Wolverine Is One of Marvel's Deadliest Heroes, And Spider-Man Knows His Secret Strategy
Spider-Man has officially called out Wolverine on a subtle strategy he uses during fights to justify his kills, and the Wall-Crawler isn’t necessarily wrong—especially considering Logan’s reaction. However, there might also be a deeper, more altruistic motive behind this strategy.... or Spider-Man could be completely right, and Logan is simply a killing fiend.
Zeb Wells, Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend, and Antonio Fabela’s The Amazing Spider-Man #555 (2008) may be over a decade old, but it still holds up as a gem, offering an epic and humorous team-up between Wolverine and Spider-Man filled with golden moments from this relatively rare team-up.
In this issue, one of the worst blizzards in New York's history hits the city, prompting Spider-Man and Wolverine to team up as they battle through the cold and face off against enemies while trying to rescue the one man who might know the secret behind the deadly storm. It’s during this mission that Peter calls Logan out on a subtle tactic the X-Man uses to justify his kills.
Spider-Man Calls Wolverine Out on His Secret Strategy For Justifying Kills
Main Cover by Chris Bachalo & Tim Townsend for The Amazing Spider-Man #555 (2008)
In The Amazing Spider-Man #555, Logan and Peter fight side by side, but it quickly becomes apparent how different their heroic tactics are. Wolverine, poised to deliver a final blow to one of their defeated foes, prompts Spider-Man to intervene, with Peter firmly declaring, "Nobody dies today." Though Logan pulls back from his would-be victim, he retorts, "Easy for you to say. I took it worse than you," referring to the heavier blows he took compared to Peter. However, Peter isn’t impressed by this reasoning, pointing out that Wolverine could have dodged some of the attacks, adding, "Sometimes I think you take the hits just so you have an excuse..."
Though Peter trails off, the implication is clear: he believes Logan sometimes takes the hits on purpose, using them as an excuse to justify his own violence and kills. Wolverine’s response—a smirk and a simple "Heh"—suggests at the very least that he finds Peter’s perception of him amusing. However, it could also be interpreted as Logan acknowledging that he does indeed take the hits, using them as justification for unleashing his own brand of violence. This interpretation is supported by Logan's earlier interest in seeing if their foes could take hits as well as they gave hits.
Spider-Man Might Be Wrong About Wolverine’s Reasoning Behind Taking Hits on Purpose
Let’s Not Forget About Logan’s Special Brand of Martyrdom
As mentioned earlier, Wolverine's smirk and "heh" don't necessarily confirm that Spider-Man is right about his motives; they only show that Logan is amused by Peter's observation. Therefore, there could be other reasons why Logan allows himself to be hit. One possibility is that he feels he deserves the pain, which aligns with his self-punishing nature. Another motivation could be that if he's the one taking the hits, it means his friends and teammates aren’t, presenting a more altruistic reason compared to Spider-Man’s insinuation that Wolverine purposely takes the hits so he can justify hitting back.
The Amazing Spider-Man #555 is available now from MARVEL COMICS!
- NAME
- James "Logan" Howlett
- Alias
- James "Logan" Howlett
- Created By
- Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Romita Sr.
- POWERS
- Retractible claws and Adamantium skeleton. Superhuman senses, stamina, and strength. Healing factor and longevity.
- Franchise
- X-Men, Marvel
- Age
- 197 (in the MCU)
The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men's wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics' biggest stars. He's played in Fox and Marvel's movie franchises by Hugh Jackman.
- Alias
- Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
- Created By
- Stan Lee, Steve Ditko
- Franchise
- Marvel, Spider-Man
- Race
- Human
- First Appearance
- Amazing Fantasy
- Alliance
- Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
Spider-Man is the name given to several individuals who have employed a spider-moniker throughout Marvel Comics. Typically gaining their powers through a bite from a radioactive spider, the different Spider-Man heroes employ super-strength, agility, and intellect while utilizing webbing to swing and tangle up their foes. The most notable of these Spider-Men is Peter Parker, who remains one of the most popular superheroes throughout the world.
