Wolverine is already dead.

When John Romita first heard the word wolverine, he wasnt quite sure what it meant.

And then everything changed.

He was bitter and maladjusted, so something must have happened in his past to make him this way.

This was used particularly effectively in a few areas.

Readers were introduced to the idea that Logan was much older than he appeared to be.

The possibility of Wolverine being even older, perhaps an immortal, seemed open.

Wolverine could have been a legendary gladiator, a samurai, or a witness to Custers last stand.

It also allowed Wolverine to take less responsibility for what was occurring.

Wolverine could revert to his more natural state at any point, making him a potential killer.

In short, when Wolverine acted as a hero, it was more of a surprise than anything else.

Wolverines powers, and well include his adamantium skeleton, added to this package.

A more brutal Captain America.

A Superman without clear ethics.

Wolverine, at his best, was caught in a seemingly perpetual second act.

A character whocouldbe a great hero but was perhaps too damaged to ever actually achieve it.

Because of this, perhaps unintentionally, he became the heart and soul of the X-Men.

An idealist marred by the brutality of the real world.

Not a superhero, but a political militant.

As much a victim of the world as its savior.

Its the space between those boundaries where the character thrived.

Readers connect (and continue to connect) with that lack of moral clarity.

Wolverine is in love with his teammates wife and you root for Wolverine.

Wolverine freaks out and slaughters his enemies and you root for Wolverine.

Wolverine didnt know who he was any more than you did.

In 1982, Chris Claremont and Frank Miller crafted the firstWolverinesolo title as a four-issue limited series.

Opening with the now iconic Im the best there is at what I do.

In 1988, Logan was given his own series plus the lions share ofMarvel Comics Presents.

Perhaps most famously, in 1991 we were introduced to a little military program called Weapon X.

Also like Claremont and Miller, Windsor-Smith left as many questions as he had answered.

Then, they started being answered.

Wolverines popularity became so great that his presence in 90s Marvel Comics can only be described as pervasive.

All these revelations and lukewarm reinvigorations weakened the character.

Luckily, he was about to reach an entirely new audience.

In 2000, Wolverine was introduced to the general public in Bryan SingersX-Men.

This would, of course, change.

Even the movies couldnt resist the chance to delve into Wolverines backstory, though.

Meanwhile, back in the funny pages…Wolverine was about to get some steam again.

About a year after the firstX-Menfilm, things changed again for Wolverine.

Like most things in comics, there is no single moment that defines an era.

What youcanpinpoint are moments where trends start.

Here, the beast that could not be tamed was finally accepted as a member of Earths Mightiest Heroes.

Is it this what dulled Logans claws?

In a way, yes.

However, Logan, now saddled by responsibility, can only go so many places.

It takes a little ingenuity to get Wolverine one last hurrah.

Sabretooth, returned from the dead himself, stands in opposition to his longtime foe.

He cast away his relationships and appeared to return to selfish roots.

Time for a little responsibility.

Right there, a few issues earlier than we expected, is the moment Wolverine died.

Personally, outside of flashbacks and other media, I hope this is Wolverines final rest.

Like us onFacebookand follow us onTwitterfor all news updates related to the world of geek.

AndGoogle+, if thats your thing!