Wolverine’s ultimate rival from X of Swords is back — and he’s already manipulating Krakoa and mutants from Arakko.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Wolverine from Marvel Comics, on sale now
The Marvel Universe has been adjusting to the arrival of an entirely new slew of mutants thanks to Arakko being brought to Earth — especially now that they’ve claimed Mars for their own. This has meant plenty of new powerful new mutants on the board — with one of the most dangerous seemingly making moves against Krakoa.
The return of Solem was just teased in Wolverine #14 by Benjamin Percy, Adam Kubert, Frank Martin, and VC’s Cory Petit — and he seems to have something to do with a lingering mystery from the fallout of the Hellfire Gala.
During the events of X of Swords, Wolverine ended up discovering he had an unlikely counter in Arakko — the charming and seemingly unstoppable Solem. Blessed with adamantium-skin that makes him almost impervious to damage, the pair worked together to claim Muramasa Blades from Hell before the tournament, and Solem even forced Logan to take part in the battle he’d otherwise been set to fight in. At the conclusion of that event, Solem was last seen disappearing, escaping his imprisonment and vanishing into the greater world. He hasn’t been seen since then, although it looks like he has a role to play in one of the mysteries stemming from the conclusion of the Hellfire Gala.
The Maurader, the chief form of transport for the team that shares its name, was set to house a set of logic diamonds gifted to Krakoa by the Shi’Ar. However, Christian Frost — the only Krakaoan mutant on the boat during the event — was attacked and left in the ocean. The boat itself was piloted to Madripoor, where it was lit aflame. There’s no evidence of what happened to the diamonds — and no mutant from Krakoa can atest to the diamonds being asked for.
Venturing to Madripoor to learn more about what happened to the ship, Wolverine’s investigation leads him to an injured man, who reveals he and his partners had been hired to take the lgic diamonds — and instead found themselves up against a massive mutant brawler. With his immense strength and acidic blood, the Arakkii pirate known as Sevy Blackmore was easily able to overwhelm the men and claim the diamonds for himself. Wolverine is able to track Sevy down to the northern area of Madripoor, which even when compared to the rest of the island is a lawless and murderous area. After impressing the Arakko Mutant, Wolverine and Sevy share drinks and stories. He eventually agrees to tell his story — revealing that it all has to do with Solem.
While Solem’s full connection to the diamonds hasn’t been revealed or why he wanted them, it’s clear he has some designs for them. And as Sevy explains to Wolverine, if Logan is involved, then it’s likely that Solem is already planning around his involvement. Given their experience coming up against one another in X of Swords, this seems to be setting up an actual conflict with the pair that could turn into a full-blown conflict. But Solem’s activities, at least for now, remain a mystery until Wolverine can learn more about them.
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