Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine #4
Another Fine Mess Part Four
Spider-Man and Wolverine have found themselves sent across time and space. While they typically ended up in the same place together, this time they have been separated. In one time, Wolverine finds himself in a fight with this world’s Spider-Man, a professional wrestler.[1] Meanwhile, Spider-Man finds himself in an arctic wasteland being chased by a young version of Wolverine that is the leader of a wolf pack.[2]
The man responsible for doing this is Czar, who travels through time with special diamonds encrusted in his baseball bat and in his teeth. He and his minion, the diminuitive ally, Big Murder, have appeared somewhere during the Crusades where they run into some of the Knights Templar. Czar is amused by their speak of bringing religion or death and uses his “Time Stick” to send the leader of the Knights some 800 years into the future to Hiroshima, Japan, where he will be annihilated in the American atomic bombs that were dropped on the city. When the other knights try to attack, Czar and Big Murder slaughter them all. In the aftermath of the carnage, Big Murder suggests they go to some era that has Native Americans or pirates. Czar agrees but first they have to make a stop back home.
They appear in a mansion that exists on an asteroid at the end of all time. There a massive party has been going on with beings from all over time. There, Czar bumps into his past self and tells him to look forward to finally dealing with Spider-Man and Wolverine before heading back into the time stream to finish the job.
Meanwhile, in another era, Wolverine finds himself putting up with a teenager Spider-Man whose fame as a wrestler has gone to his head. As they walk down the street, Logan hopes to find Reed Richards before he murders Parker. That’s when he happens upon the bank that he and Spider-Man prevented from being robbed in the present. He tells Peter that he is going to rob the bank and for Parker not to stop him. Peter surprises him when he says he doesn’t care as he only looks out for number one. Suddenly, Logan begins seeing Peter’s immediate future and the murder of his Uncle Ben. This ability causes Logan’s eyes to flame up for a moment, shocking the young Spider-Man. Logan tells the kid good luck and runs back into the bank. Inside, Wolverine forces his way into the vault and tries to open the safety deposit box that contained the diamonds that first sent him through time. However, before he can get them, Czar and Big Murder appear and clock him with the time-stick, sending Logan to another era.
While in another era, Spider-Man is being chased by a young Wolverine and his pack of wolves. When he reaches an abandoned mine, Spider-Man has decided enough is enough and decides to face Logan.[3] He is tired of being yanked through time, particularly because he keeps having dreams about a woman he never met before. Just as he figures it can’t get any worse he both he and Logan duck for cover when they hear a gunshot. The shooter turns out to be Wolverine’s brother, who has been hunting him down for killing their parents.[4] A Wolverine lunges at his brother, Dog Logan tosses a stick of dynamite and misses. The blast sends Spider-Man falling down the mineshaft. As he falls he ends up seeing glimpses of the different eras he has been to. He also sees the woman who has been haunting his dreams. One of the flashes of her was in the bank when he and Wolverine tried to stop the Orb’s robbery.
That’s when he hits the bottom of the shaft. There Spider-Man is attacked by Czar and Big Murder. He wants answers but they aren’t given any. When Spider-Man is struck with the Time Bat. The good news is the bat reunites him with Wolverine. The bad new is, they are in the middle of the Puritan witch trials and they are about to be burned at the stake. The two realize that they have encountered each other in their pasts. Wolverine figures someone has been playing with them and are watching right now. As Spider-Man clutches a time diamond that he managed to grab from Czar’s bat, Wolverine scans the crowd. In it, a cybernetic being hides among the puritans and records everything that transpires. This is transmitted to his master, Mojo who is pleased with the footage and knows his audience will be entertained.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Wolverine, Mojo, Dog Logan, Czar, Big Murder
Continuity Notes
Chronological placements are determined by the Marvel Chronology Project.
This is a nod to the fact that Spider-Man first attempted to use his powers as a wrestler in Amazing Fantasy #15. For more on Spider-Man’s wrestling career see Spider-Man: With Great Power… #1-5. Wolverine has ended up on the page between Page 6, Panel 1 of Amazing Fantasy #15 and page 2, panel 6 of Web of Spider-Man #90.
This is a nod to Wolverine’s early life that saw him leave a life of wealth to live in the forest among the wolves. See Origin #1-6 and Origin II #1-5. Spider-Man appears here between Origin #6 and Origin II #1.
Spider-Man says that this is the worst team-up ever, saying it is worse than teaming up with Frog-Man. Spider-Man first teamed up with Frog-Man back in Marvel Team-Up #121.
Logan is somewhat responsible for the death of his biological parents. Thomas Logan, his biological father, was gutted by Logan’s claws in Origin #2. Later, his mother blew her brains out in Origin #3 when it was discovered that she had an affair.
Explaining the Time Travel in this Story?
Question: Do Wolverine and Spider-Man’s trips into each other’s past create a divergent reality?
The Marvel Chronology Project confirms that the events that Spider-Man and Wolverine experience are in their own pasts and not some alternate reality. How can this be when the first 3 issues clearly took place in an alternate reality? It all boils down to issue #1, where changes to history only happen due to prolonged changes.
One of the guidelines to travel in the Marvel Universe is that a being who travels back in time and affects major change in the past it doesn’t alter history but creates an alternate reality. Alternatively, going back in time and doing something that does not affect any lasting change, or ensuring historical events occur as they should maintain the timeline.
So in the case of Wolverine being in Spider-Man’s past and Spider-Man being in Wolverine’s past, it appears that in this situation they did not do enough to alter history enough to make a divergence.
Question: How Come Spider-Man and Wolverine Don’t Remember Meeting Each Other in the Past?
In the case of Spider-Man, I think it’s fairly obvious — for whatever reason Wolverine didn’t take off his mask or tell Spider-Man his name, or anything about the future. Which makes sense after seeing what altering history did in the past three issues.
As for Spider-Man appearing in Wolverine’s past? Well, at the time Wolverine first met Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up Annual #1, he had little to no memory of his past. However, he did regain all of his memories in House of M #8. One might as wouldn’t Wolverine had remembered meeting Spider-Man in the distant past at that moment?
I’d say no because you are greatly overestimating how well the human mind remembers things. Can you remember anything from your life before the age of 3? Can you remember the details of someone you met once in Kindergarten and never saw again? Either you can’t, or don’t remember every detail, or perhaps the only reason you remember it because you’ve seen photos of video. Now picture Wolverine, who is at this point is at least in his 130s. Even with his memories returned they’re still going to be shit because Wolverine has a normal human being. From his perspective, he didn’t meet Spider-Man for over 115 years (give or take because the Sliding Timescale) He might remember important details, but randomly meeting a meat-covered Spider-Man probably isn’t one of those things he’s going to instantly recall.
