Wolverine's Hellfire Claws Return as HELLVERINE Brings Back Logan's Ghost Rider Powers

Summary Hellverine is back with a vengeance in a new miniseries, complete with badass hellfire claws.

Hellverine is more terrifying than Ghost Rider, as he's powered by a sadistic demon that targets people indiscriminately, while Ghost Rider is a Spirit of Vengeance.

Hellverine could help Wolverine in the Sabretooth War, as his demonic power would be too much for Victor Creed to counter.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Hellverine #1! Separately, Wolverine and Ghost Rider are two of the most badass antiheroes in Marvel Comics history, as they fight to ensure the worst of what the universe has to offer stops in its tracks the moment it encounters them, and they do so in the most gruesome ways possible - so imagine if they were one person. Luckily, fans don’t have to imagine it, as Marvel gave readers exactly that with the introduction of Hellverine. And now, this demonically-powered Wolverine is back with a vengeance in an utterly brutal new miniseries.

In a preview for Hellverine #1 by Benjamin Percy and Julius Ohta, Mephisto sits on his throne, a sinister grin stretched across his face, admiring a piece of artwork made from broken bone and mutilated flesh created by a demon that is “among his favorites”, Bagra-ghul. Mephisto then recounts the history of Bagra-ghul as it relates to Marvel canon, detailing how the demon previously possessed the body of a child who grew into a disturbed man, forced to create similar monoliths of agony throughout the course of his life. That is, until he met Wolverine.

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The preview recounts how Wolverine was possessed by Bagra-ghul after the demon’s previous host volunteered for a Weapon X-style 'procedure’ that transferred the demon from his body into Wolverine (originally shown in Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance). Once Bagra-ghul successfully burrowed within Logan’s soul, he turned the mutant antihero into a demonic powerhouse akin to Ghost Rider: Hellverine. However, Ghost Rider vanquishes the demon, ripping Bagra-ghul from Logan’s body and trapping it in a prison of its own design. But now, Bagra-ghul is free, and Wolverine is its target.

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Hellverine is Far More Terrifying Than Ghost Rider, & the Reason Boils Down to the Source

Ghost Rider is Possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance, Hellverine by Bagra-ghul

While on the surface, Hellverine may seem like a ‘Ghost Rider-Wolverine’, as he has the power to manipulate hellfire - complete with badass hellfire claws and a flaming skull. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Spirit of Vengeance burns the souls of the guilty while hunting rogue demons. Sure, it’s on behalf of Mephisto, as every evildoer he kills or demon he ushers back to hell grows Mephisto’s kingdom, but it’s also for the good of the world, as Ghost Rider is putting evil where it belongs. That’s not the mission of Bagra-ghul.

Bagra-ghul is an artist who creates monuments to Mephisto’s glory with the mangled, amalgamated corpses of any human in its vicinity. This demon doesn’t care about punishing the guilty, any human is vulnerable to its artistic delights. And now, that demon is on its way to puppet one of the deadliest people on the planet once again. Hellverine may look like Ghost Rider, but he’s far more terrifying, and his return means nothing good for the Marvel Universe. Then again, it could prove beneficial in one conflict Wolverine currently finds himself in.

Hellverine Could Be the Key to Wolverine Winning the Sabretooth War

As Bagra-ghul is breaking free from his earthbound prison searching for Logan, Wolverine is currently engaged in a brutal conflict with Sabretooth, who has decided to wage war on the entirety of mutantkind. The ongoing Sabretooth War has been one of the bloodiest battles in Wolverine’s history, and it has taken the lives of those he cares for the most. Not only that, but it has also robbed Wolverine of his healing factor, and while Wolverine has adamantium armor to compensate, that might not be enough to stop Sabretooth. Could Hellverine be his secret weapon?

While the idea that a demon-possessed Wolverine ending Sabretooth’s gruesome crusade in the Sabretooth War is exciting, it’s more likely that Bagra-ghul will possess Wolverine sometime after the Sabretooth War in terms of continuity (or any other time, given the sliding timescale of all comics). Either way, Hellverine is making his way back to Marvel Comics continuity, and while seeing Wolverine with the powers of Ghost Rider - including and especially his hellfire claws - is going to be badass, it’s also going to be utterly terrifying.

Hellverine #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.