WOLVERINE versus ELEKTRA

Top of The World, Ma! (Marvel)
Where: Wolverine #103 When: July 1996
Why: Larry Hama How: Val Semeiks

The Story So Far...
The trauma of being forcibly stripped of the metal that once coated his entire skeleton has thrown Wolverine into an increasing series of unforeseen challenges.

Although he regained the full use of his mutant ability to rapidly repair once trivial wounds -- his mind & body have reverted to a feral state in the wake of a vicious showdown with his arch-nemesis Sabretooth.

A failed attempt by Genesis to re-bond his skeleton with adamantium has revealed the metal was responsible for retarding an animal mutation. A feral state that is not befitting a righteous warrior. If his path is to be restored, then intervention must be staged. The Chaste master Stick has taken an interest in Wolverine's fate and directed skilled assassin, Elektra, to find and redeem his lost soul. It is a path she herself once walked. Now it is Wolverine's turn.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Wolverine 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Elektra 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Elektra 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Elektra 2 (Projectiles)
Total: Wolverine 26 (Metahuman)

Our stats say Wolverine has the edge against super-assassin Elektra, but just how far will advantages like a mutant healing factor and berserker fighting impulse take him? Today's fight will give us a partial answer - but first let's explore beyond that.

Elektra Natchios began her martial training in childhood. Showing natural acumen for the fighting arts; her discipline continued through adulthood, but not before she was rejected by The Chaste, and tempted by their evil rivals The Hand.

Tragedy tainted Elektra's life - beginning with the murder of her mother, and much later her father. A wild & reckless temperament grew within her, earning skeptical scorn from the master known as Stick. His rejection helped place her on a path close to the edge -- the life of a bounty hunter and mercenary.

You probably know Elektra by reputation, and although her most famous battle ended in mortal defeat at the hands of Bullseye -- she was resurrected to continue as one of the deadliest fighters in the world. You could even say multiverse: one of our earliest entries showed Elektra dominating DC anti-heroine - Catwoman!

Our file is shamefully shallow, but the inter-company crossover is a fine example of how respected the skilled technique of Elektra is. As for that loss to Bullseye -- we recorded a much later team-up with Daredevil that scored payback for that.

Wolverine has had comparable struggles with his own inner nature, not to mention encounters with The Hand, but the mutant gift that allows him to survive strikes from Elektra's trademark sai weapons - and fight with a ferocity we deem beyond martial skill - has also been known to make him a little sloppy.

Your mileage for how quickly and effectively Wolverine can heal will probably influence your expectations here, but we must remember that history is littered with examples of bladed weapons, and skilled fighters, getting the better of him.

Razorfist slashed an exhausted Wolverine to breaking point, Deadpool skewered his lungs with twin swords, the Winter Soldier kept him at bay with a dagger, and The Gorgon found a killing strike with a katana that allowed The Hand to render him their personal killer. Black Panther didn't even need claws to match him in hand-to-hand combat, and Daredevil scored a controversial win with a harsh enough blunt force bonk on the head! Just because a fella can heal any wound -- doesn't mean he isn't first going to suffer the effects of sustaining them!

Of course, there are those who haven't fared quite so well: Lady Deathstrike's cybernetic claws couldn't stop Wolverine cutting her down, Silver Samurai's katana missed vital organs - costing him dearly, and Blade wasn't even able to slow Wolverine down with his skillful sword.

So which side will Elektra fall on? It's about time we got into this thing to find out, but one more important note: This is a strange time for Wolverine. It's a few years since the adamantium was ripped from his skeleton by Magneto, and he's succumbed to his feral side -- physically devolving in the process. It's what's brought Elektra to him, but what effect did it have? Let's see!

The Tape: Wolverine Ranking: Wolverine (#5)

What Went Down...

High atop the second tower of the World Trade Center awaits Elektra. The wind blows in her flowing hair as a hairy, squat figure grunts his way onto the rooftop to join her. She asks "its" name. "It" responds with the name of a lowly beast.

She challenges him: "A wolverine is a beast. Was it the man or the beast who climbed the "mountain"?" She strikes -- proving her point.

The backhanded strike with the butt of Elektra's sai handle provokes feral fury in Wolverine and he bears his bone claws. She walks away, toward a doorway into the building, unimpressed by his unrefined response.

The upper level of the Trade Tower once fed tourists, but now will feed the mind and soul of a student. It is the dojo in which Wolverine's body & spirit will be tested as Elektra returns him to the path of a righteous warrior. A path of "obligation, duty and honor" that "puts him above the beasts and the savages."

She pins a scroll to the wall and its symbols stir old memories to the front of the man-beast's mind. He can sense something is missing, but that is a test for another time. First he must answer the challenge of tempering.

Elektra isn't concerned with titles. She responds to defiance of the process with swift action -- another smack to the head with the base grip of her sai weapon.

The feral Wolverine attempts to strike back -- lunging with his left hand claws extended. Easily avoided by the agile teacher, who vaults over his squat form to land behind him -- weapons at the ready.

She quotes another who once tempered the feral mutant - Lord Shingen Harada. A reference that stokes the flame of fury within Wolverine. The fight is on!

Again the beast leads with his claws - swinging savagely with his right hand!

Elektra's left is knee is raised as she easily dances beyond the bone tips and returns fire with a launching kick to the face!

Wolverine is momentarily staggered by the blow that sent him falling backwards, but he isn't stayed for long.

Animal aggression compels Wolverine to charge at his opponent with a staff weapon, but the primitive lunge simply leaves him open to a low attack from the expert wielding of Elektra.

Has it been hours? Days? Months? Or Wolverine's entire life? The fight is for more than one simple victory. The combat is an existential crisis of the soul. If the animal fury within him is not hammered out, he will never be the man he once was. All that he could be.

The Wolverine leaps through the air behind Elektra, with staff weapon raised above his head in both hands.

Again it is child's play for Elektra to simply raise her sai weapons and block the staff with the defensive catch holds innate to the weapon's design.

His claws are equally meaningless. She simply leaps over his squat frame as he brutally and feebly lunges with the boney protrusions extending from his hands. The lessons of his time in Japan and fighting Shingen must be re-learned.

The Hammer...

It could be presumed that this was a continuous conflict in the makeshift dojo Elektra created on a floor of the Twin Towers, but the single page we've broken into thirds [above] also might suggest a montage of multiple sparring sessions.

How quickly do you undo a literal and metaphorical de-evolution of a man? Usually it wouldn't matter, but for our purposes we'll assume this was all one session. Either way - the work isn't done. Wolverine #103 plays out as a series of philosophical and physical challenges to Wolverine, with one final fight awaiting.

As usual, I fully intend to return to the issue eventually to see what happened in their second encounter. These might not be bitter showdowns for all the marbles, but these characters also aren't pulling all their punches. This is valid data.

This wasn't a period of Wolverine I've ever regarded very highly. For the most part I managed to avoid the short-lived 'noseless runt' stretch, which felt like a bridge too far during the bone claws years -- but I wasn't especially thrilled about the character and his solo series in the short run just before that, either.

I was buying off the newsstand back then, and I know I dipped in to Wolverine somewhere around this time, give or take eight issues. I mostly encountered the strangely deformed version of the character in the main X-books, where the details eluded me. He still had the bandana-mask and excess hair when Onslaught kicked off, but there were plenty of other things to wonder about there!

I remember [Wolverine #103] coming out, and probably even considering buying it, but the combination of Wolverine and Elektra -- while eye catching -- seemed a little cheesy and haphazard. They weren't characters that had anything to do with each other at that point, and it seemed like an egregious, inorganic aside at a time when nothing about the character seemed sufficiently iconic, or coherent.

Coming back to it now - I really enjoyed it. This issue in particular stands alone as a very satisfying, classic martial arts night of the soul. An existential crisis dressed up with fist fighting, flowery metaphor, and examination of the nature of man.

Back in '96 I was resistant to the 'Marvel Comics' of the meeting, but I see now that the DNA of Larry Hama's work on GI Joe is also present. It's a presumption of Elektra as a figure in this world, and a thematically convenient excuse to bring two cool characters together. Elektra's redemption arc was a bit weightier than a furball growing back his nose, but hey. Whatever gets it done, man.

This is still pretty early in Marvel's attempts to reincorporate Elektra as a regular figure in the Marvel Universe. Frank Miller had kept her spiritually alive in series positioned away from the regular grind [eg; Daredevil: Man Without Fear], and for almost a decade Marvel had remained hands-off, with some uncertainty of whether or not the character was truly living. They were all-in after a 1993 return.

Elektra isn't the only thing layering this issue with Miller grandiosity. Invoking Lord Shingen and the lessons of the sword from the first Wolverine mini-series is a more direct and appropriate bit of depth, but that comes through in the rematch.

If you'd like to see the follow-up sooner than later, or help prioritize some other future featured fight, it would be wonderful if you considered becoming a supporter of the site on Patreon. I'm managing to crank out a few more updates than usual, but am also dealing with some uniquely challenging circumstances, so your patronage will go even further than usual to help making things possible.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 700 fights and ranked more than 1,000 characters! You can find them all for free by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of battles in order of publisher, series, and issue -- or by hitting links to your favourite topics found throughout each entry.

Get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter! Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter & Discord! The lively Discord chat is one of the bonuses of becoming a Patreon subscriber.

Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#95 (+2) Elektra
#5 (--) Wolverine

DEADPOOL versus WOLVERINE

It's D-D-Deadpool, Folks! (Marvel)
Where: Wolverine #88 When: December 1994
Why: Larry Hama How: Adam Kubert & Fabio Laguna

The Story So Far...
Wolverine heads to San Francisco to look-in on one of the newest generations of Weapon X graduates. He promised old Alpha Flight acquaintance, James Hudson, he would, but if he thought there'd be tea and biscuits waiting at the home of Garrison Kane -- he was dead wrong!

The door has already been blown off its hinges -- and Wolverine is in for a fight as his house call brings him face to face with yet another Weapon X subject turned mercenary: Deadpool!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Wolverine 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Wolverine 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Deadpool 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Deadpool 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Deadpool 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Draw 26 (Metahuman)

Their connections through Weapon X have made them natural rivals, but just how deep does the conflict between Deadpool and Wolverine run? They've teamed up on the big screen for the Deadpool & Wolverine movie, but let's see what happened the first time they crossed sword & claw in Marvel Comics!

The truth is: Wade Wilson doesn't exactly have any big problem with Wolverine. If there's any bad blood between them -- it's the genetic tampering of Weapon X, who managed to graft a version of Wolverine's healing factor to the future Deadpool.

Wilson was part of a later iteration of the joint US-Canadian experimental super-human research & development program. He didn't serve alongside Wolverine, so their interactions were minimal prior to today's meeting.

If Deadpool has beef - it's with scumbags like Ajax, who tortured him during his stay at The Hospice, after cancer relapse interfered with his healing factor, and he was left hideously disfigured, and discarded as an ineligible failure by Weapon X.

In a classic case of departmental government incompetence: Deadpool did just fine -- leading an escape from Dr. Killebrew's ethically dubious experiments at the Hospice facility. This allowed Wade to go out on his own, applying his skills as a marksman, hand-to-hand combatant, and manic street preacher, becoming the ultra-agile, quick-witted Merc' with a Mouth you know and love!

Taking Wolverine on is a pretty big assignment, but DP's never been afraid of a challenge! He stared down the Juggernaut without flinching, and even scored a surprise upset win over the Hulk! That's something even Wolverine struggled with!

Don't be fooled by his goofy demeanor. His incessant quipping speaks to a quickly adapting approach to fighting, and deliberate distraction tactic, formulating unconventional strategies that have bewildered highly-skilled opponents like Taskmaster, Batroc The Leaper, Daredevil, and Punisher.

Deadpool might not share the razor-sharp claws or adamantium-laced metal skeleton Wolverine has, but he does carry an array of convenient and lethal weaponry, such as twin katanas, sophisticated high-powered guns, and a personal teleportation device. Oh, and on the subject of bones, he's catching Wolverine with his adamantium down -- still suffering the aftermath of Magneto stripping it.

The Tape: Draw Ranking: Wolverine (#5)

What Went Down...

Finding the front door of Garrison Kane's apartment dangling from its hinges like splintered salvage wood -- Wolverine rips away his civilian clothes and prepares for trouble inside. He soon finds it. Kane isn't home!

Deadpool leaps down the stairs and opens fire with a high-powered gun!

Heckuva greeting.

Wolverine hunkers down deep on one knee, ducking the blast and setting himself for a rising uppercut. He comes up right beneath Deadpool -- ripping through his mid-section and right bicep with a slash of bone claws!

Deadpool wants to know where Kane has gone with his former favourite girl -- but Wolverine sure as hell isn't telling if he knows.

The mercenary trades clumsy barbs with rhyming names, yapping about his fully functioning healing factor as he leaps over Wolverine's claws -- swinging his out-stretched leg back around to kick the solo X-Man in the face!

Deadpool draws a sword in each hand and lets Wolverine know he's fully aware that the X-Man's healing factor isn't what it used to be since the adamantium was ripped from his bones. Wolverine talks tough.

"Aww! Did mean old Deadpool make liddle-biddy Wolvy-wiggums all upset? Wait'll I slice and dice your face -- that oughtta take the sunshine outta your day and twist your mad dial up to ten!"

They charge at each other. Deadpool twirling his swords overhead, Wolverine with his claws out stretched. Neither weapon is a direct factor when they connect.

Wolverine sails through the air -- his boot blasting Deadpool on the jaw.

It seems to silence the Merc' with a Mouth for a moment, but it's all just a cunning act. A gambit to position himself beneath Wolverine's descent -- so twin swords can swing overhead and stab through his torso and puncture his lungs!

A twinge of wide-eyed realization hits Wolverine as the blades exit and the wound proves severe enough to drop him like a sack of potatoes.

The Hammer...

We recently put the first fight between Sabretooth & Wolverine under the microscope, and while it wasn't the flesh-ripping main event showdown you might imagine for such a famous vendetta -- it at least has a palpable sense of heat - building towards a high-stakes rematch in fast turnaround.

It successfully lays the foundation for decades of future rematches to come.

Not so much for Deadpool and Wolverine...

If it wasn't for the boldly iconic, silhouetted graphic design of the Adam Kubert cover, and the accumulated mainstream cult interest of the Deadpool character -- I'm not sure this first fight would warrant anywhere near as much attention, or exaggerated value on the secondary market.

It all depends on how much stock you put into the Deadpool/Wolverine rivalry.

Disney and Marvel Studios are clearly investing big: the characters are hitting the big screen, with novelty popcorn bucket, in a highly anticipated headlining sequel, Deadpool and Wolverine -- but where did it all start?

It took four years for Deadpool to find his way to Wolverine. Four nineties years. Deadpool had already been through two of his own mini-series at this point [see; Sins of the Past], as well as a litany of X-Force appearances, and odd guest spots. He shared the page with Doctor Druid and Black Knight before he met Wolverine!

Sure, names were thrown around, and a Weapon X connection was clearly established early, but when you get right down to it -- Wolverine and Deadpool themselves just didn't have that much to do with each other. A connection was there, but the depth was largely imagined, living in the minds of hopeful fanboys.

Wolverine #88 offers insight into how flimsy and inconsequential the relationship between Deadpool & Wolverine was. What compelling reason finally brought them together on the page? We might speculate it was a basic need for material for a monthly issue, and a chance to capitalize on a fan-favourite dream match, but the grand story presented in this issue was...

They're basically just two ships passing in the night. Incidental opponents. Just a day in the life of Wolverine: out doing a favour for a mutual acquaintance he famously doesn't get along with, by looking in on another character he has very little to do with, but is inevitably associated with in the minds of readers: Garrison Kane, aka; "Weapon X".

Deadpool's entire motivation here is jealousy over Kane shacking up with his ex-girlfriend Copycat. We remember her from Deadpool's first appearance in New Mutants #98, where she was disguised as Domino. This plot continues when the series is relaunched as X-Force, and develops mutual ties amongst the three players with Cable. A character with more reason to be here than Wolverine.

Which isn't to say any of this shouldn't be happening! I was on board with Deadpool back in those days, and the thought that he would fight Wolverine tickled me pink! In fact, my ties with this issue go back to its release on the racks, when I spotted it in pride of place below the counter of a local service station, but passed it by. Every reader has their 'one(s) that got away'. I guess this is one of mine. Although becoming more familiar with the material lessened the blow.

I enjoy when comic book plotlines and characters weave through unexpected places, and create unexpected new bonds and relationships. I like that we have a bombastic fight between Deadpool and Wolverine as a result. It's just that it serves as a reminder that these two characters just don't have any business being as closely associated as rivals, or "frenemies", as people think they are. That came so much later, and arguably only because people thought it was a thing.

I dunno. It kinda smacks of some of the shoddier writing that came out of Rob Liefeld's reign with these X-characters, putting desire ahead of delivery, cart before horse, tail before dog, but you gotta take the bad with the good. I don't think the impulse to get the characters together is a mistake. It's worth doing.

Adam Kubert's layouts, especially for the Deadpool fight sequences, are positively Liefeldian, losing a little bit of focus in the skinny paneled chaos, but just barely holding it together enough to make the wild, frenetic action enjoyable. It makes selecting panels for discreet scanning difficult, but [Kubert] does return to more conventional panel grids for some of the in-between stuff, so it's not a bad read.

Page 1 is an Adam Kubert special: with iconic Wolverine basically in-costume (complete with mask), but still in the process of shredding his shirt and undoing his pants. He's standing at what's left of Kane's front door - a twisted and split assemblage of wooden planks and metal accessories. Smoke swirls at Wolverine's feet, framed to look up at him for heroic impact. Yeah, it's silly, but kinda cool.

I don't know if this issue is really the most compelling case for it, but I miss those days of a quick, simple, action-packed monthly issue I can grab from the rack, cheap and dirty. Anticipation for next month, even when the results are mixed.

There is more fighting to be found in this issue, and since that's kind of our thing, I'm not entirely putting this issue to rest. I'd also really like to get to some of those stranger skirmishes Deadpool found himself back in those days, too.

If you'd like to help make this work more possible, I would really appreciate it if you would consider becoming a supporter on Patreon. I'm currently experiencing some very difficult circumstances in my personal life, and if you've found yourself enjoying the site over the years, your support would certainly go a long way to help making my on-going survival possible, and fresh entries more plentiful.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 700 fights and ranked more than 1,000 characters! You can find them all by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of battles in order of publisher, series, and issue -- or by hitting links to your favourite characters, series, and topics found throughout each entry.

Get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter! Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter & Discord! The lively Discord chat is one of the bonuses of becoming a Patreon subscriber.

Winner: Deadpool
#23 (+7) Deadpool
#5 (--) Wolverine

WOLVERINE versus FANTASTIC FOUR
Enemy of the State: Part 3 (Marvel)
Where: Wolverine #22 When: January 2005
Why: Mark Millar How: John Romita Jr

The Story so far...
When Wolverine makes the trek to Japan to investigate the disappearance of a child, he finds himself at the mercy of Hyrda and the Hand, working in tandem under the direction of a young mutant killer calling himself - The Gorgon.

Defeated under ambush, Wolverine is momentarily dead, allowing the Hand to turn their mystic powers to resurrecting him under the control of the terrorist empire of Hydra. In doing so, they instigate plans to make Wolverine their ultimate weapon, designed to perform recon missions, as well as infiltrate and forcefully recruit powers within the American superhero community.

Having already dismantled a SHIELD collective and fought his way through former Hand assassin, Elektra; Wolverine is sent into the lion's den when Hydra seek possession of the world's greatest inventive intellect in Reed Richards.
Having infiltrated the Fantastic Four's headquarters before, Wolverine is even better serviced by technological upgrades from Hydra, but against the combined might of Marvel's first family, does a lone mutant stand a chance?...

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thing 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Wolverine 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting Ability: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Human Torch 7 (Cosmic)


- Born a mutant late in the 19th century, James Howlett's life would be a long and arduous one. Baptised by death, he would discover his latent mutant abilities during the traumatic murder of his parents during his adolescence.

As a subject of Weapon X, Howlett's mutant healing factor made him the perfect subject for a delicate procedure to brace his skeleton with the unbreakable metal called adamantium. The metal was even added to Howlett's retractable mutant claws located in his wrists, making them far more effective offensive weapons than their previous bone state.

Code-named Wolverine, James "Logan" Howlett would eventually find more permanent station with an invitation into the paramilitary group, the X-Men.
Wolverine's keen tracking abilities, healing powers, fighting skills, and dedicated grit would make him one of the most active heroes in the superhero community, seen in his more recent admission into the Avengers.

- The Fantastic Four are: Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and Thing.

The original Fantastic Four were exposed to cosmic rays when Reed Richards led the team in a race to beat the Russians to space. Without sufficient preperation time, the shuttle lacked the shielding needed to filter the cosmic radiation, resulting in unique transformations in each member.

The team's adventures take them through time and space, where they regularly do combat with entities and individuals capable of cosmic manipulation. Their amassed allies and enemies exist throughout different galaxies and dimensions.

The team's line-up is typified by Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and Thing, but has been expanded to include the likes of; Crystal, Sub-Mariner, She-Hulk, Medusa, Black Panther, and Storm; among others.

The Math: Wolverine (Avg) Fantastic Four (Ttl) Ranking: Wolverine (#3)

What Went Down...
Having penetrated the unrivalled security of the Fantastic Four HQ, Wolverine ventures into the inner sanctum of the team's hi-tech facility, using air vents to gain a vantage point for reconnaissance. The Hydra puppet observes Thing and Human Torch engaging in domestic activity, but intel takes a backseat when DNA scanning detects Wolverine's presence.

With permission to inflict lethal force, Thing takes the opportunity to launch Johnny Storm's prized hotrod in the vague direction of Wolverine's hiding place.
The space made by the launched vehicle gives Human Torch opportunity to fly ahead of his rocky companion, flamed on. The Torch pins Wolverine to the wall, searing nerves as he scorches the mutant's wrists with the knowledge of his nigh-infallible healing factor.

Unfortunately for the Torch, Hydra's upgrades include a series of hacks in the FF security systems. Utilizing the hacks, Wolverine activates the fire extinguishers with a verbal override, soaking the flaming hero in thick retardant foam.

Recovering from the searing effects of the heat, Wolverine pops his adamantium claws, which still glow with an emenating heat. Before he can inflict any harm on the youngest FFer, the Thing marches through the foam, putting a stop to the assault with a blow that destroys the flooring.

The trio tumble through the shattered level to the area below where multiple observation screens monitor time points, intergalactic junctions, and points around the Earth. The tech-filled zone reminds Wolverine of the odds the Fantastic Four are used to facing, but the Hydra voice in his head keeps him in the game as Thing swings wildly with a massive conduit of cables.

Wolverine slices and evades his way through the maze of piping and cables, navigating toward the Thing. His superior agility gives him the opportunity to get close where he is able to plunge his invincible adamantium claws deep into the rocky bicep of the FF powerhouse. Thing drops to his knees.

Invisible Woman sees to the safety of the Richards children by sending them twenty minutes into the future, in communcard with Mr. Fantastic while he heads toward the battle. Attack robots pick up the slack in the mean time, distracting Wolverine from the badly wounded Thing.

The robots soon begin to retreat, but before Wolverine can recognise the smell of, "Blood and plastic. Meat and gum.", a circular 4 on the ground stretches upward to reveal Reed Richards! He quickly wraps Wolverine inside a sphere of his own elastic flesh, but Hydra is able to compensate with a limited teleport jump, placing the mutant approximately sixty feet away.

While slashing his way through attack droids elsewhere in the compound, Wolverine finds himself suddenly unable to breath. With the scent of Dior in the air, Wolverines witches to infra-red vision which allows him to witness the translucent visage of the Invisible Woman, who delivers a stern warning, before using her powers of invisibility to render Wolvie blind.

Hydra come to Wolverine's rescue with an aerial attack on the Fantastic Four headquarters. The explosion rattles Invisible Woman enough to free Wolverine from her invisible grip, giving him an opportunity to run for the broken window, where a hovering Hydra vehicle waits outside.

The Human Torch returns to the fray, leaping into the night sky to pursue his attacker. Wolverine leaps from the rescue vehicle, catching the Torch mid-air.

With his skin and flesh roasting away under the extreme heat of the Torch's flame, the Hydra-possessed Wolverine wrestles the youth with sinister intent.
Careening out of control, he steers their descent toward "something pretty", landing in the streets below with a devestating explosion.

EMTs soon arrive to pull a gravely wounded and burned Human Torch from the wreckage, unable to find remains for the assumed disintegrated Wolverine.
As you might imagine, the Torch emerges from the rubble under his own steam later in the piece, revealing a healing Wolverine who slashes his way free of the ambulance, and back into the public domain where he can wreak mayhem.

The Hammer...
Okay. A lot of you are probably used to scrolling to this point and drawing your conclusion from image-recognition, before you read the sentence. You might be wondering how I could possibly reason a draw given the destruction and carnage handed out by both parties.

I agonized over this one, because there are three very distinct arguments here. Wolverine (with Hydra) successfully incapacitates all but Mr. Fantastic, getting the better of the Human Torch on two divided opportunities. On the other hand, the Fantastic Four manage to contain the threat of Wolverine, and keep him under their influence the entire time until he resorts to fighting to escape.

Everyone, Johnny Storm included, walks away in relatively good shape, with no definitive final stroke blown by any character. Thus, we call this one, a draw!

We're running a little behind schedule again.
Right now it's the creaky end of Saturday night better known to many as early Sunday. My brain is sending signals through nerve networks to order my fingers to tap away at the keys, but at this point, I'm not sure how much cognitive thought process is going on here.

Though we aren't reviewing the releases of the week, the Infinite Wars endeavours to continue to reflect the zeitgeist and characters of the surrounding moments. This week if you headed to the comic store there's a good chance you were looking for what will no doubt be one of the highest selling books of the month: Fantastic Four.

Mark Millar, the man behind sizable chunks of Ultimate Fantastic Four, returns to the brand under the pressures of the core franchise, for the first time. Despite any conceptual increase in expectation and responsibility, Millar's FF is eagerly anticipated by a wide variety of fans that made up his 200k-plus sales figures on Wolverine, which brings us full circle.

Millar is also set to return to Wolverine with a post-apocalyptic story set in a desolate alternate future. Each project boasts familiar names accompanying the Millar writer's credit; Bryan Hitch and Steve McNiven following up respectively on the two titles likely to share the shelves. While I don't personally regard these pairings with particular emotion, it's undeniable that they have each been catalysts for a formula of success.

We've spoken ad nauseum about Millar's penchant for bombastic action pieces, and it's with pleasure that we add another instalment from his initial run on the Wolverine book to our list. Infinite Wars historians will note that our very first entry was indeed an issue of Enemy of the State [Wolverine #25], not at all by accident.

If you've been following the our X-centric Cover to Cover features [on Sunday], you'll also be familiarized with our awkward relationship with the X-Men books.
Notorious for sub-par storytelling, Wolverine has epitomized the style over substance claims that have crippled the X-franchise's credibility. It's here that Millar enters the fray, putting forward a Wolverine book that makes no attempt to apologise or exceed the character's roots as a tri-colour action superhero. In fact, for the first time in decades, Millar is able to ramp the character up to a point where, under the control of Hydra, he can mercilessly plunge his claws through flesh, and inflict wound upon even the sacred cows of the heroes!

This isn't a book for the intelligencia, but I think sometimes acknowledging your weaknesses and adjusting accordingly can be the greatest sign of practical and tactical intelligence. Millar does that in spades, giving us a tour de force of dream battles pencilled with clunky violence by JRjr, and a host of guest stars.

Having just seen Resident Evil: Extinction, I was talking a bit about zombies, which inevitably got me talking about some of my disappointments in the Marvel Zombies franchise [noted; Marvel Zombies #5]. The glaring omission there, for me, is the reality of the spread of the zombie plague, and more important to the Marvel take on the genre is the way the powers and personalities react.

I love that Millar is able to throw Wolverine into this world with some sense of reality. Direction is scattered, but then, as a terrorist sect that's just come into posession of an exciting new toy, you probably can't blame them for acting on their ambitions, and avoiding potential undermining of intelligence gathering.

Wolverine's incursion on the Fantastic Four HQ is reminiscent of favourite moments in inconsequential history like his unlikely infiltration of Four Freedom's Plaza during the Infinity War [Fantastic Four #366]. Though unreferenced, the longterm reader might also sense an inflected impending tension on the basis of the now classic showdown between Thing and Wolverine, that left the rocky hero disfigured by an adamantium claw slash across his face. For the trivia buffs, this was what provoked the early-nineties fashion faux pas of Thing's metallic helmet.

There's also an underlying savvy beneath the fanboy fantasia.
Wolverine makes his escape at the end of the issue utilizing very overt terrorist tactics. He ensures massive damage in a populated and public area, before returning to terrorist activities with Hydra motivated by an atom-smash combo of science super-fiction, and post-9/11 super-fact.

I don't know if anyone could call this story important, but I think these remain a high point in Wolverine's recent mediocre history, and as always, are a welcome addition to our superhero fight club, cum sports club.

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 5

Wolverine: Enemy of the State is collected in the trade, and is required reading for any fan of the character keen to see what he can do when cut loose in the Marvel Universe! You can check out the full story at a reasonable price by heading over to Amazon, where by purchasing using links provided, you can help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars! Outstanding!

WOLVERINE versus THE HAND
Enemy of the State: Part 1 (Marvel)
Where: Wolverine #20 When: December 2004
Why: Mark Millar How: John Romita Jr

The story so far...
For the slow-aging mutant called Wolverine, Japan represents many things. A lifetime ago he took a wife, and it's those family ties that bring him back once again, despite the painful memory of her murder.

One of his late wife's cousins, a limousine driver for a far richer man, becomes desperate enough to contact the X-Man when police fail to garner any leads in the search for his kidnapped son, who had apparently been mistaken for the richman's son with which the child played baseball.

Wolverine turns his expertise to finding the child, and before long he is ready to make contact with the gangsters who are willing to trade the boy for substantial amounts of cash. Unwilling to negotiate, Wolverine soon comes to realise that something sinister is lurking beneath the surface, and the identity of the kidnapped boy may be far more pertinent than previously realised...

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Gorgon 5 (Professor)
Speed: Gorgon 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Gorgon 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Gorgon 7 (Born Fighter)
Energy Powers: Draw 1 (None)


- Born a mutant late in the 19th century, James Howlett's life would be a long and arduous one. Baptised by death, he would discover his latent mutant abilities during the traumatic murder of his parents during his adolescence.

This history would become lost to Howlett's own trauma, and the many manipulations he would suffer through decades of his life as a vagabond.
The interferences of veiled agencies and enemies would help shape a life of turmoil and rage, creating various interruptions in a life peppered with service, and training in the arts of war and combat.

The convoluted details of his past would lead Howlett to a defining milestone in his life when he would become involved with the tenth iteration of a secret program funded by the US, and conducted by Canada's Department K, called Weapon Plus.

As a subject of Weapon X, Howlett's mutant healing factor made him the perfect subject for a delicate procedure to brace his skeleton with the unbreakable metal called adamantium. The metal was even added to Howlett's retractable mutant claws located in his wrists, making them far more effective offensive weapons than their previous bone state.

Code-named Wolverine, James "Logan" Howlett would eventually find more permanent station with an invitation into the paramilitary group, the X-Men.
Wolverine's keen tracking abilities, healing powers, fighting skills, and dedicated grit would make him one of the most active heroes in the superhero community, seen in his more recent admission into the Avengers.

- Tomi Shishido is a gifted mutant and child prodigy with a range of skills and abilities. After hatching various schemes he was able to earn his way to the top of the criminal organization, Hydra, but not before leading his own death cult from pubescence, called Dawn of the White Light, and later fighting to earn admission into the ninja sect, The Hand.

Through his childhood Shishido accomplished feats as an artist, operatic composer, philosopher and mathmetician, but it would be in his teens that he would manifest his mutant ability to turn men to stone with but a glance, earning him the nickname, The Gorgon.

Having trained with The Hand, Gorgon becomes one of the world's most skilled warriors, earning him the reputaiton of having the ability to kill anyone whom he lays his eyes upon. This becomes an extension of his mutant ability.

The Math: Gorgon Ranking: Wolverine (#3)

What Went Down...
Having met his friend's kidnappers in a Christian graveyard, Wolverine soon discovers exactly what lies beneath when instead of cash, he hands over two large dufflebags of packaged shirts.

Two of the armed gangsters fall before Wolverine's swift blades, but the leader is able to call for help, summoning the eerie guard of an army of unfeeling ninja from the Hand sect. They burst from the hallowed ground, weapons drawn, undetected by Wolverine's keen senses due to their lifeless mystic qualities.

Wolverine tosses the bodies of the two dead gangsters, and charges at the the Hand ninja, claws drawn. Already known for his killing prowess, Wolverine shows little regard for the lifeless sacks of animated meat.

As he battles the stench and the onset of even more descending ninja, Wolverine begins to realise the larger plot at play. He slashes cleanly through handfuls of ninja, spraying stinking smoke and green where humans would normally leave entrails. Even if it isn't a trap, Wolverine's going to give them hell for every lousy detail of his trip, and his life, and their folly.

The ninja fall like dominoes, while from the perch of a tree, their leader watches on with morbid curiosity about Wolverine's abilities. He is the Gorgon, and it is his plan that has brought Wolverine and his connections into this conflict.

The Gorgon holds the finishing blow, leaving his pawns to tire Wolverine out, arrogantly implying the certainty of his victory.

Wolverine processes his predicament in an orderly fashion, dealing with the slaying of his many undead adversaries in a similar manner. His body becomes a living weapon, skillfully slicing, dicing, and doing away with the ninja. His methods prove brutal, unforgiving, but above all else, efficient.

With the last of the ninja violently dispensed, Wolverine again turns his attentions to answers only the mobster leader can provide. Having left him alive, Wolverine presses the pudgy Japanese man against a tombstone and threatens to earn him one of his own, brandishing a fist full of adamantium.

It is unclear if it's Wolverine or his employers that the mobster fears, but either way they prove warranted, the interrogation cut short by the penetrating sting of a long blade. Wolverine, sandwiched by his victim and his attacker, soon gets the awful answers to his question, delivering mercilessly by the Gorgon.

And with that, Wolverine's disbelief turns to darkness as the Gorgon delivers the killing blow. So begins the path to making Wolverine an Agent of Hydra.

The Hammer...
Time and energy are rare enough commodities to come across at the best of times, but you can thank Wolverine's blasted thirty-year history of bull for the delays on this one. Good grief! Thankfully I was able to load up on some tournament sport (tennis), and get my energy levels high enough to bring the Gorgon's victory!

For those of you just joining us, we're counting down the top ten heroes of 2007, giving them the first opportunity to join the ranks in 2008!
If you don't understand what all of that means, then be encouraged to surf around the site and devour what is essentially a superhero fight league!

I could be accused of spending too much time on Mark Millar, particularly given that it was only last week we talked a little about another Millar project from 2004 [Marvel Knights: Spider-man #1], but they're both stories I've really been itching to revisit, so... I'm making the executive decision!

We've touched on Enemy of the State a handful of times in our two year period, and it was a later chapter that marked our very first [Friday] fight, way back in 2005! [Wolverine #25] As a story it's premise is reasonably thin, but as much as we all pride the Infinite Wars as a source of astute discussion, the spine of the site is controlled by superhero fisticuffs -- and that's what Millar brings to Wolverine, arguably a long time overdue!

Enemy of the State does away with exactly the kind of hogwash that made writing Wolverine's tape entry such a chore, and simplifies the character down to a seventeen [counted] kills, rampaging claw machine. It puts him in a situation that is almost exclusively physical, and while that doesn't sound like the makings of a great twelve issue run, the pure popcorn of Millar's writing has made this one of the few memorable arcs in the title's recent history!

Like MK: Spidey, there's an element of this being a tour of characters.
Everyone from Daredevil, to the X-Men, to the Fantastic Four make appearances, with Elektra serving in a prominent supporting role. It manages to connect itself to a lot of events that would be spun in and around, without bogging the thinly veiled plot of carnage down with references, exposition, or embarassment.

With so few new characters coming from the big two companies, it's almost a shame that Gorgon serves as a finite villain. He is unique to this story, but ultimately, that's exactly what makes him such an appreciated contribution.

Gorgon isn't a particularly unique villain. If you saw Kill Bill, Tomi Shishido's history is going to feel very familiar, but as much as this is a character built on familiar clichés, he manages to do one better than many of his contemporaries.

We touched upon the ceremony of certain villains [Captain America #4] and how that often undermines a character who should be supremely efficient, but must sustain an on-going franchise. Gorgon is free of this constraint, able to unleash his powers on the pseudo-immortal Wolverine, while also suffering that same level of punishment at the end of his twelve issue role.

There's a lot of talk about the future of comics, and a popular theory amassing that the prevelance of the paperback trade will swallow up storytelling. While I don't necessarily believe in the immediate relevance of pseudo-manga packaging, I do think there's something interesting to be said of chapters or sagas in the serialized storytelling of superhero comics.

I think we've seen the foundations of this notion, at least from a presentation stand point, done particularly well with the Hellboy/BPRD franchise.
To the betterment of new readers it's probably not well known that each series often very specifically recalls previous events, but gets away with it largely because of an in-built aura of mystery, and strong intrigue-based writing.
It's almost the happy medium between the ideals of indefinite superhero franchising, and more encapsulated storytelling.

I like the notion of a character like Gorgon being chief antagonist to a 264 page adventure. I especially like the idea of giving a character that license to exist in a very vivid context, even if it means the most honest conclusion is to eliminate them at the end. In the vaguest sense it really does recall ideals more commonly seen in manga, but I think also speaks the message of the importance of investment in characters.

Gorgon might not be the best example of a strong, original creation, but I don't think the notion of deeply involving backstory should distract from more trivial qualities of characterization. Gimmicks work when there's an investment there to justify it in that context; something big two new releases often lack.

But, as this discussion becomes increasingly disjointed, that might be best left to another entry. Stay tuned as we wrap up the top ten, and be sure to drop a comment and browse the archives!

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 5

Has your interested been piqued? Why not check out more on Enemy of the State, as previously featured on the site, and think about using Amazon.com! By using Infinite Wars referrals you can find Amazon's best price, and help fund future entries in the Infinite Wars! Make up your own mind about Gorgon, Hydra, and Wolverine, as he becomes a murderous puppet of the terrorist organization, and is turned against his greatest friends and allies!