Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine is a 2010 six-issue comic book crossover miniseries published by Marvel Comics. It was written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by Adam Kubert. The story explores the dynamic between two iconic Marvel superheroes, Spider-Man and Wolverine, as they find themselves flung through time and embroiled in a series of epic adventures.
The comic begins with Spider-Man and Wolverine waking up in the prehistoric era, where they encounter savage dinosaurs and primitive tribes. They soon discover that they have been brought together by mysterious magic time-traveling diamonds.
Throughout their journey, Spider-Man and Wolverine travel to various points in history, including the Wild West, a dystopian future, and each one's own past. The duo must overcome numerous challenges and confront their own personal demons as they attempt to fulfill their mission and find a way back to their own time. The comic also delves into themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the consequences of tampering with the space-time continuum.
This comic series is mostly known for the unique relationship between Spider-Man and Wolverine. For another series with the duo together, see Spider-Man versus Wolverine.
In a flashback to the present, Spider-Man and Wolverine team up to thwart a bank robbery orchestrated by the Orb and his gang. During the scuffle, Spider-Man accidentally causes a bag of glowing diamonds to fall, triggering a temporal displacement that sends both heroes back in time.
In the past, Logan witnesses the meteor's approach and engages in a skirmish with someone possessing metallic hair. However, the impact disrupts the encounter, and the diamonds on Earth begin to glow, transporting Peter and Logan through time once again. They find themselves in what initially seems like a distorted version of the present but is, in fact, the future. In this bleak future, Wolverine's Small Folk are the last remnants of society, and they revere him as their Messiah due to his teachings on survival.
Time has elapsed, and Spider-Man, now donning his costume, prepares for an imminent apocalyptic event. He enlists the aid of his assistants to scour the remains of civilization for any super weapons. As Spider-Man returns home, he is confronted by the Orb, who has also traversed through time. The Orb enlightens him about the Minutemen and the Time Diamonds. Before the Orb can attack, a portal materializes, and members of the Minutemen drag him through it. The Orb screams about "The Czar" just as the portal closes.
Spider-Man receives a distress call from one of his assistants reporting the discovery of a box bearing the symbol of the Phoenix Force at the former X-Men base. The threat materializes as Doctor Doom, who obliterated civilization by transferring his consciousness into Ego, the living planet. Spider-Man opens the box, revealing a gun containing a bullet infused with the Phoenix Force. Unbeknownst to Spider-Man, Logan, who seeks to avoid the Small Folk's veneration, knocks him unconscious and seizes the weapon. Aware that employing the bullet will result in annihilation by the Phoenix Force, Wolverine departs. Observing the scene are two mysterious individuals.
Wolverine succumbs to temptation and fires the Phoenix Force bullet, leading to the destruction of both Planet Doom and himself. Logan finds himself in the afterlife, where his mother's voice beckons him. While Logan is reuniting with his mother, Peter employs a reactivated Cosmic Cube to resurrect him. Wolverine lashes out in anger at being pulled back from his final "peace," and a frustrated Spider-Man retaliates. Suddenly, time freezes around them, and two figures materialize. One of them strikes both heroes with a bat adorned with glowing diamonds, propelling them back in time.
Wolverine finds himself in a wrestling match against a teenage Peter Parker, who has yet to become a superhero. Meanwhile, Spider-Man awakens in Canada, covered in meat, and encounters a young James Howlett, who will eventually become Wolverine. These two individuals are revealed to be Czar and Big Murder, jumping through time.
As Logan accompanies a teenage Peter near a bank housing the diamonds, the young Parker reveals his indifference towards Logan robbing it. In response, Wolverine's eyes flash with fire, granting him insight into the tragic event that transforms Peter into the heroic Spider-Man. Logan ventures into the bank vault, but he is confronted by Czar and Big Murder. In Canada, Spider-Man and young James find themselves cornered near a cave by Dog Logan. Just as Dog triggers an explosion, Spider-Man is hurled into a cavern teeming with glowing diamonds, hurtling through various periods in time. Within the bank, he catches a glimpse of the woman from his dreams. Upon regaining consciousness, Spider-Man confronts Czar and Big Murder. Both Spider-Man and Wolverine awaken, bound to a stake, with their captors preparing to burn them alive. The duo realizes they are being manipulated, but Spider-Man reveals he has obtained one of the diamonds.
Subsequent scenes unveil Mojo as the mastermind behind the entire ordeal, including Spider-Man's dreams, all for the sake of a reality TV show. Spider-Man and Wolverine teleport to Mojo's Studio just as Czar is about to warn Mojo about the diamond in their possession. Spider-Man encounters the woman from his dreams, discovering that Mojo implanted those dreams to prepare for a fabricated "Love Interest."
Czar freezes time momentarily, seizing the diamond from Spider-Man. However, Wolverine breaks free with a burst of fire. He seizes Czar's hand and his club, before leading Spider-Man to the origin of the time diamonds. There, Wolverine shares the diamonds' history—the time "diamonds" were once part of an unstable planet, which, upon its explosion, cascaded to Earth ina shower of diamonds with time-altering properties.
Spider-Man and Wolverine decide to confront Mojo directly, leading to a climactic showdown. Mojo, reveling in his role as the puppet master, unleashes various adversaries, including a resurrected Doctor Doom, a possessed Phoenix Force, and an army of robotic minions. As the battle rages on, Spider-Man and Wolverine utilize the time diamonds' powers to their advantage, manipulating time and space to gain the upper hand.
Amidst the chaos, Mojo's true motivations are revealed. He craves the ultimate reality show, one that captures the destruction of the world and the triumph of his chosen heroes. However, his insatiable desire for spectacle has blinded him to the consequences of his actions.
Spider-Man and Wolverine, fueled by their friendship and determination, manage to overcome the odds. They confront Mojo, exposing the emptiness of his ambitions and the pain he has caused. With the aid of the time diamonds, they strip Mojo of his powers and restore balance to the fractured timeline.
In the aftermath, Spider-Man and Wolverine find themselves transported to the 18th century, caught in a battle between warring factions. They become blood brothers, forming an unbreakable bond as they navigate the treacherous landscape and face formidable foes.
During their time in the past, they encounter Sara, a young woman with a mysterious connection to their adventures. Together, they strive to unravel the secrets surrounding Sara's origins and her forgotten past. However, their quest is fraught with danger and uncertainty, as they discover that dark forces are at play, seeking to manipulate Sara's true purpose for their own nefarious ends.
As Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Sara delve deeper into the mysteries of the past, they uncover ancient prophecies, long-hidden artifacts, and powerful adversaries who will stop at nothing to control the course of history. Along the way, they form unlikely alliances, face personal demons, and confront their own inner turmoil.
Ultimately, their journey culminates in a final confrontation that not only determines the fate of Sara but also has far-reaching consequences for the present and future. Choices must be made, sacrifices offered, and the strength of their bond tested in a battle against the forces of darkness.
In the closing chapters of their epic saga, various storylines converge, loose threads are tied up, and the heroes face their ultimate challenges. Dog, seeking revenge on Logan, resurfaces in present-day New York, setting the stage for a final clash between old adversaries.
As the dust settles and the adventure draws to a close, Spider-Man and Wolverine reflect on their extraordinary journey through time, acknowledging the profound impact it has had on their lives and the lessons they have learned along the way. They emerge as changed individuals, forged by the trials they faced and the bonds they formed, ready to face whatever the future holds with newfound strength and resilience.
Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine provides examples of:
- Alternate Timeline: Logan just had to teach cavemen survival skills. Welp, now the present day Earth (officially called "Earth-10964") is now overrun by intelligent Neanderthals, a robot version of Devil Dinosaur, and a living planet controlled by Doctor Doom is about to destroy it! Spider-Man owes someone a bid I-told-you-so.
- Back from the Dead: Spidey brings back Wolverine using a cosmic cube.
- Big Bad:
- Mojo.
- Czar and Big Muder.
- Bittersweet Ending: Spider-Man and Wolverine return to the present and now is back to normal. Except Spider-Man, unsurprisingly, doesn't get the girl.
- The Bus Came Back:
- When Logan finally dies, his deceased mother, Elizabeth Howlett, who killed herself in Origin (2001), appears before him. He offers her hand to reunite with him in the afterlife, which he almost gladly accepts.
- Speaking of Origin, no comic reader would have ever imagined that Dog Logan, Wolverine's half-brother and childhood friend would return. Justified since this is just Spider-Man traveling (not by choice) back in time to the 1800s.
- Cain and Abel: Dog Logan is the Cain to Wolverine's Abel, due to the former hunting the latter in revenge for killing their father, Thomas Logan in Origin.
- Did Not Get the Girl: At the end, Spider-Man and Sara do not end up together.
- God Guise: The cavemen think Spider-Man is the Spider-God.Peter: Yep, that's me... just your friendly neighborhood Spider-God.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Wolverine makes one before Doom the Living Planet destroys the altered Earth.
- Hollywood Prehistory: Spider-Man and Wolverine find themselves stranded together on an unknown island, filled with dinosaurs and cavemen.
- How We Got Here: The miniseries starts off with a full-bearded Peter Parker and a tribal-looking James "Logan" Howlett doing daily routines and activities... in the prehistoric era! How did they get there, you ask? Believe it or not, it all started with the supervillain Orb and his henchmen robbing a bank.
- Oh, Crap!: Spider-Man gives this reaction after finding himself in the wilderness. Covered in meat. In front of a younger, more savage, and very hungry-looking Logan and his pack of wolves. Yeah, who wouldn't react like that?!
- Savage Wolves: Peter encounters some in the 1800s, with a younger Wolverine as the alpha.
- Set Wrong What Was Once Made Right: Accidentally on Wolvie's part,
- Time-Passage Beard: Peter is shown having full facial hair, which implies that he and Wolverine lived in the prehistoric times for quite some time. It could have been months since they were stuck there!
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Spider-Man and Wolverine may both get on each other's nerves, but there is no denying that they make a great team.
