their influence around the world.

Aware of his duplicitous actions, Beast and the rest of X-Force have been trying to play Omega Red against Dracula, while the vampiric lord is hoping to capture Logan and steal all of his blood. In Wolverine #12, this places Omega Red in a surprisingly important position and allows him to choose one nation over the other, giving him a path towards a brighter future.

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Omega Red finally gets the chance to seemingly cement his loyalty though by choosing Krakoa. Arriving at a secret lab hidden in Oxford University, Omega Red approaches the scientist behind the experiments on Wolverine's blood and reveals there might be an alternative. After approaching X-Force, Omega Red catches Wolverine by surprise by openly admitting to being controlled by the Vampire Nation. He reveals that despite the hatred many feel for him -- and the fact that many of his crimes are severe enough to earn him exile within Krakoa -- Omega Red offers to stay in the shadows and work with X-Force, starting with helping halt Dracula's ambitious plans for the future. In exchange, Omega Red demands he be truly given amnesty, allowing him to possibly carve out a true home on Krakoa as a citizen of the mutant nation.

To that end, Beast has the Five produce a false Wolverine with tainted blood, making it positively toxic to vampires. Taking the body back to Dracula and posing as a triumphant conqueror, Omega Red is able to slip the tainted body into the process and effectively poison many of Dracula's forces -- allowing Wolverine and his new ally, the vampire hunter Louise, to make quick work of the assembled blood-suckers. Only Dracula escapes, turning into a bat and furiously fleeing the scene. It's a major step for Omega Red, who had previously been something of a wild-card on Krakoa. His history with Wolverine is blood-stained, and there are few mutants that the long-time X-Man hates more than Omega Red, but he has proven himself to be an ally to the larger mutant cause.

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But for the experiment of Krakoa to work, heroes have to put aside their dislikes and hatred to find new allies in the future of mutantkind. Omega Red could become a useful asset for X-Force if he truly is on the side of the island nation -- especially if he becomes aware that Beast has effectively taken control of the trigger of the Carbondadium Synthesizer that's hidden within Omega Red's heart. This could be a major step forward for the former X-Men villain, with Omega Red claiming he really does want to find a home on Krakoa.

And even if this is a long con by Dracula to insert a spy into the heart of Krakoa, then at least Wolverine and Beast are aware of his past actions and can be prepared to contend with him before he does too much damage. Still, there's a chance this could be the real beginning of a new chapter in Omega Red's life, and the possible conversion of a genuine former monster into someone that could help defend Krakoa and the future of the mutant race.

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