"It's All Baseless": Marvel Writer Defends Ultimate Wolverine Following Plagiarism Allegations
There's been a lot of drama over the appearance of Marvel Comics' newest Wolverine, and his co-creator is now speaking out against allegations of plagiarism. Ultimate Wolverine has only just debuted to the world, but his look has earned some criticism from a notable Marvel creator.
The sinister Reed Richards variant, the Maker, has recreated the Ultimate Universe, but drastically changed the world so that the greatest heroes never came about. However, with the Maker imprisoned, the heroes slowly started to return. Now, the Ultimate Wolverine has appeared, but his design has had some serious accusations thrown his way and writer Chris Condon is stepping in to have his say.
Chris Condon Says Ultimate Wolverine Accusations are Baseless and Toxic
Condon Defends Alessandro Cappuccio's Wolverine Design
The drama got started a few months back when the world got its first peek at Ultimate Wolverine's design during New York Comic-Con 2024. Noted X-Men writer Rob Liefeld was quick to post on X, showcasing his first submitted designs for Wolverine, which similarly featured a costume that was red and black and gave Wolverine a full-face mask. Then, with the release of Ultimate Wolverine #1, Liefeld posted a message on Instagram showcasing his Wolverine design from Onslaught Reborn #3, saying "Ultimate Wolverine before..." and "If you know you know.".
Chris Condon, writer of Ultimate Wolverine, finally responded to Liefled’s comments on Bluesky. Condon noted that he appreciated Liefeld’s contributions, but he feels that these accusations diminish the work of Ultimate Wolverine artist Alessandro Cappuccio. Condon admitted there were some similarities, but asserted that what the two of them created was something uniquely theirs. Condon later spoke with Comics Beat, who asked the writer point-blank how he felt about the accusations of plagiarism being leveled at him over Ultimate Wolverine’s design.
Once again, Condon praised Cappuccio's work, calling his Ultimate Wolverine a “terrific take on this classic character”. Condon also discussed how parts of the design were a team effort, noting that the red star on Ultimate Wolverine’s chest was meant to highlight his connection to the Eurasian Republic. The muzzle was also meant to emphasize Wolverine’s killer nature, similar to Hannibal Lecter. Condon calls the accusations ‘baseless’ and ‘toxic’ and stands by Ultimate Wolverine’s design, ending his defense by once again praising Alessando Cappuccio's hard work.
Condon is Right, Ultimate Wolverine is His Own Character
Similarities Don't Automatically Mean Plagiarism
In Rob Liefeld's defense, he never directly said that Ultimate Wolverine's look was ripping off his designs. But he's been drawing parallels between the Wolverines he drew and the Cappuccio's Wolverine, pointing out the similarities such as the colors and the full-face mask. As Condon says, it's not a productive way of discussing things and it's really diminishing the hard work that Cappuccio's and the rest of the Ultimate Wolverine team have put into this new take on the classic X-Men character.
Condon makes it clear in his defense that every element in this new Wolverine design has a reason. The colors of his costume and the star design on his chest are intentionally evoking their connection with the real life Soviet Union (and thus, the Eurasian Republic featured in Ultimate Wolverine). The mask adds an air of mystery to this new Wolverine and, like Condon points out, adds to his overall killer vibe. These elements weren't chosen because they look cool, they all tie into the story and help establish the tone that the Ultimate Wolverine's creative team is looking for.
Plagiarism is a serious accusation and, in the comic book industry, it can be a career-ender. Even if Liefeld was just pointing out the similarities for fun, it doesn't help to mislead fans and get them to think that the creators of the newest Wolverine were attempting to rip off a previous version. Condon and Cappuccio's have put a lot of thought and effort into this new character, and their work deserves to be supported by fellow creators instead of being condemned or trolled by them.
Ultimate Wolverine Drama Could Be a Teachable Moment
Improving Discourse Among Creators is Vital
Characters like Wolverine have been worked on by hundreds of artists and writers and there are bound to be some similarities occasionally. And creators should be able to discuss these kinds of things in healthy, productive ways. But Liefeld's posts aren't the most helpful way of discussing his perspective and Condon is well within his right to speak out against these plagiarism accusations. Hopefully, creators can find better ways of using social media to discuss such sensitive topics and avoid the drama that's found Ultimate Wolverine.
Source: X, Instagram, Bluesky, Comics Beat
- Created By
- Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Romita Sr.
- Cast
- Hugh Jackman
- First Appearance
- The Incredible Hulk (2023)
- Alias
- James "Logan" Howlett
- Alliance
- X-Men, Avengers, Canadian Army, OSS/CIA, Avengers Unity Squad, Alpha Flight, New Avengers, New Fantastic Four, Savage Avengers, Weapon X, X-Force
- Race
- Human-Mutant
