WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X Lives of Wolverine #5, now on sale from Marvel Comics.
Ever since mutants have gained their independence and have been recognized as their own nation, trust has become their most valuable form of currency. In the time the mutants have formed a society on the island of Krakoa and the planet Arrako, they have dealt with situations involving foreign threats and internal issues coinciding with their shifting future timestream. In X Lives of Wolverine #5 (by Benjamin Percy, Joshua Cassara, Frank Martin, and VC’s Cory Petit), Professor X’s entire bloodline is in danger but could’ve been avoided had Wolverine’s superior instincts been heeded earlier.
In the new miniseries, Wolverine has had his consciousness transported to various points in his past where he must stop Omega Red from killing ancestors from the Professor’s bloodline. Although he was a mutant, Omega Red’s personal interests have gone directly against that of Krakoa, and he has been shown to betray the nation on at least two occasions. The first came when he led Wolverine into a trap set by Dracula, and the second is tied to Mikhail Rasputin, who has had his own agenda against Krakoa. But these plans had gotten as far as they did due to the Professor’s lack of interest in hearing out Wolverine.
Logan has led many lives and has seen the world through the eyes of a hero and a villain. He’s made friends with the worst of the worst and later did his best to stop their schemes. As a result, he more than anyone knows what’s best for a group of people, even without his heightened senses. Since he’s claimed Krakoa as his home, he’s done his best to keep any threats to its safety far from the island. In fact, the first instance came early in the island’s inception when his old partner, Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth, joined the community.
Like Omega Red, Logan warned the Professor that Sabretooth was a wild card. However, the Professor insisted that the best way to ensure the survival of all mutants was to ensure all Mutants worked together. But in the end, Logan was proven right after Sabretooth broke one of the island’s laws and killed humans. This led him to eternal imprisonment in The Pit, where he remained for quite some time. While they hadn’t handled the issue promptly, it goes without saying that there wouldn’t have been one if they had listened to Logan. But why has the Professor constantly ignored one of his most trusted and long-lived students?
Professor X’s grand plan for Krakoa and the X-Men has meant that he has since become one of the most secretive people in the world. Aside from the fact that he knew uniting mutants would be the best chance to save them from extinction, he also had to keep Moira MacTaggert and her existence a secret to everyone but a few. He has since been motivated by the idea that so long as he has remained on his present course, there’s a chance they’ll endure. This has given him somewhat of a complex where he was the only one who knew best. But even though he had the opportunity to glimpse the future, he can’t account for the clear and present dangers that have crossed his path.
Wolverine has been there since day one and offered his wisdom to ensure the safety of his new home. He has been right on every account, but he’s also been there to clean up the messes left after the Professor’s hubris got the best of him. Similar to his beliefs that put him at odds with Magneto, the Professor’s logic that he knew what was best for the world overlooked the reality that some people simply want to watch it burn. As of now, Wolverine has placed himself in a position to be the best judge of character on the island as his instincts were still unmatched.
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