365 Days of Defiance, Day 136: Wolverine's Choice

All the X-Men (even the terrible ones!) have been kidnapped and mentally tortured by Horde, mutant alien, and turned against their nature to embrace their true desires. Can Wolverine, the last X-Man standing crawling, turn the tables, defeat Horde, and rescue his pals?


Panels from [Uncanny] X-Men Annual (1970 series) #11 (1987), script by Chris Claremont, pencils by Alan Davis, inks by Paul Neary, colors by Glynis Oliver, letters by Tom Orzechowski
Can he do it?!? Well, sure; it's a done-in-one Annual.


Wolverine's blood drop splashes onto the deus ex machina that is The Crystal of Ultimate Vision


no, no, not that Ultimate Vision. Anyway, the Crystal rebuilds Wolverine completely from that drop of blood, including his adamantium skeleton, his memories, and his unique...um, aroma. Because, y'know, Crystal of Ultimate Vision. Look, just go with it, huh?


Hey, now Wolverine has all the cosmic awareness in the world, and he could fix everything and make it all better! But should he accept this awesome responsibility? Or are the temptations simply too great? It's a real Galadriel's Choice! Luckily, Wolverine chooses to defy Horde, defy the Crystal, defy godship and just get his friends back. And, presumably, a nice cold beer.


"And now at last it comes. You'll give me the Crystal freely, bub! In place of a Dark Lord you will set up a Wolverine. And I'l not gonna be dark, but rugged an' handsome as Clint Eastwood! Strong as a cuppa Tim Horton's an' smooth as a Labatt's! Everybody's gonna love me and collect comic books about me!...eh, heck with it. I'll be an X-Man, an' remain the best there is at what I do."