Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Uncanny X-Men #5! Wolverine his all-time grossest superpower, one that is definitely unique in every superhero universe (not just Marvel).

In a preview for Uncanny X-Men #5 by Gail Simone and David Marquez, the X-Men are gearing up to battle a legion of enemies that follow an all-new, horrifically sinister villain named Sarah Gaunt. Sarah Gaunt was once a woman (and former lover of Charles Xavier) whose son was killed during a devastating hurricane. After the storm nearly took her life as well, Sarah was reborn as a seemingly supernatural entity with razor-sharp claws and nigh-invulnerability. Her followers have a fraction of her power, making them serious threats as well - and the X-Men are about to fight them.

In the previous issue, Wolverine was attacked by Sarah Gaunt, who removed Logan’s eyes. That means he has to rely on his other senses to battle these foes, especially his sense of smell. While trying to get a clear picture in his mind of how many enemies were around them, tapping into the full extent of his heightened senses to do so, Wolverine picks up on something more than just their numbers. As he makes known to the rest of the X-Men, Wolverine - through his sense of smell alone - knows that, “Three of ‘em got the same S.T.D.”.

Wolverine Can Smell S.T.D.s, Which is As Gross As It is Unique

No Other Superhero in Any Universe Has Exhibited this Gross Power

Wolverine can literally smell the S.T.D.s on someone from a fair distance away (as shown in this preview), which alone is utterly disgusting. What could an S.T.D. possibly smell like? More importantly, what do different S.T.D.s smell like? Logan didn’t just say three of these enemies had S.T.D.s, he said three of them had the same S.T.D., which means he can both identify and differentiate S.T.D.s by smell alone - that’s about as repugnant as anything can get.

There are a great number of sexually transmitted diseases one can contract, including many that are considered “silent”, meaning someone who’s contracted that disease wouldn’t exhibit any obvious symptoms. So, what exactly is Wolverine smelling here? He fails to elaborate any further than simply alerting the X-Men to the fact that three of these villains have the same S.T.D., so it’s impossible to know the full range of this power. But, honestly, what fans do know is quite enough, as just the mere fact that Wolverine can smell S.T.D.s is absolutely disgusting.

Wolverine has Already Exhibited a Similarly Gross Power in the Past

Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3 #14 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday

This may be the first time Wolverine - or any superhero in any universe, for that matter - revealed that he can sense when someone around him has an S.T.D., but it’s certainly not the first time Logan’s heightened senses have picked up on ‘related’ scents. In Astonishing X-Men #14, Wolverine knows immediately that Kate Pryde and Colossus had sex just a short time before running into them in the kitchen of the X-Mansion, and he knows this because of his heightened senses.

Truthfully, this gross ability associated with his well-established heightened senses seems like a curse more than a superpower. It’s hard to imagine what Wolverine is actually smelling when he knows someone around him has an STD, but it certainly can’t be anything good, which cements this ability as perhaps the grossest superpower in Marvel Comics (and, indeed, every other superhero universe).

Uncanny X-Men #5 by Marvel Comics is available November 13, 2024.