SABRETOOTH versus WOLVERINE

The Last Run (Marvel)
Where: Uncanny X-Men #212 When: December 1986
Why: Chris Claremont How: Rick Leonardi

The Story So Far...
Secret tunnels that twist & wind deep beneath the surface of Manhattan run with blood! The Morlocks who live there are hunted and slaughtered by an unforgiving mob of self-proclaimed Marauders! These vile killers are responsible for enacting a terrible event -- the Mutant Massacre!

The X-Men join a desperate bid to save the surviving Morlocks from their unprovoked extermination, but for Wolverine the search will uncover more than injustice. One who stalks these tunnels is familiar to him. An old enemy who may just be better at him at what he does -- Sabretooth!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Sabretooth 4 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Sabretooth 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Sabretooth 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Draw 1 (None)
Total: Sabretooth 28 (Metahuman)

It's one of the best known, most vicious and violent rivalries in comic books -- and it's about damn time we gave it a closer look! Where better to dig deeper into the blood feud between Sabretooth and Wolverine than with their very first fight?

Backstory developed in the years following would establish a long and complicated history behind their bitter hatred, but in 1986 they came face to face, claw to claw for the first time right here in Uncanny X-Men #212: part of the Mutant Massacre crossover that unleashed Mister Sinister's Marauders on the Morlocks.

Sabretooth was already established as a bloodthirsty killer, and mercenary, during his brief tenure as an Iron Fist villain. It started with his first appearance and deadly face-off on the snow-covered mountains of Canada, and later expanded to a slasher-like bloodlust that compelled him to kill on the streets of New York City.

We'd see friction between Sabretooth and his employer shortly after the Massacre, but he was more than happy to go on a killing spree beneath the streets, as part of Sinister's grand plan for genetic cleansing of the subterranean mutant Morlocks.

This almost led to the first throwdown with Wolverine in Power Pack #27, but a collapsing roof in the Morlock tunnels blocked Sabretooth from the kid heroes right as they were discovered by Wolverine. That left him to stalk toward a historic face-off in the main X-Men series, which launched many memorable rematches!

Alas, we've been negligent when it comes to this most obvious of match-ups, only featuring the beginning of their purported final battle in Wolverine (Vol.3) #50. That was a lackluster opening round to a generally disappointing showdown, but it did demonstrate the violent and spiteful measures each was willing to take to get one over on the other. After a lot of dragging it out, the conflict ended in Wolverine #55 with Sabretooth's apparent decapitation with the legendary Muramasa Blade. (It was actually a clone).

By that point Wolverine and Sabretooth had both developed pretty rampant healing factors that allowed them to endure and quickly recover from wounds that would be fatal to any ordinary man. Loose stakes that weren't quite as evident in their earlier encounters, where every injury took a more serious toll.

So who has the edge in their Morlock Tunnel showdown?

Wolverine had already been established as "the best there is at what he does" with his evisceration of the Hellfire Club guardsmen, smackdown of The Black Rook, and most compellingly, back-to-back victories over Lady Deathstrike during this same year, in Alpha Flight #34 and the legendary Uncanny X-Men #205.

He'd also been humbled, though. Reduced to a mere plaything when Magneto controlled his metal skeleton, fought to a stalemate by Black Panther, and caught by surprise in a crossover with DC's Deathstroke. Does Sabretooth have the goods to join this elite class? Those last two might just make a case for it! Let's find out.

History: Wolverine (2-0-0)

The Tape: Sabretooth Ranking: Wolverine (#5)

What Went Down...

Stray scents bombard his highly-sensitive nostrils with multiple trails. Morlock survivors and their would-be killers. Familiar signatures of the original X-Men too -- except now they're government manhunters called X-Factor. For all he knows they have blood on their hands too, but there's a lot Wolverine still doesn't know.

Suddenly another scent clues him in -- a woman. Impossible. Jean Grey is dead! A shock to the system that consumes his thoughts so thoroughly he doesn't even notice the Marauder coming for his back!

A rapid flurry of slashes rips through his costume and skin!

"You ought'a be ashamed, bub! I've had more trouble takin' out rank amateurs! From a pro like you, Wolverine, I expect better."

Cutting through the pain is a voice Wolverine knows all too well. A voice whose stock and trade makes him an obvious attendee to a massacre.

Sabretooth looms over Wolverine -- pinning the unconscious body of the Morlock Healer to a tunnel wall with one hand. Healer's hurt, but not bad. Wolverine knows if he can bring him back alive it will be a boon to the mutants who've suffered.

He does his best to disguise the importance of the Morlock and plays along with Sabretooth's sick sense of humor. The cold-blooded killer claims he and Sinister's Marauders are "the very best" at what they do. That he could've killed Wolverine without a second thought. Talk is cheap. The X-Man invites a hands-on approach.

They collide! Wolverine leaping to come in over Sabretooth's head -- or is it the taller Sabretooth hoisting him upward with a hook of his muscular arm? In the tangle of limbs, it could go either way!

Sabretooth grabs Wolverine's wrists, keeping his razor-sharp adamantium claws away from their target. Sabretooth gloats that he's faster, stronger, and more of a killer than Wolverine. As they tumble to the ground -- he might even be right.

Sabretooth's talons rake across Wolverine's chest, ripping through his uniform.

Wolverine rolls through the landing -- putting distance between he and Sabretooth as he reaches his feet, hunched over with claws bared and ready to strike.

Sabretooth aims to make Wolverine's healing factor a non-issue by removing his still beating heart. The feral killer lunges to make good on the threat, but Wolverine effortlessly vaults over his shoulders!

The X-Man continues his path towards the tunnel wall, attacking stone and mortar with his unbreakable claws. They make light work of the crumbling structure!

For a moment Sabretooth is confused -- but it quickly becomes apparent Wolverine isn't fighting for the win.

His attack causes a collapse of the decrepit tunnel. If it doesn't bury Sabretooth alive, it at least creates an impenetrable wall of rubble and debris that blocks the killer off from Wolverine -- and the vulnerable Morlock Healer.

The Hammer...

Was their first battle everything you imagined it would be?

If you were following the entire event in sequence, including its Power Pack tie-in issue, you might've been a little disappointed to see them using the same gimmick to keep the bad guy at arms length. Not to worry, though. This may be deep into the Mutant Massacre crossover, but as it says on the cover -- this is just "Round 1" for Wolverine and Sabretooth!

The X-Man chooses the greater good in an outcome that fails to separate the two as combatants, but divides them as individuals, literally and figuratively, by clearly demonstrating that for all his violent and animalistic tendencies -- Wolverine is fighting for more than himself - and his willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done goes well beyond just casually taking lives.

Rescuing the Morlock Healer is a tactical boon for the heavily besieged mutants and X-Men, but the Mutant Massacre isn't over yet, and Wolverine & Sabretooth will have another chance to establish their bitter hatred before the crossover ends!

1982 and 1985 are often fondly looked back upon as two of the greatest and most important years in American comics, but I can't help but note how significant 1986 was for X-Men, and Wolverine in particular. Even though they factored in to some of the highlights of those aforementioned years!

The December cover date of today's featured issue is just a few months removed from the introduction of another of Wolverine's most famous and fearsome arch-foes: Lady Deathstrike, who ditched DD to begin a blood feud in Alpha Flight #34, followed by the legendary Uncanny X-Men #205.

For a character famed for his fighting rivalries -- these two adversarial acquisitions are a pretty big deal for ensuring his sustained relevance, and elevation to becoming one of the biggest icons in comics in the 80s and 90s!

With today's featured battle from Uncanny #212, Wolverine gains one of the most important pieces of his entire existence. To this point there was a fog of mystery surrounding Wolverine, but through his vendetta with Sabretooth, key connective tissue and backstory will be established, coming to define both characters through the ensuing decade, and to this very day.

Interesting that Sabretooth was already a tenured villain at this point, much more so than Lady Deathstrike. He was entering his tenth year when he finally met Wolverine on the page, transitioning to the X-books under writer Chris Claremont, who had introduced Sabretooth as an Iron Fist villain with artist John Byrne, and set him on a trajectory as a recurring foe for the martial arts hero.

As with Wolverine; Sabretooth's savagery & bloodlust reflected back upon the discipline & honor of Iron Fist, continuing through subsequent encounters, but eventually drifting from the mercenary origins of the character, towards an almost horror movie, slasher villain level of murderousness. Traits that set him adrift through the Marvel Universe until settling nicely in the Mutant Massacre.

It's interesting how well these established tendencies intuitively fed into a collision with Wolverine, and as eager as I am to finally document more of this legendary comic book rivalry, I'm equally as interested in tracking the movements of Sabretooth through his earliest appearances. Something Marvel Comics actually did in 1994 with their Sabretooth Classic reprint series.

I happen to be fortunate enough to have a lot of Sabretooth's early appearances in original issues, but with Deadpool & Wolverine on the fast track to cinemas this month, I'm also hoping to look more closely at some of the other famous fights involving Wolverine and the X-Men. It's really been the year for it!

As we return to Sabretooth, it will be interesting to see if his results challenge his present status as the lowest ranked character on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths. It's fair to say that his win/loss ratio will always skew towards defeat, but it just doesn't feel right that he's ranked quite so low. The price of villainy? We'll see.

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Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#5 (--) Wolverine
#1087 (--) Sabretooth

MAGNETO versus QUICKSILVER, VISION & SCARLET WITCH

Please Allow Me To Introduce Myself...! (Marvel)
Where: Vision and The Scarlet Witch #4 When: February 1983 Why: Bill Mantlo How: Rick Leonardi

The Story So Far...
On a dark and stormy night, a pilgrim clad in white makes the arduous trek up Mount Wundagore. His quest is to reclaim a past thought lost to him. Finding the kindness and hospitality of the cow-woman midwife Bova -- he learns the true fate of his dead wife and their infant twins!

For the revelation, the pilgrim leaves Bova and her nigh catatonic charge, Modred, to the elements -- their hovel torn asunder by the nails and metal trim that held it together. For this mysterious man in white is Magneto and he has learned that his lost children yet live!

At the moon city of Attilan Quicksilver welcomes his sister Scarlet Witch and her husband The Vision, but the reunion in the Inhuman city will soon be interrupted as the Avengers are at last confronted by their father!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Vision 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Magneto 5 (Professor)
Speed: Quicksilver 6 (Mach Speed)
Stamina: Vision 6 (Generator)
Agility: Scarlet Witch 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Draw 3 (Streetwise)
Energy: Scarlet Witch 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Magneto 28 (Metahuman)

Talk about a dysfunctional family! Magneto first recruited Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch into his Brotherhood of Mutants when they were set upon by angry village folk. They remained under his guidance out of loyalty and fear, aiding in The Brotherhood's battles against the X-Men and Sub-Mariner [see; X-Men #6].

Pietro & Wanda Maximoff soon broke away from Magneto's influence and sought refuge with The Avengers. The young mutants proved themselves as valuable additions, establishing a new life as charter members.

Scarlet Witch ultimately found love with her Avengers teammate - the synthezoid Vision. Her brother Quicksilver also became romantically entangled after a mission left him injured, and nursed back to health, by Inhuman royal Crystal.

Magneto goes to Attilan seeking a reunion, but the notorious villain will find only animosity from his children. They don't yet know he's their father, and are fully reformed heroes who have no desire for his past domineering, or war against humanity.

Quicksilver's mutant speed compliments his quick temper and protective instincts for his sister -- but he also has a knack for getting ahead of himself.

Apocalypse was able to anticipate the runner's momentum and use it against him in Uncanny X-Men #295. It was a similar story when Quicksilver joined a later mission to attack Magneto's Avalon space station in X-Men (Vol.2) #25. Pietro's efforts endured, but Magneto showed almost lethal contempt repelling his son!

Vision's ability to control his molecular density and quite literally move through the landscape impressed Thanos during Infinity Gauntlet #4. Similar tactics could surprise Magneto, but Vision's synthetic nature leaves him vulnerable to Magneto's ability to influence electro-magnetic fields. Loki disrupted Vision in such a way in Avengers (Vol.2) #1.

Crystal's command of the elements is impressive, but the real wildcard here is Scarlet Witch!

Her hex bolts gave Thanos cause for thought during their Infinity Gauntlet face-off, and the broad capabilities of her magic could very well get the better of Magneto -- provided she isn't shaken by his stern governance over her younger self.

Magneto is capable of great cruelty, having already used his power to torture his family's identity out of Bova by manipulating the iron in her blood. We also saw a period-relevant Magneto leave the X-Men for dead in X-Men #113, and later betray his former students as the Hellfire Club's Black King in New Mutants #75.

The Tape: Vision, Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver Ranking: Magneto (#82)

What Went Down...

The appearance of a mysterious individual clad in white signals the rising of an invisible force field that encases the tower balcony of Crystal and Quicksilver.

The barrier resists the analytical strikes of Karnak and the brute force of Gorgon. It even denies the hex power of Scarlet Witch, and holds the intangible synthezoid Vision captive within its border. Such is the will of the Master of Magnetism -- Magneto!

Shedding his white cloak: Magneto reveals himself to his intended audience.

Its no surprise Quicksilver is the first to recognize Magneto's voice and reject the villain's recollection of past fealty to he and his Brotherhood.

The mutant speedster greets his mentor as a hostile intruder in his home -- racing to attack! His rage is so quick he doesn't even notice, or consider, the magnetic shield Magneto assembles around him.

It's only the quick wit and determination of his sister, Scarlet Witch, that saves him from impact! Her hex sphere turns magnetized particles into harmless flowers.

Barely missing a step -- Quicksilver blasts through the petals and slams Magneto against a wall at blistering speed! The collision rattles Quicksilver as well, but Vision steps forward to defend his wife, Scarlet Witch.

Out of respect for his former charge's affections: Magneto vows to "go easy" on Vision by merely encasing him in metal sourced from the tower apartment floor.

The physical challenge is no match for Vision's ability to alter his molecular density. He effortlessly escapes his metal bondage, stepping through it to phase his hand through Magneto's torso. The attack is non-lethal, but uncomfortable!

Wracked with pain, and troubled by Vision's analysis of his actions, Magneto throws his hand up and rends the ferrous molecules in his synthetic blood -- threatening to tear the synthezoid apart!

Vision's mastery of his own molecules allows him to resist being dispersed, but the vicious attack succeeds in sidelining him -- and inspiring his wife's wrath!

Scarlet Witch unleashes her mutant mystic hex-bolts while the elemental Crystal surrounds Magneto in flame!

The Witch orders Magneto to kneel, but across the balcony Quicksilver sees that he is rising to defy them. Concern spurs Quicksilver on as he scrambles to protect his beloved sister, wife, and daughter Luna whom Crystal cradles!

Quicksilver improvises a spear from a nearby flagpole and sends it hurtling like a high-speed javelin into Magneto's shoulder joint!

The Master of Magnetism extracts the pole with but a thought -- and sends it flying back toward its source. The shaft strikes Quicksilver in the ribs as it passes by. Magneto was deliberate in choosing a non-lethal path.

The cries of baby Luna punctuate Magneto's act of mercy.

The baby's mother compels all to cease fighting and stop scaring her daughter. A request Magneto is all too happy to honor. He didn't come to Attilan looking for combat. His were purely sentimental reasons. The innocent cries of his human grand-daughter remind him of that, and a new way forward for the future.

Embracing the child, Magneto ends the conflict with a stunning revelation: she is his granddaughter. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are his children!

The Hammer...

What a great way to end the first Vision & Scarlet Witch mini-series!

Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch first came to learn the Maximoff family were not their parents by birth during a saga started with 1979's Avengers #185.

Quicksilver soon ran a path that took him to Wundagore Mountain and Bova, but the High Evolutionary's hybrid midwife was unable to reveal the identity of their father, both by wish of their deceased mother Magda, and honest ignorance.

Today's battle becomes the first time Magneto is revealed to be the father of the twins -- even though they debuted at his side 19 years earlier in X-Men #4!

The shared history of the characters makes the familial revelation incredibly natural. There was a certain paternal undertone to Magneto's stern doting on Scarlet Witch in those early appearances. We learn that he didn't actually know his wife had successfully given birth to two children, but it's easy to project a retroactive connection onto his relationship with the twins, never the less.

The revelation helps flesh out Magneto as much as the two heroes. It further builds out a history that had made him a more complex, sympathetic villain than some of his earlier characterizations as would-be world conquering egomaniac.

It seems a real shame the development was undone during 2015's Avengers/X-Men: AXIS. Widely accepted as a byproduct of corporate licensing disagreements, its now a moot point just five years later.

Disney successfully reacquired its X-Men rights through the outright purchase and acquisition of the 20th Century Fox library. With any luck we can soon return to an understanding that Magneto is the father of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.

In fact, the only thing that would be cooler than restoring canon would be Marvel making use of their rights in next year's Disney+ streaming series WandaVision.

The latest preview trailer suggests an insidious side to the nostalgic domestic dream of Scarlet Witch's new life with Vision. It seems to pay homage to the second Vision & Scarlet Witch comic book series, which included their attempts to fit in with life in suburbia, but re-casts the scenario as a projected entrapment.

That kind of psychic strategy is right up the alley of one of Scarlet Witch's earliest allies: Mastermind! Wouldn't it be fantastic if the streaming show peeled back the veil in the end to reveal Mastermind working for Magneto in some grand plot to introduce himself as her father and ingratiate her into The Brotherhood?

It's highly unlikely anything anywhere near as exciting as that will come about on the show, but that's why classic comics are so much more fun!

If you want to check out the entirety of this classic mini you can find all four issues collected within 2021's Vision & The Scarlet Witch: The Saga of Wanda and Vision. Use the Amazon purchase link provided and you'll not only score yourself a great deal -- you'll help support the site at no extra charge to you!

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Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#81 (+1) Magneto
#416 (+2) Vision
#424 (--) Scarlet Witch
#432 (+31) Crystal
#991 (-1) Quicksilver
#599 (new) Luna Maximoff [+1 assist]