From Thunderbolt to Avenger: Jolt in the MC2

 

Marvel Studios has released its latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry with the Thunderbolts* movie. But the Thunderbolts in the comics have a long and storied history, and the MC2 specifically featured the first Thunderbolt to become an Avenger. So today, let’s finally take a look at the often-overshadowed Jolt in the MC2.

 

But first, the basics! Helen ‘Hallie’ Takahama first appeared in 1997 in the pages of Thunderbolts #1 where we learn she has been living rough since her 15^th birthday, when both her parents were crushed to death during the Onslaught event. Abducted and experimented on by the unseen amoral villain Arnim Zola, Hallie eventually gained superpowers and used them to escape, heading to Four Freedoms Plaza to seek help from the Fantastic Four. Finding instead the Thunderbolts, Hallie joins them in their mission to apprehend her captor and soon after becomes a member of the team unaware of their true motives (Thunderbolts #1-4).

 

Jumping into the MC2 now, Jolt made a surprise cameo in the pages of What If #105 as a member of the new Avengers team alongside Jubilee, Speedball, Thunderstrike, the Vision and *ahem* J2.

 

Hallie Takahama shows up again in A-Next #1, a story set a little earlier than her above cameo, providing readers with the new Avengers team’s origin which involved Kevin Masterson transformation into the new Thunderstrike as a result of the machination of Loki. During this adventure, we learn Jolt is semi-retired with (at least) two school-aged children. As such, Hallie declines the offer to join the team as a full-time member but does mention they can call if they need her.

 

I’ve always imagined the fledgling full-time new Avengers contacted the more established heroes for assistance with setting up the Avengers Compound and perhaps a photo shoot between the pages of A-Next #1 and A-Next #2, which would explain their presence in What If #105 and the Daily Bugle’s front-page photo seen in American Dream #4. Speaking of which, it’s notable that Jolt doesn’t appear in the image, itself a direct reference to the cover of A-Next #1. Though, word of god (tongue no doubt firmly in cheek) says Jolt *is* present, just behind J2!

 

In Spider-Girl #32, we catch a tantalising glimpse of the largely unseen interim Avengers team who attempted to fill the void left after many of the original Avengers perished on their final mission (mentioned in A-Next #7). Jubilee was a member of this line-up alongside Nova, the Steel Spider, Speedball and, of course, Jolt. It’s heartening to learn that members of the X-Men, New Warriors and Thunderbolts all came together in the wake of the tragic loss of many of the Avengers to try and carry on their legacy.

 

Finally, in a nice little story published on the Marvel Unlimited digital comic reading app as Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #37, Jolt makes it onto the cover of an MC2 comic! In a story set between the panels of A-Next #1 we learn an interesting fact about Hallie Takahama: she can party like an Asgardian!

 

Jolt is a possibly the earliest example of the MC2 including elements from across the decades of Marvel’s published history, even (at the time) very recent additions such as the youngest member of the Thunderbolts, in their stories. It’s a wonderful tradition, and one I hope we see again someday.

 

Until I find out I’m working with a team of disguised super villains posing as heroes, I remain

 

frogoat

 

Wolverine in the MC2

It’s been a good year to be an X-Men fan with the animated revival series X-Men ’97 and the upcoming third Deadpool movie in the series with Deadpool & Wolverine due for release in mere days. As you’d expect by now, today’s post will be focused on the MC2 incarnation of the mutant who’s the best there is at what he does: Wolverine in the MC2.

 

The short, hairy, Canadian mutant known as Wolverine first appeared in a cameo on the final page of Incredible Hulk #180 before making his first full appearance in Incredible Hulk #181, where Wolverine reveals to the Hulk his claws are ‘forged of diamond-hard Adamantium’.. We first see Wolverine without his mask in X-Men #98, which is also where we first learned his claws came from within his body, not his gloves. His current name ‘Logan’ was first used by a leprechaun in X-Men #103, as odd as it might seem.

 

Logan clarifies he has a healing factor in X-Men #116 and mention is made of his ‘unbreakable bones’ in X-Men #124 before X-Men #126 has Logan outright state he has ‘a skeleton made of about three million bucks worth of Adamantium’. We see this ‘Weapon X’ experiment play out in the pages of Marvel Comics Presents #72-#84. Logan survives the experiment due to his mutant healing factor but loses his memory.

 

Then we come to the X-Men storyline known as Fatal Attractions, during which Magneto returns to his villainous ways and uses his powers to rip the Adamantium from Wolverine (X-Men (vol. 2) #25), nearly killing him and shortly afterwards revealing Logan had bone claws beneath the Adamantium the whole time (Wolverine (vol. 2) #75).

 

The final major point I need to touch upon is the fact that despite the mini-series Wolverine: The Origin being published after the MC2 universe branched from the Main Marvel Universe, it’s revelations can or may be considered canon to the MC2 version of the character as it is the resolution to a pre-existing and long-running plot about Wolverine’s origin and past. The main take away for now, barring any future implementations from ‘Origin’, is Logan’s real name was James Howlett and he really is Canadian (The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005).

 

Now let’s get our claws into Wolverine in the MC2! With the introduction of Rina Logan aka Wild Thing we also saw the arrival of her father, Wolverine in J2 #5. Here we learn that Logan is in a relationship with to Elektra Natchios when he heads to New York to find their daughter after she targets J2 to learn what he knows about the fate of the original Juggernaut. Logan arrives to end the fight in his full classic yellow and blue costume (notably without his X-Belt) and tells J2 that Jubilee has vouched for him.

 

 

 

The next time we see Wolverine is in a flashback where, after a few references to the original mutant team in the series, we get our first glimpse of the X-Men in J2 #7 via a flashback to 'The Last Days of the Original Juggernaut'. It's here we learn Cain Marko aka the Juggernaut reformed and joined the X-Men, eventually being lost on a mission while at the Crossroads of Infinity though some details would remain unrevealed. Wolverine leads the X-Men team that Cain Marko joins and other teammates included Wolfsbane (Rahne Sinclair), Synch (Everett Thomas), Siryn (Theresa Cassidy) and 'Hopper'. As Rina mentioned in J2 #5, Logan feels responsible for the disappearance of Marko.

 

Aside from single panel flashbacks to his early X-Men adventures, Wolverine next appears in a fun two-page story from J2 #9 where he spars with Wild Thing, demonstrating just how proud he is of his little girl.

 

We get a great issue featuring J2 on the road with Wolverine when they journey to Madripoor seeking Logan’s daughter Rina after receiving word she was there and assuming she’d been kidnapped. Zane, a huge Wolverine fanboy, gets a very different experience than he bargained for teaming up with his idol. The pair eventually learn Rina is safe and sound with the mutant Daze and the mistress of magnetism Magneta, with the latter attempting once again to recruit other mutants in hopes of forming a super team (J2 #10).

 

In J2 #11, alongside Cyclops, Logan and Elektra watch on Rina runs the gauntlet against Jubilee’s team, the X-People. After Wild Thing proves herself, Jubilee declares she has passed the initiation and may join the X-People as a probationary member. Rina declines, stating she only did it because her father asked her to which Cyclops remarks she reminds him of Logan.

 

In Wild Thing #1 briefly appears after Rina as Wild Thing stops the kidnapping of her classmate Cameron Bryce-Jones. Picking Rina up on his Harley Davidson bike, he assures her that if she were ever kidnapped he would track her down himself and let nothing stop him.

 

Around this time, Wolverine made an appearance in Wild Thing #0 where in he calls upon Doctor Strange to attempt to remove the cure of the Wendigo from the land around Hudson Bay. With the aid of the Hulk, Wolverine and Wild Thing, Doctor Strange successfully lifts the curse.

 

Rina and Logan spend some quality father-daughter time together embracing their animal instincts until they encounter a member of the other-dimensional demon race the N’Garai in the middle of Central Park. The two manage to drive it back and destroy the cairn it used to arrive before they head home (Wild Thing #4).

 

While bonding with his daughter Rina by tracking her through the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Logan is the first super hero to be abducted in a plot secretly masterminded by the Asgardian Loki (Spider-Girl #85, Last Hero Standing #1-#2).

Under the dark influence of Loki’s enchantment, Wolverine is among the super heroes who are returned to Earth and filled with malice, engage their fellow heroes in battle. When Loki enthralls and enrages the Hulk he fights the various assembled heroes including Wolverine. In the end the sacrifice of Captain America ultimately saves the day and Wolverine is among those present to witness his death (Last Hero Standing #3-#5)

 

With Galactus enacting his final solution to resolve his hunger and in the process destroy the universe, the combined forces of the super hero community working to penetrate his force field and combat his doomsday weapon’s launch. Wolverine is among the heroes who inadvertently inspires The Vision to finally join the fray, going against orders from President G.W. Bridge. This issue also appear to be the only time Logan interacts on-panel with his son, Hudson aka Sabreclaw (Last Planet Standing #4). Wolverine soon after witnesses the birth of a new entity composed of the Silver Surfer and Galactus which could harness a new form of energy known as The Power Essential (Last Planet Standing #5).

 

Wolverine’s last appearances are also cameos in the pages of Avengers Next #4 and off-panel in #5. When Loki's daughter Sylene attempts to restore the devastated Asgard by recreating it on Earth, she creates energy duplicates of various super humans to serve her purposes. Logan is among those rendered comatose in the process of creating these duplicates. When Sylene is defeated, Wolverine’s duplicate dissipates, and Logan is presumably restored.

 

I know I’m not alone in hoping we see more from the MC2 incarnation of Canada’s favourite son, especially given the Wild Thing series was abruptly cancelled so we never got to see Sabreclaw, Wild Thing and Wolverine together.

 

Until I can get early tickets to see Deadpool & Wolverine to get ahead of spoilers, I remain

 

frogoat