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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Hellverine #5 (2025)The son of Wolverine has just bested Mephisto at his own game. Despite the King of Hell’s seemingly ultimate power over all of Hell’s denizens, the mutant hero has proven that infernal magic is a double-edged sword. Now, the Hellverine is without a master and is free to write his own hellish destiny alongside the demon that still infests his soul.
In Hellverine #5 (2025) – by Benjamin Percy and Raffaele Ienco – Akihiro, the son of Wolverine, faces punishment for his defiance against Mephisto’s will.
After Akihiro is brought back to the pits of Hell for his inability to uphold his unwitting contract, Mephisto forces the mutant hero to endure unimaginable terrors and horrific torture before offering him a proper contract. As Akihiro grasps at air that his lungs can’t find, he recalls a single piece of helpful information that he learned from Doctor Strange. Soon, the odds turn against the Devil as Akihiro counters the Devil at his own game.
Wolverine’s Son Outsmarted The Devil With Magic
Hellverine #5 (2025) – Written By Benjamin Percy; Art By Raffaele Ienco; Color By Bryan Valenza; Lettering By VC’s Travis Lanham; Cover Art By Kendrick Lim
The Hellverine, like almost every variant of the Ghost Rider before him, exists because of Mephisto’s power. Before being resurrected, Akihiro was nothing more than a wayward soul trapped in an endless sea of flames while his mangled body remained frigidly frozen over. When Wolverine tried to free his son from the demon Bagra-ghul’s grasp in Hellverine #4 (2024) by Benjamin Percy and Julius Ohta, Akihiro’s corpse melted away without the demon to hold it together. There is no reality where Akihiro has been able to live without the Devil’s vice-like grip over his soul.
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However, back in the depths of Hell, as Mephisto taunts Akihiro with eternal servitude, the X-Man unleashes a barrage of clawed attacks upon Bagra-ghul. As the demon reels in pain, Mephisto scoffs, looking down on Akihiro’s attempt to attack his captors. Akihiro reveals that his slashes cut a “possession cipher” rune into Bagra-ghul’s chest, a tactic the mutant picked up from Doctor Strange’s Book of Lamentations. Soon, the demon loses control over itself before being absorbed back into Akihiro’s body. Flames engulf Akihiro’s body while Bagra-ghul unwillingly draws closer to its host. Now, the X-Man commands Bagra-ghul, not Mephisto.
Hellverine Is The Exact Hero Needed To Stop Mephisto
The Hell-Lord Is Nearly Invincible, But Not Quite
Akihiro is just about the last Marvel hero anyone would have expected could best the Devil at his own game. While this certainly isn’t the first time a hero has employed their mystical prowess or infernal powers to overcome the Devil, it’sabsolutely soul-rattling that one of the X-Men’s most historically lethal villains would join this exclusive club. Mephisto isn’t just a single man that can be best; he’s an abstract concept given life. The Devil has wreaked chaos across the universe since its inception and has ruled over Hell for nearly its entire existence.
With an open mind, a profane text of terror-inducing knowledge, and a soul so damned to pull it off, Akihiro has succeeded where even the Ghost Riders have failed.
Akihiro has done what almost no soul has ever done before: he’s freed himself from Mephisto’s grasp. With an open mind, a profane text of terror-inducing knowledge, and a soul so damned to pull it off, Akihiro has succeeded where even the Ghost Riders have failed. Simply put, Mephisto lost because he underestimated his opponent. The Devil is used to mortals flailing about with pleas and curses, but rarely is a soul brazen enough to turn Hell’s magic back upon the demonic landscape.
While the son of Wolverine has momentarily freed himself and has claimed Bagra-ghul as his own, Mephisto still has a few tricks up his sleeve, including one gamma-infused threat.
Hellverine #5 (2025) is available April 2, 2025, from Marvel Comics.
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