Captain Marvel #44 sees one of the most powerful Avengers team up with the X-Men to face an alien enemy that remembers a lesson from Wolverine.
The following contains major spoilers for Captain Marvel #44, available now from Marvel Comics.
When Captain Marvel’s other half took to the stars, it was almost assured that the latest Binary would be embarking upon a cosmic quest reminiscent of the original’s. Unfortunately, history is repeating itself in the worst way possible, as the Brood have returned with their sights set on nothing less than absolute conquest. Even worse, the X-Men have lost one of their greatest weapons in the fight against their insectile enemies, and it’s all because the Brood have finally learned to stop fighting Wolverines.
While the titular hero of Captain Marvel #44 (by Kelly Thompson, Sergio Dávila, Sean Parsons, Arif Prianto, and VC’s Clayton Cowles) and her mutant companions have fought as carefully as they can against the recently returned Brood, the threat at hand isn’t one that can be dealt with for very long without throwing a serious punch. As much as it might hurt to battle their transformed friends, the X-Men and Carol eventually have no choice but to unleash their full fury against the opposition. As it turns out, the Brood five finally come to understand that not all mutants make for good hosts, least of all those with a healing factor.
The Brood Knows Not to Mess With the X-Men’s Wolverine
When Laura Kinney attempts to get in the way of the Brood-infected Rogue, she is left to the void of space rather than confronted directly by her transformed ally. On the surface, this might seem like an oversight on the Brood’s part, especially considering all the power Wolverine would have to offer as part of the Brood Hive. On the other hand, it is the most important of Wolverine’s powers that make her such a formidable force against the Brood in the first place, or at least one they cannot take control of.
1982’s Uncanny X-Men #163 (by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum) found the eponymous team and Carol Danvers caught in the clutches of the Brood much like they have been today. While Carol was experimented on, her mutant allies were being made into unwitting hosts for Brood eggs that threatened to transform them. Luckily for Logan, his healing factor made him unsusceptible to this particular process. Instead of becoming a monster unto himself, he was able to navigate the Brood ship in secret and free his allies.
Wolverine’s Healing Factor Previously Defeated the Brood
Logan isn’t the only one of his kind with an innate advantage over the Brood, either. During another battle with the Brood in 2017’s All-New Wolverine #24 (by Tom Taylor and Leonard Kirk), Laura and her younger clone Gabby Kinney fell victim to the Brood for themselves. Though Laura was left to fight back against their foes, Gabby was made into the then-new Brood Queen. This marked the first transformation of its kind regarding mutants with a healing factor. But Gabby eventually tore her way out of her new form in a truly grotesque fashion.
Considering how many Wolverines and mutants with similar healing factors there are, it would seem like the X-Men have an easy edge over the Brood. That the Brood have learned to avoid those very same mutants at all costs, however, indicates something far less appealing. If anything, Wolverine and his ilk are now at a grave disadvantage against their insectile opponents, as none of them have any hope of fighting the Brood from a distance. Then again, with no real way to keep any Wolverine down for long, all the Brood can do is keep running from that particular fight until it inevitably catches up to them.
