10 Gnarliest Wolverine Deaths in Marvel History, Ranked

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Wolverine
has seen more blood and death than most people see in horror movies. Hundreds have died by the X-Man’s hands, but Wolverine himself has rarely faced the visage of a looming death. However, the few times Logan has shuffled off the mortal coil, it has almost always been in the most gut-wrenching and horrific displays of pure carnal terror possible.

Admittedly, Earth-616’s Wolverine is a near-immortal powerhouse who has walked back from injuries that would have killed the average person a thousand times over. Even the few times Wolverine has had his soul ripped from his body, his body remained living, waiting for Logan or a new host to resume control. However, not every Wolverine across the Multiverse is as resilient as the primary version of the X-Man. Among these infinite realities, Logan has been viciously burned, zombified, decapitated, among numerous other excruciating deaths. While Wolverine is strong, these 10 gnarly deaths prove how close the hero walks to death.

10

Wolverine Kills a Wolverine Who Kills Wolverines

Exiles #85-86 (2006) – by Tony Bedard, Paul Pelletier, & Rick Magyar

Marvel’s Exiles
are a team of multiversal-spanning oddities and outcast heroes who travel across the Multiverse to stop the infinite evils they face. In these issues, the primary team of Exiles is taking some time off after losing one of their allies to the mutant Proteus. However, in their absence, a new team of multiversal Wolverines is gathered to defeat a villain that only they can take down: another Wolverine.

In this reality, the Scarlet Warlock attempted to fuse their native Wolverine to Magneto. However, the spell failed, and Magneto, Wolverine, and the rest of
the Brotherhood of Mutants
fused to create “Brother Mutant.” As the team of Wolverines track down their new foe, they are swarmed by a horde of previous Wolverines who had failed to defeat Brother Mutant. The ensuing battles become a bloodbath as Wolverines are slaughtered left and right until one Logan lands the final blow on Brother Mutant, ending the massacre for good.

9

Magneto Forces Wolverine to Cut His Throat Out

What If? #31 (1981) – by Rick Margopoulos, Bob Budiansky, & Mike Esposito

Following the gruesome battle between
Earth-616’s Wolverine and Hulk
in Incredible Hulk #181 (1974), reality diverged into multiple new timelines. In one reality, not only did Wolverine defeat the Hulk, but he lethally ensured the Green Goliath would never return. Soon, Logan became a wanted criminal with no allies he could turn to until one notorious mutant villain reached out a hand: Magneto. The leader of the Brotherhood offers Logan a place on the team, which this alternate X-Man happily agrees to. In return, Wolverine must help destroy the X-Men.

After infiltrating the team, Wolverine carries out his mission and destroys Cerebro. However, in his limited time with the X-Men, Wolverine quickly falls head over heels for Jean Grey and tries to spare her from Magneto’s wrath. Magneto refuses, and soon,
the X-Men and the Brotherhood
are locked in a desperate fight for survival. With most of the villains defeated, Wolverine unleashes a violent barrage of clawed attacks on Magneto. But, while the feral mutant believes he has won, Magneto manipulates Logan’s claws before plunging them into the X-Man’s throat as both mutants lie bleeding on the floor.

8

Wolverine’s Flesh Is Seared Off His Body

The New Warriors #11 (1991) – by Fabian Nicieza, Mark Bagley, & Larry Mahlstedt

In this mangled reality, the ancient, mystical mutant Sphinx has rewritten reality to establish himself as the world’s ultimate ruler since his rise in Ancient Egypt. In the modern age, this universe’s New Warriors attempt to launch a resistance against the Egyptian “god” but are faced by his
version of the Avengers
. However, the young heroes are horrifically outmatched as certain death stares them in the face. Fortunately for the New Warriors, a Wolverine stalks from the shadows.

As things are looking dire for the heroes, Wolverine leaps into the fray.
The New Warriors
continue to put up a valiant effort against the Avengers, but the might of a reality-warping sorcerer is far too powerful to overcome. Logan attempts to land one lethal strike against Captain Assyria, but the Egyptian god Horus unleashes a magical blast of otherworldly energy at the mutant. In an instant, Wolverine’s flesh is seared and blasted off his body, leaving only a smoking Adamantium skeleton in its place.

7

Nemesis Sends Wolverine and Sabretooth to Outer Space

Age of Apocalypse #5 (2015) – by Fabian Nicieza and Iban Coello

During Marvel’s
2015 Secret Wars event
, Doctor Doom salvaged pieces of numerous worlds and characters across the Multiverse to create a single amalgam known as Battleworld. In this semi-sequel of the Age of Apocalypse storyline, Doctor Nicola Bradley, aka “Doctor Nemesis,” believes that the next step in mutant superiority lies with the current generation, not those who come next. Of course, as villains often do, Nemesis believes that he can be the messiah who ushers in a new age without Apocalypse.

Throughout Apocalypse’s rule, Doctor Nemesis has been collecting corpses of dead X-Men to harvest their DNA for future experimentation. As his final magnum opus, Nemesis injects himself with numerous strands of mutant DNA, evolving himself into an ultimate life form of raw mutant power. Eventually, the X-Men and
Apocalypse’s forces
band together to stop the new rising threat, but not all live to tell the tale. Before Wolverine can even scratch Nemesis, the villain launches Logan into space, leaving the X-Men little more than a floating, charred, crisp.

6

Logan Is Overwhelmed by a Horde of Hungry Zombies

Ultimate Fantastic Four #22 (2005) – by Mark Millar, Greg Land, & Matt Ryan

Before Marvel officially launched its wildly successful
Marvel Zombies series
of comics, the concept originated from Ultimate Fantastic Four #22. In the original Ultimate universe, Reed Richards has mysteriously disappeared. As the Fantastic Four try to locate their missing member, the comic cuts to a horrific alternate reality where zombies have infected the world’s superpowered people. In this profane world of the undead, a zombified Sentry burst through the veil between realities and unleashed his corruptive infection.

While some mutants, like Magneto, survived the initial onslaught of the undead forces, Wolverine wasn’t as lucky. In the infant moments of the pandemic, Wolverine was one of the
many Marvel heroes
swarmed and consumed by the growing army of zombies. In the following Ultimate Fantastic Four issue, we see zombie-Wolverine aimlessly wandering around the apocalyptic wasteland. However, to save the Ultimate Fantastic Four, Magneto valiantly sacrifices himself before unleashing a devastating explosion that incinerates most of the zombie hordes. Technically, this means that zombie-Wolverine died twice; what bad luck.

5

The Punisher Impales and Electrocutes Wolverine

Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe #1 (1995) – by Garth Ennis, Doug Braithwaite, & Michael L. Halblieb

In one of Marvel’s many X Kills the Marvel Universe comics, the Punisher has sworn to end his universe’s superpowered people for good. Unlike his Earth-616 variant,
this Punisher lost his family
in the crossfire of a “major superhuman conflict” between some of Marvel’s heroes and invading alien forces. Instead of focusing on criminal networks, this Punisher has filled his kill list with the greatest heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe.

Soon, the Punisher finds support in dozens of other victims of superhero battles and is given all the resources necessary to ensure the world never sees a superpower again. Frank cleverly lures
the X-Men and their villains
to the moon and their inevitable death, but spares Wolverine, so the two can face in a head-to-head fight. The Punisher viciously beats down Wolverine before chucking the X-Men into an electrical grid. Logan violently thrashes around as his flesh boils and is eventually atomized. All that remains is an Adamantium-coated skeleton and a satisfied Punisher.

4

Beardevil Mauls Logan to Death

Secret Wars Too #1 (2015) – “The Bear Without Fear” – by Ryan Browne

Secret Wars Too is a comedic take on
the multiversal Marvel concept
, featuring numerous anthological adventures around the Multiverse. In the story “The Bear Without Fear,” the scene is set in “Domain: XXX” as three Cyclopses team up to beat down Wolverine after Logan takes Jean Grey out on a date. The Cyclopses attempt to unleash a barrage of optic blasts, but Wolverine merely deflects the beams back at his attackers’ crotches.

With little hope left for the Cyclopses, Wolverine is suddenly tackled by a gargantuan bear dressed in red spandex and a large “BD” on his chest, known as the “Beardevil, the Bear Without Fear.” The heroic bear lands right on top of Wolverine, crushing the X-Man into the ground. Nearby, the Cyclopses cheer as Wolverine is beaten down, until the Beardevil’s beating turns into a mauling. Blood and viscera fly while the Beardevil happily strips Wolverine of everything but
his Adamantium bones
.

3

Kate Pryde Leaves Her Hand in Wolverine’s Brain

What If? Wolverine: Enemy of the State #1 (2006) – by James Robinson, Carmine Di Giandomenico, & Robert Campanella

This What If? comic is based on Marvel’s original “Enemy of the State” storyline. In the original story, Wolverine was killed and resurrected by Hydra as a mind-controlled weapon for both
Hydra and the Hand
. While Earth-616’s heroes successfully liberate Wolverine from his programming, this version of the X-Man remains a loyal agent of Hydra. As expected, Logan is a terrifying presence of feral rage whose presence is a promise of death and destruction.

The heroes in this What If? world fail to intercept Wolverine’s carnal assassinations. Before any of Marvel’s
heroes can defeat Wolverine
, Hydra teleports the assassin out of the fray. One by one, Logan gruesomely eviscerates his old friends and allies until only Kate Pryde is left. Expectedly, Kate is heartbroken as she still cannot get through to her close friend. Seeing no other way to stop the horrific string of violence, Kate phases her arm into Logan’s skull before he cuts her arm in half. Wolverine, unable to remove her appendage, collapses as his brain is ripped apart.

2

The Hulk Severs Wolverine’s Spine

What If…? #50 (1993) – by John Arcudi and Armando Gil

Like What If…? #31, mentioned earlier on this list, this What If? reality breaks off from the canon events of the
Hulk and Wolverine’s devastating battle
in Incredible Hulk #181. However, unlike the other universe, in this reality, Wolverine does not come out of the fight victorious. Instead, the Grey Hulk quickly asserts his overwhelming strength on the X-Man. The Hulk savagely beats Logan into the ground, roaring to the stormy sky as the mutant hero struggles to move.

The Hulk’s rage continues to grow while his muscles further ripple to match his monstrous rage. Soon, the Hulk finds his leverage and punches Wolverine so hard in the head that it dislodges a single Adamantium vertebra. Beaten, bloodied, and fading from life, Wolverine is left lying in the mud and rain, unable to move. As
Wolverine dies
from having his spinal cord effectively severed, the Hulk once again lets out a roar of savage victory.

1

Wolverine Is Encased In Liquid Adamantium

Death of Wolverine #4 (2014) – by Charles Soule, Steve McNiven, & Jay Leisten

There is no better Wolverine death to cap off this list than the iconic final, Adamantium-coated, moments of Earth-616’s Wolverine life. By this point,
Logan’s healing factor
has completely halted. Meanwhile, the hero learns that a bounty has been placed on his head, attracting the attention of Marvel’s most ruthless assassins. Wolverine tries to stave off his repeated attackers but struggles to persist through the violence and pain as his healing factor is no longer around to compensate for his reckless fighting style.

Eventually, Logan uncovers a conspiracy that leads back to Doctor Abraham Cornelius, the lead scientist behind
the Weapon X program
. Wolverine learns that the disgraced doctor has been trying to recreate new Weapon X subjects, something Logan will never allow again. In the final clash between Logan and Cornelius, a wave of molten Adamantium washes over Wolverine’s body. As a piece of Logan’s traumatic past lies bleeding out, the hero stumbles far enough to watch the sunset while suffocating inside his Adamantium coffin.

“}]] These are some of Marvel’s most horrific deaths.  Read More