One of Wolverine's Lovers Is the Next Big Marvel Villain

Wolverine's past is coming back to haunt his son, and it might be the end of both of them.

Hellverine #3 finds Akihiro learning everything he can about the infernal threat that has begun taking aim at mutants all across the globe. With the help of Doctor Strange, Akihiro has come to undersand exactly what it is he is up against, even if he has yet to learn who all has been caught in its demonic grasp. At least, not until he makes the trip to Japan's Jasmine Falls. Here, Akihiro was born to Logan's lost love, Itsu, who just so happens to be the latest in a long line of monsters that the Hellverine has no choice but to cut down to size.

Hellverine #3

• Written by BENJAMIN PERCY
• Art by RAFFAELE IENCO
• Colors by BRYAN VALENZA
• Letters by VC's TRAVIS LANHAM
• Design by JAY BOWEN and GABRIEL MATA
• Main cover art by KENDRICK "KUNKKA" LIM
• Variant covers by DAVID MACK and DAVE WACHTER

First seen in 2006's Wolverine #40 by Daniel Way and Javier Saltares, Itsu met Logan while he was training in Jasmine Falls under the tutelage of Bando Saburo. The pair quickly fell in love, and before long were awaiting the arrival of their first child together. Tragically, Itsu would lose her life at the hands of the Winter Soldier, who was acting on the orders of the ancient Romulus. Worse still, Logan's unborn son, Akihiro, was stolen away by Romulus and raised with a deep-seated hatred for his father.

It wasn't until 2007's Wolverine: Origins #10 by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon that Akihiro was given his first full appearance in the pages of Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as Daken, Akihiro spent years playing the role of a villain. Apart from terrorizing his father, Akihiro took up the mantle of Wolverine as a part of Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers. Thankfully, Akihiro would eventually come to terms with his past and the truth surrounding his origin, putting to rest the bad blood between him and the rest of his family, not to mention the rest of mutantkind as a whole.

During Sabretooth's latest crusade of terror against Wolverine, Akihiro lost his life at the hands of the villain, being quite literally torn limb-from-limb simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Without the Resurrection Protocols of Krakoa to bring him back, it seemed as if Akihiro's life had truly come to an end. Or rather, it would have if not for the demon Bagra-ghul, who had previously possessed Logan and sensed the familial connection between the two. In need of a new host, Bagra-ghul stitched Akihiro's body back together before bringing the mutant hero back to life to serve as the newest Hellverine.

Hellverine #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel Comics