The iconic adamantium claws ofWolverineare getting a major transformation, as Logan steals the powers ofFantastic Fourhero Ben Grimm, aka the Thing. The FF’s rocky hero is one of Marvel’s strongest and toughest heroes, and has gone toe-to-toe with Wolverine on several noteworthy occasions. However, combining his immense power with Wolverine’s brutality and razor-sharp claws is a recipe for death and dismemberment.
Wolverine gains the Thing’s powers in art by Giuseppe Camuncoli. The image shows Wolverine shortly after his escape from the villainous Weapon X organization, wandering the Canadian wilderness. However, this time Logan is covered in rocky spikes, adding countless blades to his iconic claws.
The art is part of Marvel’s ‘The Thing! Variant Covers’ initiative, running across November, and will appear on select copies ofWolverine #3, coming November 20 from Saladin Ahmed and Martín Cóccolo.
Wolverine’s Thing-themed transformation has similarities to his recent transformation into the Dark Phoenix, with claws emerging all over his body.
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Marvel Heroes Are Getting The Thing’s Powers This November
Variant Covers Transform Marvel Heroes Including Nightcrawler, Black Panther & Daredevil
To celebrate the MCU’s upcomingThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsand a new saga coming to Ryan North and Iban Coello’sFantastic Four, Marvel’s new variant covers will transform various heroes, giving them the Thing’s cosmic radiation-spawned rocky skin and immense strength. The covers will release as follows:
AVENGERS #20
DAREDEVIL #15
PHOENIX #5
WOLVERINE #3
DAZZLER #3
SPIDER-BOY #13
Luciano Vecchio
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While a lot of heroes are being transformed in Marvel’s new cover initiative - includingWolverine’s longtime X-Men allies Nightcrawler, Jean Grey and Dazzler - Logan’s transformation is particularly special. That’s because it uses the Thing’s most powerful form, remembered for being the version of the Fantastic Four heavyweight that finally out-muscled the Hulk. In Steve Englehart and Keith Pollard’sFantastic Four #311,the Thing receives a second dose of cosmic rays, doubling the mutation that turned him into a rocky monster- including an unbelievable new level of strength.
This period was marked by the Thing’s craggy skin taking on a spiky appearance, and included the immense feat of taking down the Hulk (who was in his Joe Fixit form at the time.) Camuncoli has made the fascinating choice to equate the Thing’s spikes with Wolverine’s claws, actually bringing to mind one of Logan’s most powerful transformation. In the recentJean Grey #2by Louise Jones Simonson and Bernard Chang, fans saw an alternate timeline whereWolverine became the Phoenixinstead of Jean Grey,causing claws to erupt all over his body, able to be fired as projectiles.
Fans of Wolverine’s new Fantastic Four look shouldn’t despair that this will be the character’s only appearance. There’s a lot of precedent for particularly cool variant cover concepts being brought into Marvel’s official continuity. For example,the upcomingNew Championsseriesfollows a team of heroes originally designed for variant covers that imagined the Avengers' sidekicks. If fan reaction to the WolverThing is positive enough, fans can expect to see this version ofWolverineagain soon, perhaps united with the other variant cover heroes with the powers ofFantastic Four’s Thing.
Wolverine #3is available from Marvel Comics November 20.
Wolverine
The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men’s wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics' biggest stars. He’s played in Fox and Marvel’s movie franchises by Hugh Jackman.
Fantastic Four
TheFantastic Fouris a superhero franchise centered on Marvel Comics' first family of superheroes. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the team made its comic book debut in 1961 and quickly became a cornerstone of Marvel’s success. The franchise follows four astronauts—Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm—who gain superpowers after being exposed to cosmic radiation. Over the years,Fantastic Fourhas been adapted into several live-action films, animated series, and video games. The films have seen multiple reboots, with varying levels of success, and are now set to be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with a new film slated for release in 2025.
