Marvel Unleashes a New Set of Wolverine Claws, Marking the Hero's Darkest Kill in History

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Hellverine #4 (2025)

Wolverine is a man trapped by inescapable trauma, and nothing hurts the X-Man worse than the horrific moment he drowned his own son. Now, ghosts from the past are returning to seek vengeance, and only the recently-revived son of Wolverine can end it. On his quest to right his wrongs and forgive his pain, the Hellverine is facing a version of himself with the power to douse his hellish flames.

In Hellverine #4 – written by Benjamin Percy, with art by Raffaele Ienco – Wolverine’s son Akihiro successfully cleanses the demonic curse that horrifically revived his long-lost mother as a malformed beast. With the place of his birth now freed from Mephisto’s influence, Akihiro sets sail for the next location of his life’s greatest traumas: Genosha.

When Akihiro last visited this hallowed land, he met a ghastly death at the hands of his father. As Mephisto’s curse continues to fester in Akihiro’s past, an aquatic visage of “Daken” emerges with a sharp set of water-based powers and all Akihiro’s old murderous rage.

Akihiro Returns to One of His Many Graves & Faces Off Against The Embodiment Of His Traumatic Past

Hellverine #4 – Written By Benjamin Percy; Art By Raffaele Ienco; Color By BRyan Valenza; Lettering By VC’s Travis Lanham; Cover Art By Kendrick Lim

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The last time Akihiro visited Genosha, the mutant world was in a state of terror. Genosha had already fallen into ruin after M-Day. Akihiro, still calling himself Daken, had forged a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants , with the plan of rearing their own Apocalypse. The Xavier School became the target of the Brotherhood’s next terrorist attack. Pillar by pillar, Akihiro had eroded the foundation of peace that the X-Men fought to maintain. In his final act against Wolverine, Akihiro attempted to drown his father but ultimately failed, thanks to Deadpool’s intervention.

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Earlier, in 2012's Uncanny X-Force #34– written by Rick Remender, with art by Phil Noto – Wolverine, realizing that his son was too much of a monster to let live, launched a counterattack. The two turned the streets of Genosha into a battleground before Wolverine found brief leverage, plunging his son’s face into a puddle of water, screaming as Akihiro breathed his last gasps of air. While the battle may have ended that day, trauma, fear, and sin leave eternal marks that fester in time; now, every ounce of “Daken’s” rage has manifested through the very waters where he once died.

Daken's "Ghost" Is A Lethal Reflection Of Akihiro's Worst Pain

Hellverine's Hellfire Claws Do Nothing Against Daken's Watery Claws

The newly formed aquatic specter of Daken’s rage possesses similar powers to other water-themed characters like Hydro-Man. This demonic spirit is impervious to physical attacks, which simply splash through Daken’s liquid form. Likewise, the living curse can manipulate its water to drown its victims with ease, leaving them desperately gasping for air just as he once did in life. Most terrifying are the monster’s malleable water-claws. These liquid weapons easily pierce through the softest parts of Daken’s victims; their brains explode in a red mist as the water penetrates their eyes and mouths.

While its threat is very real to the unwilling victims caught in the Devil’s snare, all Akihiro needs is a little divine faith and the peace of mind to let go of his pain and fully forgive his father.

Even from a distance, the demonic Daken can extend his amorphous claws by multiple feet, easily allowing the monster to reach targets from across the way. Like Itsu, this specter is nothing more than a cruel reflection of Akihiro’s pain given physical form. While its threat is very real to the unwilling victims caught in the Devil’s snare, all Akihiro needs is a little divine faith and the peace of mind to let go of his pain and fully forgive his father. Until then, even his hellfire-imbued claws fail to pierce through what has no true physical form.

Wolverine's Son Is Drowning In Pain All Over Again, Putting His New Heroic Arc To The Test

Akihiro May Not Be Able to Face Himself Yet

Unfortunately, Akihiro is once again facing a losing fight. While the mutant mustered the strength to face his despair and lay his mother’s malformed corpse to rest, Akihiro is now facing himself. When Logan drowned Akihiro, the son of Wolverine was at his most volatile. By that point in his life, “Daken” had become nothing less than a warlord. He was consumed with the dream of destroying Wolverine’s legacy and had already sent many of his siblings to die at Logan’s hands. That Daken, whose pure, agonizing, wrath was drowned in a puddle, is the same evil Akihiro faces today.

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Even worse, this time, Daken’s ghost has the full force of Hell behind it. While Akihiro may wield Bagra-ghul to the best of his ability, the demon’s ultimate purpose is to further exasperate Akihiro’s pain. When the X-Man and the demonic visage of his past clash, Mephisto asserts his full control through both forms of the mutant. Akihiro, just like the watery spirit in front of him, is Mephisto’s puppet and only lives because the Devil allows it. No matter how hard he slashes, the trauma-carrying waters still consume Akihiro, forcing Wolverine's son to choke on his past once again.

Hellverine #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.