Wolverine is so 2000s - meet Hellverine

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance Omega #1!

Wolverine is already one of the most dangerous living beings in the Marvel Universe, so just imagine how deadly he would be if he became demonic. That’s exactly what happens in Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance Omega #1 (written by Benjamin Percy and penciled by Geoff Shaw). The issue is the final chapter of 'Weapons of Vengeance,' a crossover storyline that pits Wolverine and Ghost Rider against a demon called Bagra-ghul.

Hellverine was created when the government organization Weapon Plus captured Wolverine. They hooked Logan up to a machine that was similar to the one which made him Weapon X. Using dark magic, they exorcised Bagra-ghul from a possessed man named Bram and grafted the demon onto Wolverine.

The result was a killing machine with Wolverine’s healing factor and Ghost Rider’s hellfire. Imagine Wolverine’s adamantium claws encased in an eternal flame. Picture Wolverine with a flaming skull, ala Ghost Rider. Now imagine how scary it would be if he came after you. That’s Hellverine.

Weapon Plus uses Hellverine to hunt down mutants, and the results are brutal. Using a mind-control helmet, the organization forces Hellverine to tear apart a group of mutant terrorists (don’t worry, they were evil). The scene is particularly bloody, as we see Hellverine disembowel them.

However, Wolverine is a household name and Marvel doesn’t want to hurt its branding, so this change isn’t permanent. By the end of the issue Bagra-ghul is exorcised from Wolverine and is defeated. We do get a cool Ghost Rider vs. Hellverine fight before that happens though. In a world where characters have multiple variants, perhaps we’ll see Hellverine again. With all the trouble the X-Men have been going through, they could probably use his help.

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