Writer Charles Soule may currently be chronicling the long-awaited return of the most popular X-Man of them all, but it seems that the current Return of Wolverine series isn’t the end of his story. Soule recently shed light on his upcoming plans for the character in his monthly newsletter.
As revealed in Marvel’s January 2018 solicitations, the monthly anthology comic Marvel Comics presents will be making a comeback next year. Soule revealed in his newsletter that he’ll be writing a 12-part serialized story called “The Vigil.” Each chapter will focus on Wolverine during a different decade of his long life, with the first chapter unfolding during World War II.
Marvel Comics Presents #1 cover by Art Adams. (Marvel Comics)
Soule says, “It’s a twelve-part story called (tentatively) ‘Wolverine – The Vigil,’ and each segment is set in a different decade, moving forward and starting during World War II in the 1940s. Paulo Siqueira is drawing it, who is absolutely incredible. It’s dark, almost a fantasy or horror story, and I’m excited about it. Beyond that… wait and see!”
Soule also touches on the fact that all of his current Marvel projects, including Daredevil, Star Wars: Darth Vader and Return of Wolverine, will be ending in December in January “I am not done with comics, or Marvel, or Star Wars, not by a long shot, although it’ll take a little time for some of the announcements to hit,” the writer revealed.
Soule’s Wolverine saga began with 2014’s Death of Wolverine, which lived up to its name by culminating with Logan’s demise. Following Wolverine’s surprise return in Marvel Legacy #1 last fall, Soule supervised the Hunt for Wolverine crossover and is now currently writing Return of Wolverine with artists Steve McNiven and Declan Shalvey. That series has already introduced one big change in the form of a new mutant power for Wolverine.
\r\n
\r\nSensing one final chance to rid the world of the evil posed by Weapon X, Logan defeated Cornelius\u0027 latest creation, Sharp, and destroyed his lab, accidentally covering himself in molten adamantium in the process. The dying Logan had just enough time to deliver the killing blow to Cornelius before collapsing and suffocating inside his metal prison. His own body became a monument to his life and legacy.”,”height”:656,”width”:1165,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/03-1536111978824.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/03-1536111978824_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”04″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”Death of Wolverine was just the beginning of Soule\u0027s Wolverine saga. It was quickly followed up by a weekly series called Wolverines, which brought together X-23, Daken, Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike and Mystique in a quest to honor the memory of their fallen friend\/enemy. That put them in conflict with Mister Sinister, who stole Logan\u0027s metal-encased body in an attempt to harness its latent genetic potential. The X-Men recovered the body and placed it inside Logan\u0027s remote Canadian cabin so he could finally rest in peace.”,”height”:674,”width”:1199,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/04-1536111978826.jpeg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/04-1536111978826_{size}.jpeg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”05″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”The Wolverines comic nearly culminated in the resurrection of Wolverine himself. Mystique eventually betrayed her teammates and stole their healing powers in an attempt to resurrect her dead lover, Destiny. But Destiny\u0027s spirit revealed that she wasn\u0027t trying to bring herself back to life, but rather Wolverine. According to Destiny, Logan was key to preventing the upcoming destruction of the multiverse (as chronicled in 2015\u0027s Secret Wars). Ever the cruel and petty villainess, Mystique chose to disrupt the ritual and let existence be destroyed rather than bring back her most hated enemy.”,”height”:1118,”width”:1987,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/05-1536111978830.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/05-1536111978830_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”06″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”Wolverine may not have returned to play a part in Secret Wars, but that crossover did set the stage for a different version of the character to enter the Marvel Universe. One of the results of that crossover was that the elderly Wolverine of the Old Man Logan universe crossed over. While reluctant to join the X-Men, given that he had been tricked into killing them in his own world, this Logan did eventually join the team in the 2015 series Extraordinary X-Men. This also paved the way for a new Old Man Logan series, one which has followed his efforts to ensure that his hellish future never comes to pass.”,”height”:1159,”width”:2061,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/06-1536111978833.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/06-1536111978833_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”07″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”Even as Old Man Logan started making his mark on the Marvel Universe, Laura Kinney also took it upon herself to honor her \u0022father.\u0022 She took up the mantle of Wolverine in 2015\u0027s All-New Wolverine. Over the course of several years, the series followed her journey towards accepting her new status as a superhero and her growing bond with her clone sister, Gabby. Even in her worst moments, the new Wolverine could rest easy knowing that she was living up to her father\u0027s example and proving that a person born and bred to be a weapon can become something more.”,”height”:710,”width”:1262,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/07-1536111978835.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/07-1536111978835_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”08″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”2017\u0027s Marvel Legacy #1 ushered in the next chapter in Wolverine\u0027s story. That book revealed that Logan was alive and well again, somehow escaping his adamantium prison. What\u0027s more, he was carrying one of the six Infinity Stones. The exact nature of his return wasn\u0027t made immediately clear, but eventually readers learned that his body had been removed from the adamantium months before by Kitty Pryde and secretly buried elsewhere. As for the Time Stone, Logan didn\u0027t hang onto that elusive prize for long before passing it along to Black Widow.”,”height”:560,”width”:997,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/08-1536111978837.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/08-1536111978837_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”09″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”Marvel Legacy #1 may have revealed that Logan was again among the living, but it didn\u0027t answer questions like how he came back to life or why he continues to keep a low profile rather than returning to the X-Men. The struggle to answer those questions became the central thrust of Hunt for Wolverine, a set of four interconnected miniseries. Each Hunt for Wolverine book featured a different team of heroes (led by Kitty Pryde, Iron Man, Daredevil and Sabretooth, respectively) following a trail and trying to find answers about Logan\u0027s unexpected return.\r\n
\r\n
\r\nIn the end, none of these four groups was able to fully solve the mystery of Wolverine\u0027s return. At best, they were able to confirm that Logan is back, and that his fate is inextricably linked to a mysterious corporation known as Soteira. Soteira\u0027s leader, a mysterious villain named Persephone, has stolen a copy of Mister Sinister\u0027s genetic database and begun killing new mutants before their powers begin manifesting. Persephone is also currently holding Wolverine captive.”,”height”:699,”width”:1243,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/09-1536111978838.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/09-1536111978838_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:10,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”The next (and final) phase of the story that began with Wolverine\u0027s death will be chronicled in a miniseries called Return of Wolverine. This series, from writer Charles Soule and artists Steve McNiven and Declan Shalvey, will answer all remaining questions surrounding Logan\u0027s return and his connection to Persephone. This series will also introduce a new costume for Wolverine as well as a new power, as Logan\u0027s claws can now heat up whenever he gets especially angry.\r\n
\r\n
\r\nAs for the heroes who took up the Wolverine mantle in his absence, expect big changes on that front, too. Laura Kinney has already retired the Wolverine name and reverted to her original X-23 moniker. With Old Man Logan, Marvel will soon be relaunching his comic as \u0022Dead Man Logan.\u0022 As the title suggests, this aged hero will be confronting his own imminent demise and trying to settle all remaining scores (including taking revenge on Mysterio). It seems that one Wolverine can\u0027t return without another Wolverine being eliminated.”,”height”:719,”width”:1279,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/10-1536111978842.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/10-1536111978842_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:11,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”Wolverine\u0027s return has become even more complicated thanks to The Avengers #10. This issue reveals that there are actually two different versions of Wolverine active in the Marvel Universe – the one introduced in Marvel Legacy #1 and the one featured in the Return of Wolverine miniseries. The former is currently wielding the power of the Phoenix Force and has traveled back in time to warn Loki of an impending disaster. The latter version is the one who actually died and was restored to life by Persephone. Expect these two Wolverines to establish an uneasy coexistence in the months to come, as one rejoins the X-Men and the other fights battles on a grand, cosmic scale.”,”height”:698,”width”:1241,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/11\/15\/01a2c2afad1e535f914066d7a31552fa583de193f0-1542295968514.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/11\/15\/01a2c2afad1e535f914066d7a31552fa583de193f0-1542295968514_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:12,”albumTotalCount”:12}]’
data-ads-disabled=’false’
data-ad-frequency=’3′
data-image-size=’1280w’>
\r\nSensing one final chance to rid the world of the evil posed by Weapon X, Logan defeated Cornelius\u0027 latest creation, Sharp, and destroyed his lab, accidentally covering himself in molten adamantium in the process. The dying Logan had just enough time to deliver the killing blow to Cornelius before collapsing and suffocating inside his metal prison. His own body became a monument to his life and legacy.”,”height”:656,”width”:1165,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/03-1536111978824.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/03-1536111978824_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”04″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”Death of Wolverine was just the beginning of Soule\u0027s Wolverine saga. It was quickly followed up by a weekly series called Wolverines, which brought together X-23, Daken, Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike and Mystique in a quest to honor the memory of their fallen friend\/enemy. That put them in conflict with Mister Sinister, who stole Logan\u0027s metal-encased body in an attempt to harness its latent genetic potential. The X-Men recovered the body and placed it inside Logan\u0027s remote Canadian cabin so he could finally rest in peace.”,”height”:674,”width”:1199,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/04-1536111978826.jpeg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/04-1536111978826_{size}.jpeg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”05″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”The Wolverines comic nearly culminated in the resurrection of Wolverine himself. Mystique eventually betrayed her teammates and stole their healing powers in an attempt to resurrect her dead lover, Destiny. But Destiny\u0027s spirit revealed that she wasn\u0027t trying to bring herself back to life, but rather Wolverine. According to Destiny, Logan was key to preventing the upcoming destruction of the multiverse (as chronicled in 2015\u0027s Secret Wars). Ever the cruel and petty villainess, Mystique chose to disrupt the ritual and let existence be destroyed rather than bring back her most hated enemy.”,”height”:1118,”width”:1987,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/05-1536111978830.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/05-1536111978830_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”06″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”Wolverine may not have returned to play a part in Secret Wars, but that crossover did set the stage for a different version of the character to enter the Marvel Universe. One of the results of that crossover was that the elderly Wolverine of the Old Man Logan universe crossed over. While reluctant to join the X-Men, given that he had been tricked into killing them in his own world, this Logan did eventually join the team in the 2015 series Extraordinary X-Men. This also paved the way for a new Old Man Logan series, one which has followed his efforts to ensure that his hellish future never comes to pass.”,”height”:1159,”width”:2061,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/06-1536111978833.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/06-1536111978833_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”07″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”Even as Old Man Logan started making his mark on the Marvel Universe, Laura Kinney also took it upon herself to honor her \u0022father.\u0022 She took up the mantle of Wolverine in 2015\u0027s All-New Wolverine. Over the course of several years, the series followed her journey towards accepting her new status as a superhero and her growing bond with her clone sister, Gabby. Even in her worst moments, the new Wolverine could rest easy knowing that she was living up to her father\u0027s example and proving that a person born and bred to be a weapon can become something more.”,”height”:710,”width”:1262,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/07-1536111978835.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/07-1536111978835_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”08″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”2017\u0027s Marvel Legacy #1 ushered in the next chapter in Wolverine\u0027s story. That book revealed that Logan was alive and well again, somehow escaping his adamantium prison. What\u0027s more, he was carrying one of the six Infinity Stones. The exact nature of his return wasn\u0027t made immediately clear, but eventually readers learned that his body had been removed from the adamantium months before by Kitty Pryde and secretly buried elsewhere. As for the Time Stone, Logan didn\u0027t hang onto that elusive prize for long before passing it along to Black Widow.”,”height”:560,”width”:997,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/08-1536111978837.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/08-1536111978837_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:”09″,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”Marvel Legacy #1 may have revealed that Logan was again among the living, but it didn\u0027t answer questions like how he came back to life or why he continues to keep a low profile rather than returning to the X-Men. The struggle to answer those questions became the central thrust of Hunt for Wolverine, a set of four interconnected miniseries. Each Hunt for Wolverine book featured a different team of heroes (led by Kitty Pryde, Iron Man, Daredevil and Sabretooth, respectively) following a trail and trying to find answers about Logan\u0027s unexpected return.\r\n
\r\n
\r\nIn the end, none of these four groups was able to fully solve the mystery of Wolverine\u0027s return. At best, they were able to confirm that Logan is back, and that his fate is inextricably linked to a mysterious corporation known as Soteira. Soteira\u0027s leader, a mysterious villain named Persephone, has stolen a copy of Mister Sinister\u0027s genetic database and begun killing new mutants before their powers begin manifesting. Persephone is also currently holding Wolverine captive.”,”height”:699,”width”:1243,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/09-1536111978838.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/09-1536111978838_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:10,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”The next (and final) phase of the story that began with Wolverine\u0027s death will be chronicled in a miniseries called Return of Wolverine. This series, from writer Charles Soule and artists Steve McNiven and Declan Shalvey, will answer all remaining questions surrounding Logan\u0027s return and his connection to Persephone. This series will also introduce a new costume for Wolverine as well as a new power, as Logan\u0027s claws can now heat up whenever he gets especially angry.\r\n
\r\n
\r\nAs for the heroes who took up the Wolverine mantle in his absence, expect big changes on that front, too. Laura Kinney has already retired the Wolverine name and reverted to her original X-23 moniker. With Old Man Logan, Marvel will soon be relaunching his comic as \u0022Dead Man Logan.\u0022 As the title suggests, this aged hero will be confronting his own imminent demise and trying to settle all remaining scores (including taking revenge on Mysterio). It seems that one Wolverine can\u0027t return without another Wolverine being eliminated.”,”height”:719,”width”:1279,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/10-1536111978842.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/09\/05\/10-1536111978842_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:11,”albumTotalCount”:12},{“caption”:”Wolverine\u0027s return has become even more complicated thanks to The Avengers #10. This issue reveals that there are actually two different versions of Wolverine active in the Marvel Universe – the one introduced in Marvel Legacy #1 and the one featured in the Return of Wolverine miniseries. The former is currently wielding the power of the Phoenix Force and has traveled back in time to warn Loki of an impending disaster. The latter version is the one who actually died and was restored to life by Persephone. Expect these two Wolverines to establish an uneasy coexistence in the months to come, as one rejoins the X-Men and the other fights battles on a grand, cosmic scale.”,”height”:698,”width”:1241,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/11\/15\/01a2c2afad1e535f914066d7a31552fa583de193f0-1542295968514.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2018\/11\/15\/01a2c2afad1e535f914066d7a31552fa583de193f0-1542295968514_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”The Death and Resurrection of Wolverine Recapped”,”relativePosition”:12,”albumTotalCount”:12}]’
data-ads-disabled=’false’
data-ad-frequency=’3′
data-image-size=’1280w’>
We’re assuming Marvel has other post-Return of Wolverine plans beyond Marvel Comics Presents. But what those plans might involve, and whether Soule will also be involved, remains to be seen.
Click here to see all the major new comics debuting in January 2019, including Conan the Barbarian and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.