Review: ‘X Deaths Of Wolverine’ #4 Sets Up An Explosive Climax

X Deaths of Wolverine continues to shock and surprise, and this latest issue definitely seems to give us every indication that the future is now. And if you know what the X-Men’s future holds, you’ll know that’s a bad thing.

Benjamin Percy, Federico Vincentini, Dijjo Lima, Cory Petit, and Tom Muller unite here to tell a tale of family, fate, and how one person’s hubris could doom millions.

Moira MacTaggert has one desperate plan left to save her life. She’s a woman pushed to the brink. The Omega Wolverine is the only chance mutantkind has of stopping her, if his Phalanx side doesn’t win out.

This chapter went dark, and I liked that, but it also had such a frantic pace that it took away from some of the important parts of the plot.

As far as the darkness of it all, this really was where I think the series should have been the whole time. Omega Wolverine finally gets some depth to him thanks to these tragedies, both via flashback and thanks to several of the scenes through the pursuit. One of the best things Percy does is finally acknowledging Logan’s family. He has a son and two daughters that he should care about deeply, and we get the on-page acknowledgement on not just that he considers Gabby his daughter, and cares for Akihiro, but how deeply he cares for them. This is the Logan that we’ve needed since his return, and I hope it carries into the near future of his title.

The issue focuses the rest of the time on Moira’s continuing heel turn. I feel like the turn is still way too drastic and sudden, but I like how Percy is leaning into it. She’s causing absolute chaos on Krakoa, and in some seriously screwed up ways. From Banshee’s fate (which is the first time I’ve been glad the resurrection protocols erase the mutant’s final moments from their memory), to her attack on Forge and Destiny, it’s a lot, and I kind of wish that the series had gotten to this sooner so it wouldn’t be so rushed.

Vincentini and Lima continue their great work. The emotion that Logan’s family shows as Omega acknowledges their fates wrecked me. Each hero’s haunted look was just full of sorrow, as Logan himself was holding in his pain. As chaotic as the final moments were, both the line art and the colors kept the action clear, and the layouts easy to read.

Even with the overall event being a bit of a mixed bag, I’m thrilled to see the conclusion to this series, and what it brings for all of us.

X Deaths of Wolverine #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.