This article contains SPOILERS for X-Force #30!
Marvel reminded its readers why X-Men. While Logan can be a team player, and the proof is that Wolverine worked with the greatest superhero groups ever, including the Avengers and the X-Men, he will always remain a rebel at heart, who's not afraid to go against the establishment even in the supposed mutant paradise that Krakoa is.
Wolverine was originally created by writer Len Wein as a secondary villain for the Incredible Hulk. When Wein then wrote the landmark Giant-Sized X-Men #1, which introduced a brand new X-Men team, he included the hero in the lineup. When Chris Claremont took over (starting with Uncanny X-Men #94) he wasn't very fond of the character and used it only to introduce tension in the team through Wolverine's attraction to Cyclops' girlfriend, Jean Grey. However, Logan's unique demeanor, rugged looks, and rough attitude made him incredibly popular with readers. This became even more evident during the 1980s when Logan became Marvel's poster boy for the successful "anti-hero" stereotype of the times. Since then, Logan remained the most popular X-Men and one of the most recognizable Marvel characters.
In X-Force #30, by Benjamin Percy, Robert Gill, and Guru-eFX, readers are reminded that Wolverine's popularity is rooted in much more than just his "I’m the best there is at what I do but what I do isn’t very nice" attitude. In previous issues, Logan's fellow X-Force member Quentin Quire, aka Kid Omega, was killed while stopping Cerebrax, a Cerebro unit that had developed sentience and the ability to gain mutants' powers by devouring their brains. Quentin's body mysteriously disappeared after the battle and, what's worse, his backup was wiped out by the Cerebro records, making his return to life through the Resurrection Protocols impossible. Sadly, Quentin's loss had a heavy effect on Logan, who took the kid under his wing. Wolverine suspects Krakoa itself, thinking that the island (which feeds on mutant energy) did something to Quentin, so he quits X-Force and goes looking for answers on his own.
On the surface, Krakoa is the mutant paradise built by Xavier and Magneto that united mutantkind and ushered in the greatest era of prosperity they ever witnessed. However, in his long life Wolverine has seen a lot of "paradises," and he knows there is always something rotten hidden under the surface. Krakoa could have dark designs for the X-Men as the island does, after all, have the ability to feed on mutant energy, and only the presence of so many mutants at once makes the process essentially innocuous. Or at least, this is what Xavier and Magneto told everyone. Quentin was an Omega Mutant of unparalleled power, so Wolverine's belief that Krakoa wanted to "gobble" on him are not unfounded. More importantly, Logan is not afraid of going against the establishment and acting on his own, even in a place where, in theory, the establishment is made by mutants for mutants.
Just like during Logan's early days as an X-Men, his rebellious attitude makes him stand out as the most popular of Marvel's mutants. While he proved his worth many times as a member of the X-Men, Wolverine showed, once again, that his nature is that of a loner who will go to any lengths to do what he thinks is right, even if this means going against the Quiet Council or Krakoa itself.
X-Force #30 is available now from Marvel Comics.
