Few characters have been around for as long asWolverine, but now he’s taking on a brand-new role in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe: theWinter Solider. In the new Ultimate Universe, it’s revealed that Wolverine isn’t a hero at all, despite his 616 origins as a long-standing member of the X-Men. Instead, he’s the Maker’s “ultimate” weapon as the Winter Soldier.
In the upcomingUltimate Wolverineby Chris Condon and Alessandro Cappuccio, readers will seea brutal Wolverine who is far from the hero that most fans know him to be, as Condon promises in a statement published onMarvel.com: “You might notice that there’s a Red Star on his costume and you might wonder why. If you look at that mask, there’s a muzzle on him, and that’s because he’s wild.”
The implication is that Wolverine will become this universe’s Winter Solider.
Marvel Debuts a Brand-New Winter Soldier in the Ultimate Wolverine
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The Maker will do anything to keep his world under his control, and while he can not interact with it directly currently, he can pull strings and unleash his hidden weapons. Wolverine has always been an incredibly dangerous combatant and the factthat he is completely brainwashed and loyal to the Maker is one of the most terrifying things that has been revealed about the Ultimate Universe so far.The Ultimates might just be outmatchedby this vicious version of a well-known hero.
The choice to makeWolverine the Winter Soldieris honestly inspired. Wolverine has always made an excellent assassin. Due to his incredible healing factor and his Adamantium claws, there’s almostno one more deadly in close-range combat than Wolverine. He has taken on some of Marvel’s heaviest hitters, with his very first appearance pitting him against the Hulk. Reframing him as the Winter Soldier is a remarkably dark idea because it works completely with his official backstory. Even in the 616 universe, Wolverine could have ended up as an assassin if things went just a bit differently for him.
Looking for more radical re-imaginings of classic X-Men story elements? Check out the first arc ofUltimate X-Menby Peach Momoko, available now both digitally and in a collected edition from Marvel Comics.
One of the biggest parts of Wolverine’s backstory is the Weapon X program, which was a government program to create the perfect weapon. They had dozens of failed test subjects,but Wolverine was their one success. They had managed to capture Wolverine and laced his skeleton with Adamantium, which gaveWolverine’s bone claws an extremely lethal upgrade. Weapon X spent a long time trying to brainwash Wolverine, and they were very nearly successful, but he eventually managed to escape into the wild and regain his senses. But if Wolverine hadn’t escaped, he would’ve ended up as the government’s perfect weapon.
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Most fans know theWinter Soldier as Bucky Barnes, but unfortunately, in the 6160 universe, Bucky Barnes is long dead, meaning he was never captured and brainwashed into becoming the Winter Soldier. While Bucky Barnes fans might be disappointed by this choice, it makes sense thatMarvel wouldn’t want two Winter Soldiers in one universe. Bucky’s removal also makes sense from a narrative perspective. There’s no doubt that the Maker would have chosen Wolverine intentionally over Bucky, as Wolverine’s mutant powers make him far more dangerous.
There are many alternate universes in Marvel’s massive Multiverse, butthe Ultimate Universeof 6160 is unique in that it was deliberately made. While most universes come into existence simply through nature, the 6160 universe was created by the Maker, and he made sure there wouldn’t be anyone who stood in his way. When the Maker was manipulating the creation of this universe,he made sure to remove certain heroes. Daredevil, for example, still seemingly lost his sight, but never gained the powers or the drive to become a superhero, which is true of a number of heroes in the new Ultimate Universe as designed by the Maker.
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Just like the Maker removed several heroes, such as Daredevil, Spider-Man, and several others,the Maker also made sure that certain villains came into existence as well and sided with him. Characters like Bullseye and Kingpin only exist as their villainous selves because the Maker allowed them to. While the Maker wasn’t able to prevent the rise of heroes in this universe completely, he still made plans for when he’d have to fight heroes, including by making sure that Wolverine would become the Winter Soldier.
Wolverine Is the Ultimate Universe’s Deadliest Killer as the Winter Solider
Wolverine’s Classic Powers Make Him a Terrifying Foe in This Universe
Thankfully, in the 616 universe, Wolverine is a hero, and he’s one of the greatest X-Men to ever live. But there have been a few situations in his past that have shownwhat a terrifying villain Wolverine could be.In theEnemy of the Statestoryline by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr, Wolverine was brainwashed by the Hand and Hydra,turning Wolverine into one of the most deadly assassins in the Marvel Universe(for a little while, at least). Wolverine kills several heroes, nearly destroys the Baxter Building, and almost kills the President of the United States.
Part of the fun of having alternate universes is seeing how characters' lives can be different.
If the heroes of the 6160 universe can break the Wolverine’s brainwashing, it’s possible that they’d gain an incredibly powerful ally. But this isn’t the 616 universe. Wolverine never escaped the dark program that sought to turn him into a weapon here. Part of the fun of having alternate universes is seeing how characters' lives can be different. Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto’s run onUltimate Spider-Man, which debuted in January 2024, is almost universally beloved because it’s giving fans everything they wanted from a Spider-Man book, whereasUltimate Wolverineis going to show possibly the darkest Wolverine so far.
Bucky Barnes Is No Longer the Winter Soldier in the New Ultimate Universe
Fans Can Expect Big Twists inUltimate Wolverine
Fans know Wolverine best as one of the greatest members of the X-Men, but there has been so much darkness in Logan’s life. A core part of his character is the fact Wolverine doesn’t want to be the monster that other people have tried so hard to make him into. The Hand, Hydra, Weapon X, and more have all tried to turn Wolverine into a weapon, and he’s managed to resist all of them and stay true to his heroic self. But in the Ultimate Universe,Wolverinewas doomed from the start, as the Maker forced him to become theWinter Soldier.
Source:Marvel.com
Wolverine
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.
