| Sabretooth | |
|---|---|
.png) Sabretooth taken from a variant cover ofSabretooth #1 (February 2022) byMico Suayan. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Iron Fist #14 (August 1977)[1][2] |
| Created by | Chris Claremont (writer) John Byrne (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Victor Creed |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | |
| Notable aliases |
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| Abilities |
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Sabretooth[a] is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created byChris Claremont andJohn Byrne, he first appeared inIron Fist #14 (August 1977) and was initially depicted as aserial killer known as "the Slasher", before being developed into avillain associated with theX-Men during the "Mutant Massacre" crossover in 1986. This portrayal of Sabretooth has endured as thearchenemy of the superheroWolverine.
In his comic book appearances, Sabretooth is the alias ofVictor Creed, apsychopathicmutant with enhanced senses, razor-sharp claws, superhuman strength and reflexes, and regenerative healing abilities. There have been various possible accounts of the origin of Sabretooth's feud with Wolverine. The most common story involves both of them being participants of theWeapon Xsuper-soldier program. After Wolverine escapes and attempts to suppress his animalistic qualities, Sabretooth becomes obsessed with forcing Wolverine to embrace his feral instincts by tormenting him and ruining his life.
In theX-Men film series, Sabretooth is depicted as beingWolverine's brother, portrayed byTyler Mane inX-Men (2000) andDeadpool & Wolverine (2024) and byLiev Schreiber inX-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). In May 2008,Wizard magazine ranked Sabretooth #193 of the 200 best comic book characters of all time.[5] In 2009, Sabretooth was ranked asIGN's 44th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.[6]
The character first appeared inIron Fist #14 (August 1977) and was created byChris Claremont andJohn Byrne. Sabretooth was conceived as a recurring antagonist for Iron Fist, whom he fights several times, including once hidden behind a mask and gloves as "the Slasher".[7] He works for a time withthe Constrictor as a partner-in-crime, and clashes repeatedly with Iron Fist andPower Man.[8][9] Sabretooth also appeared in comics such asThe Spectacular Spider-Man. Chris Claremont introduced him as a minorX-Men villain, a member ofthe Marauders, during the "Mutant Massacre" crossover in 1986.[10]
Sabretooth rose to greater prominence when he was split off from the Marauders and became a recurring antagonist of an individual member of the X-Men, Wolverine. The character was subsequently featured inlimited series andone-shotcomics includingSabretooth andMystique andSabretooth: In the Red Zone, and even had his own ongoing reprint series in the mid-1990s,Sabretooth Classics.
Chris Claremont intended for Sabretooth to be Wolverine's father, though this was contradicted by subsequent writers. Claremont, when asked what he had intended to be the relationship between Wolverine and Sabretooth, stated:
Father and son. That's why Sabretooth always considered Logan "sloppy seconds" to his "original" / "real deal." The other critical element in my presentation of their relationship was that, in their whole life, Logan has never defeated Sabretooth in a knock-down, drag-out, kill-or-be-killed berserker fight. By the same token, on every one of his birthdays, Sabretooth has always managed to find him, no matter where Logan was or what he was doing, and come within an inch of killing him. For no other reason than to remind him that he could.[11][12]
Genetic tests performed byS.H.I.E.L.D. confirmed that Sabretooth and Wolverine were not father and son.[13]
An interviewer askedPaul Jenkins ifDog Logan was Sabretooth. Jenkins had not intended the speculation, but said would not have a problem with another writer doing this later.[14][15] The miniseriesAstonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine has shown that the two characters are not the same person.[16] A one-shot specialty comic entitledX-Men Origins: Sabretooth chronicling some of the character's earliest childhood experiences, differing distinctly from Dog's life.[17] It is also later shown that Sabretooth and Dog are separate people.[18]
InX-Men Forever, Chris Claremont's continuation of his run onX-Men (non-canonical to the mainstream timeline and taking place in the 161 Marvel Universe), Sabretooth is established as Wolverine's father. He attacks the X-Mansion, but is blinded by Storm.[19]
Claremont has stated in an interview that inX-Men Forever, the original true Sabretooth makes his reappearance after a long time, and that most of the previous appearances of Sabretooth prior toX-Men Forever #2, that follows directly afterX-Men (vol. 2) #3, were that of a weaker Sabretooth clone created byMister Sinister. The original true Sabretooth reappears dressed in theJim Lee costume inX-Men Forever, which would make the weaker clone the one dressed in the John Byrne costume. Claremont claims he always meant for the Sabretooth dressed in the Byrne costume to be later outed as a clone of the original true Sabretooth. Claremont stated: "Speaking specifically of the cast ofX-Men Forever, one character who's becoming more enticing is Sabretooth, in part because (at least as it relates to my conception of him) very little is actually known. They then filled his skeleton with adamantium. At this specific point of his life, readers haven't really seen that much of him over the years, since the Sabes that's shown up most over the time is a less-endowed copy cloned from spare cells by Mr. Sinister."[20]
Sabretooth's real name is believed to be Victor Creed.[21] Sabretooth's memories have been tampered with by clandestine organizations such asWeapon X so much of what appears to be his past is not of credible account.[b][volume & issue needed] The clearest accounts of Victor's childhood begin with him murdering his brother Luther Creed over a piece of pie.[22] His father Zebediah then chains him in the basement like an animal and systematically pulls out Victor's elongated canines, which perennially grow back. Victor begs his mother Victoria to let him go, but she does not.[22] Years pass until Victor gnaws off his own hand to escape the basement and apparently murders his parents.[22] It is later revealed that Sabretooth only killed his father and took care of his mother financially, visiting her frequently until her death.[23]
Victor is revealed to have had a brother named Saul and a sister named Clara who are believed to be the reason for Victor's ongoing feud with the X-Men'sWolverine. Saul Creed was a tracker and hunter, while Clara Creed was an animal handler. They helped track down the feral James "Logan" Howlett for a circus.[24] They also helped Logan escape after he was experimented on byNathaniel Essex, and the three go on the run.[25] Saul perceives Logan to be stealing Clara, leading to Saul tipping Essex off regarding Logan's location. In the ensuing chaos, Logan accidentally kills Clara, although her healing factor later revives her. Saul, not knowing this, blames Essex for Clara's death, and the two men seek Essex out, Saul revealing that Clara was his sister.[26] Logan finds out that Saul betrayed them to Essex and drowns Saul in a potion of Essex's. Horrified, Clara asks Wolverine to never look for her again. Victor was then informed about his brother's death.[27] After this, Sabretooth captured Logan and brought him back to be experimented on by Essex at the Ravencroft Institute. However, Essex's assistant Dr. Claudia Russell (ancestor toJack Russell), freed Logan. Creed and Essex later killed Russell for this and experimented on her corpse.[28]
In an early tale, Logan lives in a smallBlackfoot community. One day, Sabretooth tracks him down in Canada and seemingly murders his one-time teammate's loverSilver Fox on Logan's birthday, after Silver Fox rejects him. In this tale, it is indicated that Logan did not have particularly strong feelings for Silver Fox and that the murder was simply the last straw in a series of grievances he held against Sabretooth.[29] Creed adopts a tradition of tracking Logan down on his foe's birthday with the intention of fighting.[30]
Creed is recruited into a top secretCIAcovert ops unit known asTeam X, with allies John Wraith (Kestrel), Logan (Wolverine), Silver Fox (whose death was a hoax), and David North (Maverick). On one mission, the psychopathic Sabretooth kills a crucial scientist during a battle against Russian supersoldierOmega Red, causing Team X to break up.[31] During this period, he fathers a son,Graydon Creed, with the mutantshapeshifterMystique, who is undercover in the guise of a spy named Leni Zauber. Graydon grows up to found theFriends of Humanity, an anti-mutant organization. While running for president, Graydon is assassinated by a time-traveling Mystique from the future.[19]
After the disbanding of Team X, Logan and Victor meet up again, as friends, when Logan learns of anti-mutant forces within the government. Victor and Logan form a team of rebel mutants, and Victor falls in love with a mutant named Holo. Eventually, Creed grows tired of the fighting and wants to leave with Holo, but she has already decided against it. In the final conflict, Holo is mortally wounded. Creed blames Logan for her death.[32]
Next, Sabretooth is recruited by theWeapon X program, but it is unknown what, if any, enhancements he receives. As part of the program, his memories are tampered with by the psychic mutant Aldo Ferro, also known as Psi-Borg.[33]
In 1968, Creed (using the alias Sabretooth) works as a mercenary assassin inSaigon. An individual called the "White Devil", involved in the disappearance of soldiers and locals, contacts Sabretooth and offers to employ him as one of his ownenforcers. Sabretooth accepts.[34]
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Emerging as a costumed villain, Sabretooth becomes partners with the Constrictor and the two act as enforcers for major criminal interests. Sabretooth battlesIron Fist and is badly beaten.[35] Sabretooth and the Constrictor then fight Iron Fist,Luke Cage,Misty Knight, andColleen Wing only to be defeated again.[8] With the Constrictor, Creed begins to stalk and kill human beings for pleasure, which earns him the newspaper title of "The Slasher"; he also attacks Misty Knight again.[7] With the Constrictor, he attacks Harmony Young, but they are defeated by Luke Cage.[9] The Constrictor and Sabretooth dissolve their partnership, and Sabretooth nearly kills the Constrictor at one time.
Sabretooth is next reunited with his employer, theForeigner, who claims to have trained the mercenary at some point. He attacks theBlack Cat, nearly biting through her leg until he encounters a crowbar hidden underneath her boot. He is defeated bySpider-Man, and outmaneuvered and humiliated by the Black Cat in combat.[36]
Sabretooth eventually encounters a thief by the name ofGambit and the two fight, but find they are not exactly enemies.[37] Later while recruiting forMister Sinister, Gambit gathers a group of mutant criminals he has associated with who form theMarauders.[38] Sinister clones several of the Marauders so that he has a loyal group of lackeys after the originals die.[39]
The Marauders are directed tomassacre theMorlocks, which sets Sabretooth in another battle against Wolverine.[40] Sabretooth and the Marauders join in an attack onPolaris, and battle Wolverine again during the Marauders' attempt to killMadelyne Pryor. Wolverine stabs Sabretooth through the heart and usesScrambler's power to disable his healing factor, killing him.[41] He is replaced by a clone by the time the X-Men attack the Marauders' headquarters. With the X-Men slaughtering his teammates, Sabretooth flees[42] and is reunited with Mr. Sinister at the X-Mansion.[43] The X-Men andX-Factor attack them there, and apparently kill both Sabretooth and Sinister.[44] However, Sabretooth manages to keep his tradition of stalking Wolverine on his birthday that year.[29]
Sabretooth returns to the sewers to slaughter leftover Morlocks. He killsChickenwings, huntsMole, and then battlesArchangel.[45]Caliban, a surviving Morlock, hunts Sabretooth down. Sabretooth proves no match for Caliban, who breaks his back and leaves him for dead.[46] It takes weeks for his healing factor to repair his spine, during which he sustains himself on sewer water and passing vermin. He recovers just in time to confront Wolverine, who stumbled upon him while lost in the sewers.[47] He attacks Wolverine again inTimes Square, but their conflict is cut short by a vigilante who shoots them both withhallucinogen-laced bullets which trigger memories of their time as partners in the CIA.[48]
Sabretooth then allies withFenris andMatsu'o Tsurayaba against the X-Men and Maverick.[49] While attending a wrestling match, Sabretooth is attacked by the Weapon X robotShiva. He is rescued by John Wraith, who convinces him to team up with the rest of Team X - Wolverine, Maverick, Silver Fox, and John Wraith - to discover why their anti-aging factors are suddenly failing. Their quest leads them to the telepath Aldo Ferro, the Psi-Borg. Ferro overwhelms them all with psychic illusions, concluding with a toothed tree which apparently consumes Creed.[50]
Suffering from severe bloodlust, Sabretooth hires telepathic mutantBirdy to help him keep his urges in check by providing what he calls "the glow", apsychic blast that satiates his bloodlust and numbs the pain of his suppressed memories as a youth, allowing himself control for short periods.[51]
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A short time later, Birdy is killed by Sabretooth's grown son Graydon, who now has a hatred for mutants, especially his father. Without "the glow", Sabretooth slips into a murderous killing spree.[52] This culminates in a clash with Maverick, whom Sabretooth defeats. He escapes, claiming only Wolverine can do what needs to be done to the psychotic Creed. Afterward, Maverick approaches the X-Men inJapan, and an ancient telepath, comatose since the nuclear bomb that destroyedHiroshima, who mind-links with Creed and the team discovers Creed's psychosis was rooted in his time as a CIA operative. On a mission, he slaughtered a target, his wife (a "frail" for Creed), and a little boy. The look in the boy's eyes has followed Creed ever since. Ultimately, Sabretooth attacksCharles Xavier, leader of the X-Men. As Xavier infiltrates Creed's mind, he discovers that every victim Sabretooth has killed is remembered by the villain. Xavier is confident this means Creed values human life, and there is hope for the mutant. Sabretooth is incarcerated, as a wanted murderer, in a holographic environment because Xavier does not want him to roam on the grounds. Sabretooth is angered, but grudgingly stays with the team. During his incarceration, he assists in battles against theX-Cutioner and thePhalanx. Caliban, free ofApocalypse's control, kidnaps the X-ManJubilee in exchange for Sabretooth. When Sabretooth arrives, he mauls Caliban's face, and Caliban flees.[53] Wolverine, who had left the team after hisadamantium was removed byMagneto, returns, and the villain escapes for a fight. This leads to Wolverine stabbing one of his claws into Sabretooth's brain.[54]
The newer, gentler Sabretooth is frequently nursed byX-Force memberBoomer; he eventually reveals that he was feigning helplessness, and attacks Boomer. Psylocke saves the young mutant's life, and she uses her psionic knife to disable him. However, this no longer works because his brain injury from Wolverine freed him from the need for "the glow", furthermore rendering him resistant to telepathic detection and control. Retaliating, Sabretooth nearly kills Psylocke, but he is finally confronted by the X-Men, who incapacitate him.[55]
He is turned over to the custody of Dr.Valerie Cooper, who fits him with an explosive restraining collar and forces him to participate as a member of the government-sponsoredX-Factor team.[volume & issue needed] Creed later admits he was a "sleeper" agent with the mission of executing X-Factor members the government could not control.[volume & issue needed] He eventually escapes,[volume & issue needed] and returns once more to mercenary work.[volume & issue needed] Under unknown circumstances he gains adamantium skeleton and claws.[56] Sabretooth is captured, along with Wolverine, by Apocalypse, who forces the two to fight each other for the right to become Apocalypse's newHorseman, Death. After Sabretooth's defeat, Apocalypse extracts the adamantium from him and bonds it to Wolverine, Wolverine having fought to win as he felt that he might resist the brainwashing and so be easier to defeat than Sabretooth, who might actually enjoy what he had become.[57]
Sabretooth then joins Mystique's newBrotherhood of Evil Mutants, calling itself the Brotherhood, where he participates in an assassination attempt against SenatorRobert Kelly.[volume & issue needed]
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Later, he is forced to become a member of a relaunched Weapon X program, where his skeleton is infused with adamantium once more. InWolverine (vol. 2) #166, Sabretooth reveals that by means of genetic enhancement the Weapon X program has increased his strength and accelerated his healing factor. Eventually he escaped the program again and resumed working solo. However, he sometimes worked on a team, such as when he worked with several other villains to locate theIdentity Disc, a record of heroes' secret identities. This ended up being a ruse, though Nick Fury had the real disc.[58][volume & issue needed]
Later, inCanada, he encounteredSasquatch and the newestWendigo. Sasquatch believes Creed may be responsible for some of the human deaths occurring there. Creed is seen setting traps and acting mysteriously. Sasquatch discovers Sabretooth is playing a twisted mind-game with the Wendigo before attempting to kill it. Sabretooth and the Wendigo fall into theArctic Sea with Sabretooth biting the Wendigo's neck, and both are presumed dead by Sasquatch. After a fearsome battle in the arctic waters, Sabretooth emerged victorious with the hide of the Wendigo.[volume & issue needed]
Sabretooth would later attack theXavier Institute, in a revamped Brotherhood consisting of leaderBlack Tom Cassidy,Mammomax,Avalanche,Exodus, and undercover heroesNocturne andJuggernaut.[volume & issue needed] Wolverine claims to have killed Sabretooth, spreading him "all over the grass", although Black Tom's plant abilities probably contributed to Sabretooth's survival; he returns inX-Men: The 198 Files.[volume & issue needed]
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InX-Men (vol. 2) #188 (August 2006), Sabretooth was spotted fleeing a mysterious group of superhumans collectively known as theChildren of the Vault. Their reasons for pursuing him remained unknown, but two of them—Sangre andSerafina—were tracking him. Sangre activated a singularity generator that annihilated most of the town and killed all its citizens, except for a little girl whom Serafina deliberately shielded from the destruction so there would be a witness to what had happened. He later encountered two more of the Children—Aguja andFuego. They attacked him and temporarily neutralized his healing factor, but he managed to escape regardless, only to end up at the Xavier Institute later that night seeking sanctuary.[volume & issue needed]
It is revealed that the Children are after Creed because he has seen them and knows who they are, while the public believed the X-Men destroyed the town. It is only whenRogue, the leader of the team, injected Nano-Sentinels into Sabretooth's blood that they take him along with their fight against the Children, a factor that one of the Children exploited. At one point,Cannonball saved his life during the battle. Sabretooth rewards him with some inside information: "The first time you turn your back, you're dead." Following the incident onProvidence, Creed escaped the X-Men, but was hurled into the middle of thePacific Ocean by Cable.[volume & issue needed]
WriterMike Carey noted he has no plans on redeeming Sabretooth, saying, "I'm not going to try and show a heroic side to Sabretooth's nature; I'm not going toretcon him so that there are reasons for his actions that make him forgivable. The things he's done are not forgivable and he can't be redeemed. I'm not making him into a hero; I'm making him into a team member and there are reasons within the first storyline as to why he ends up fighting alongside the X-Men against another enemy. And there are reasons why it's not so easy to simply shake him off again afterwards. There are things that are going on that will sort of unfold during the first year of my run which explain his being there and explain his being accepted with very, very grave misgivings into the team."[59][60]
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Sabretooth renews his rivalry with Wolverine following the latter's return to the X-Mansion. A fight soon breaks out with Wolverine tossing Sabretooth through a window. During the fight, Wolverine thinks back to the time when Sabretooth had, supposedly, killed Silver Fox. He remembers Sabretooth saying, "quod sum eris" and asks what it means. Sabretooth explains that it means "I am what you will be." Wolverine loses control and calls Sabretooth insane before placing his fist against Sabretooth's throat. Creed tells him if he extracts his claws, he will rip his heart out. Wolverine replies, "Let 'er rip", and pops his claws into Sabretooth's throat.[61] Wolverine later regains consciousness and finds himself chained to the roof of theBlackbird. He quickly breaks free of the chains and is surprised to find Sabretooth piloting the jet. Wolverine breaks into the cockpit and begins choking Sabretooth with one of the chains and causes him to crash.[volume & issue needed]
The two emerge from the flaming wreckage and, while healing from the injuries sustained in the crash, begin fighting once again until separated by a lightning bolt, courtesy of Wolverine's former teammate and current Queen ofWakanda,Storm.[62] A short time later Sabretooth is chained up in the royal palace of Wakanda and complains to Wolverine, Storm, andBlack Panther. Sabretooth snaps the chains and escapes into the jungle, with Black Panther quickly giving chase. Black Panther catches up to him and the two begin to fight, with Sabretooth quickly gaining the upper hand. He holds Black Panther off the ground by the neck, preparing to strike a killing blow, when Wolverine suddenly appears and slices off Sabretooth's left hand.[63]
Once the fight between Black Panther and Sabretooth is broken up by Wolverine, Sabretooth is brought back to the Wakandan Palace and placed in avibranium holding cell and guarded around the clock. The battle scene between Black Panther and Sabretooth then becomes the focus of why Wolverine was brought to the palace in the first place. It seems that amongst the bones from an elephant graveyard, there are also some unidentified skeletal remains of another offshoot ofHomo sapiens calledLupus sapiens. Black Panther and Wolverine are discussing that instead of there being one evolutionary path between humans and monkeys, that there may also have been one that developed from lupines. It is believed at this point thatRomulus is the first of this race, and it is revealed that he has been the one behindDaken's attacks, and the driving force behind the Weapon X program. After the discussion with Black Panther, Wolverine is awakened by the stench of blood from something that has a scent similar to his and Sabretooth's and also something else. It turns out to be an enhancedWild Child who has now surpassed the abilities of both Wolverine and Sabretooth, thanks to Romulus. Wild Child strikes Wolverine with poison-tipped claws and incapacitates him for two days. When Wolverine awakens, he finds Sasquatch,Wolfsbane,Feral, andThornn ready to go back with him to the Weapon X complex so that they might get to the bottom of the mystery.[volume & issue needed]
Once they all arrive at the Weapon X facility, Wolverine is plagued by memories that seem to mix past and present together and all of them controlled by Romulus. Wolverine goes in alone telling the others to stay put on the plane, but they do not listen. Feral and Thornn, who were granted their lupine appearance back by Romulus, are separated and Sabretooth, reduced to his animalistic state, has gutted Feral and she is dying. Wolverine gets Feral back to the ship and finds that Thornn and Wolfsbane are in shock from the encounter, along with Sasquatch having been incapacitated by Wild Child. Once they are on their way, Wolverine goes back to the Xavier Institute and asksCyclops to give him back the Muramasa sword, which he gave to Scott in case he was too out of control and needed to be put down for good. Cyclops only does this afterEmma Frost reads Wolverine's mind and sees the horrors that Wolverine has been witnessing when he dreams: the horrors committed by Victor Creed throughout the years. Sword in hand, Wolverine then sets out to find and kill Sabretooth once and for all.[64]
After the events in "Evolution", Wolverine has been waiting for an unspecified length of time at Silver Fox's cabin in the Canadian wilderness. Sabretooth finally shows up and immediately attacks him. In the ensuing battle Wolverine cuts off Sabretooth's left arm with theMuramasa. Sabretooth, still in his animalistic state tries to re-attach his arm allowing his healing factor to kick in, but it does not work. Wolverine explains to a bewildered Creed that it is because the sword interrupts the healing factor and that he has to finally kill Sabretooth for what he has done. Managing to regain control and speak between grunts, Sabretooth tells him, "Do it". Wolverine then decapitates Sabretooth, finally putting an end to his long-time enemy. Logan then walks away, leaving both Creed's body and head in the snow to rot.[64]
Sabretooth appears to Wolverine, leashed and under the control of theDevil himself, who has claimed to have broken Victor's will.[65] Victor shows defiance by striking the face of his defeated master after Wolverine uses his broken bone claws to pin the Devil to a wall.[66] After Wolverine has an interrupted discussion with his father, it is shown that Victor wields the Devil's sword, which is being held as a symbol of who is the ruler of Hell. Wolverine fights Victor again, mentioning, as he beheads him once more, that there is no coming back when someone is killed by the sword. Wolverine leaves Victor's beheaded soul lying in the pit of Hell.[67]
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It was later revealed that the Sabretooth beheaded by Logan was in fact one of several clones grown by Romulus. The real Sabretooth comes out of hiding and starts a war between rival gangs in Japan.[68][69] He is hired to kill Mr. Takenaka, leader of the Yakuza, and tosses him from a jet.[68] Creed is later approached by other Yakuza members to accept an offer at an airport in L.A. Sabretooth says he will miss an important meeting by going, and kills the Yakuza. Creed sets a trap for Logan before heading to his meeting, but it fails causing the two to battle. Their battling ends with them surrounded by Yakuza, the Hand, the new Silver Samurai and Wolverine's adopted daughter. Logan goes to save his daughter, while Victor grabs the Silver Samurai.[70] It is later revealed Creed is working with Mystique again as well as the Mind Ninjas.[71] Mystique disables Wolverine while Sabretooth heads on to the next part of his plan. He escapes with the man who hired him, Azuma Goda, to cause a war between the Hand and the Yakuza.[72] As Goda reveals his master plan of becoming a ruler of Japan by proxies, Sabretooth has his own plans. He allows Wolverine to slip in and try to kill Goda while he saves Mystique fromLord Deathstrike and makes him an offer. The three of them arrive at a meeting of the remaining leaders of the fighting factions, who are deciding the fate of Tokyo and kill them all as Sabretooth declares himself the new "invisible" ruler of East Asia.[73] Sabretooth later holds a party with but Wolverine crashes the party and defeats all the guests, he then tells Sabretooth "Happy birthday, from your old pal Wolverine".[18]
Sabretooth trainsKade Kilgore in combat and tactics, with the purpose of attacking the Jean Grey School. Sabretooth tells Kilgore the best way to destroy them is to hit them in the heart, physical or metaphorical. Kilgore figures that the heart of the school is Beast (Henry McCoy). Sabretooth ambushes the latter managing to physically wound him before taking his fight toAbigail Brand, Hank's girlfriend. With help from Beast, Abigail is able to blast Sabretooth away.[74]
Later while investigating the grave of Sabretooth, Wolverine finds that the body still is in it, which indicates that Sabretooth was not resurrected. Wolverine also discovers that it was apparently Romulus behind everything and after being beaten, he is saved by a mysterious woman with long red hair who tells him to go to the Weapon X facility, but she disappears before he gets further answers. Wolverine goes to explore the facility only to find that someone has been experimenting with Sabretooth's genetics and has cloned him, one awakens, who Wolverine recognizes by scent to be the real Sabretooth.[75] After fighting the Sabretooth clones, Wolverine encounters the mysterious woman again, claiming that she is Romulus' twin sister Remus.[76] She reveals that the whole "Lupine Sapiens" story was an elaborate hoax by her brother intended to be a ruse for his real goal of creating a master race of natural mutants artificially enhanced by a new type of adamantium, using Wolverine as a template.[volume & issue needed] After tracking Romulus, Wolverine brutally attacks and incapacitates Sabretooth.[77] While Wolverine fights Romulus, Sabretooth fights with Cloak who has been investigating with Wolverine. While Romulus is ultimately defeated by Wolverine and left in the Raft facility, Sabretooth manages to escape from the battle.[78]
Sabretooth appears as a member ofDaken's short-livedBrotherhood of Mutants.[79] Then later becomes a headmaster of theHellfire Academy.[69] While he also works with Mystique to frame the original X-Men for a series of bank thefts.[80]
Sabretooth is among the villains contracted by theAssassins Guild to targetElektra's allies.[81]
During theAXIS storyline, Sabretooth appears as a member of Magneto's unnamed supervillain group during the fight againstRed Skull'sRed Onslaught form.[82] Sabretooth experiences a 'moral inversion' that turns him into a hero when the attempt to bring out the Xavier elements of Onslaught backfire, promptingSteve Rogers to recruit him and the other inverted villains into a new team of 'Astonishing Avengers' to defeat the inverted heroes.[4] At the end of the storyline, it is shown that his inversion from evil to good is permanent due to him having been protected by an energy shield generated by the invertedIron Man- along withHavok- leaving him reflecting on what he has become. Sabretooth turned himself over to the authorities and plans to do good by Wolverine's example when he gets out.[83]
Sabretooth later joins theAvengers Unity Division and accompanies them to theHigh Evolutionary'sCounter-Earth to look forScarlet Witch andQuicksilver.[84] He also assists the main Avengers team in confronting the latest version ofUltron.[85]
In theAll-New, All-Different Marvel event, Sabretooth appears as a member of Magneto's X-Men branch to protect mutantkind at all costs.[86] As time goes on, his inversion starts to wear down. He notes that he can feel his former self coming back - the part of him that only cared for killing. He admits not being able to keep living the lie his inverted-self has been, but he does not intend to become the monster he was, so he must become something different. He believes he needs something to fight for to stay grounded, and he remembers the promise he made toMonet, whom he developed feelings for. He promised to keep her curse secret and wanted to help find a cure and beat the darkness within her.[87] When the team disbanded, Sabretooth went off with Monet to continue trying to help her.[88]
After leaving Monet due to her becoming too evil, Creed went to live in a cabin in the woods during the "Weapons of Mutant Destruction" storyline. He is "recruited" by Old Man Logan to battle against a new Weapon X Project.[89] They alongside the captives of the Weapon X Project discover that they are created Hulk/Wolverine hybrids which led to the creation ofWeapon H.[90]
During the "Hunt for Wolverine" storyline, Sabretooth, Daken, and Lady Deathstrike discuss Wolverine being sighted after returning from the dead. Sabretooth tells Daken that he will kill Wolverine and then kill Daken. The three of them follow his trail to Maybelle, Arizona.[91] Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike continue searching Maybelle for Wolverine when they are attacked by zombies. One of the zombies bites Sabretooth, with the wound not healing.[92] When Daken catches up to them, Lady Deathstrike and Sabretooth are informed of a glowing green device in the power station that has to do with the zombies and they must fight their way past the zombies to destroy it. While fighting the zombies, Sabretooth discovers that one of the soldiers is a zombified version of his dead son Graydon.[93] Lady Deathstrike stabs Graydon in the neck and destroys the device with Sabretooth.[94]
In "House of X and Powers of X", Mystique, Sabretooth, andToad infiltrate the base ofDamage Control searching for information in the databases. While they get what they searched for, Sabretooth maims several guards in the chaos and is eventually captured by theFantastic Four. While the Fantastic Four are about to take away Sabretooth,Cyclops arrives to bring him back toKrakoa due todiplomatic immunity. While tensions arise between him andMister Fantastic, Cyclops decides to leave Sabretooth to them to avoid a situation.[95] In the superhuman prison known as Project Achilles, a trial is being held for Sabretooth. The trial is interrupted byEmma Frost who presents thejudge with a pardon from the U.S. Supreme Court as the U.S. government has agreed to a general amnesty for all mutants on American soil in anticipation of Krakoa becoming a sovereign nation. Despite the protests of the human officials at the court, Emma and Sabretooth are allowed to walk free and return to Krakoa.[96] TheQuiet Council of Krakoa finds Sabretooth guilty of violating the second law and sentences him to exile deep within the bowels of Krakoa. Krakoa swallows him up as X laments the business of running a nation.[97]
While in The Pit, Sabretooth was contacted mentally byCypher on behalf of Krakoa itself, who gave him control of his own mental fantasy world. Sabretooth lived out several fantasy lives to entertain himself. While fantasizing about being king of Hell, he is interrupted by the arrival of the other exiled mutantsNekra,Madison Jeffries,Oya,Melter, and Third-Eye.[98] Sabretooth teaches the prisoners to project their consciousneses outside the Pit to gather allies from above. He decides to keep Melter back because he could sense he still had loyalty to Professor X. After brutalizing Melter, Sabretooth explains his plan to exposing the secret and inhumane imprisonments on Krakoa to bring public opinion against the Quiet Council. As he is talking, Melter destroys Sabretooth's body in the material plane.[99] The destruction of Sabretooth's body almost kills everyone in the pit because it was controlled by his mind, but Third-Eye saves the other prisoners by dragging them to the astral plane. Sabretooth's mind retreats into his memories while his healing factor fixes his body, he briefly manifests himself on land again to check the progress of his plan and finds rescue attempts are already being discussed. Back in his mental world, Sabretooth and the prisoners discuss what they did to get thrown in the pit and whether they deserved to be there.[100] Sabretooth escapes from the Pit shortly after a failed attempt byMagma to free them results in everyone in the area being knocked unconscious. Cypher sends the other exiles to find Sabretooth so he can face punishment.[101]
Sabretooth's boat was caught and apprehended byOrchis agents, who took him to Dr. Barrington to be experimented on. After being vivisected by her, she left to deal with the rest of the exiles who had infiltrated her private island. While Barrington is gone, Sabretooth escapes, killing everyone he can find. Sabretooth tracks down his boat and escapes, offering the rest of the Exiles a ride.[102]
After being reunited with his team, Sabretooth is given a savage beatdown by Nekra. This causes him to realize his healing factor, along with the rest of his powers, are not working properly due to a device Barrington had put inside his body during her experimentation. After convincing the team they still need him if they wanted to saveOrphan-Maker and hearing fromNanny how dangerous he would be if separated from his armor, Sabretooth and the exiled mutants tracked down the second Orchis base for mutant experimentation in theRing of Fire. They discover a large mutant prison whose inmates are scared when Sabretooth arrives, something he takes great pride in. When Orphan-Maker's suit is damaged, Sabretooth suggests that he be thrown in a volcano before they are all killed by his emerging power. The team disagrees and Third-Eye offered a more humane solution that involved taking them all back to the Astral Plane.[103] While there, the team discovered that Orchis had built their third base inside the astral plane. While Nanny and Jeffries build new armor for Orphan-Maker, Sabretooth explores the base with Toad and Oya, getting into a fight with Toad over whether the failure of the mission that got him put in the pit was his own fault, until Oya interrupted them because she had noticed someone in an organic prison. Assuming the figure to be dangerous, Victor and Toad abandoned her, and rejoined the rest of the group. However Oya met with them later and revealed that the prisoner was in fact another Victor Creed.[104]
The team escapes with the freed Orchis prisoners on their boat, which Jeffries transforms into a vessel big enough to contain them all. Sabretooth watches his other self die, unsure of how he got there but believing he was about to suffer the same fate due to Barrington's experiments. He concluded that Barrington could not have done this to him alone and there is only one person who could have been responsible. Struggling to maintain the illusion of strength, he decides to enact one last plan for revenge against the Quiet Council by turning all the young mutant prisoners against Krakoa, he is interrupted when the team arrive at the final, underwater Orchis base and are hit by a tidal wave. During the commotion he is again abducted by Orchis, telling his team to come looking for him before disappearing. When he arrives at the final Orchis base his suspicions for who is responsible for his suffering are confirmed when he is confronted by his son Graydon Creed with a wall full of mounted Sabretooth heads.[105] Graydon revealed to him that he had been hunting versions of his father throughout themultiverse to practice for this fight. Creed ended up in a fight with his son and three other versions of himself, during which Greydon ran off to get backup. Too weak to move, Sabretooth convinces the others to remove Barrington's coil from his body so he can help them defeat Graydon and get them back to their own Universes. Once fully healed, Sabretooth joins the others in a fight with Graydon and an army of headless cyborgs he made from the Sabretooth clones that he killed. Figuring out he is controlling them from his suit, he throws his son through a portal to another dimension, then he and all his duplicates take over the final Orchis base and pilot it towards Krakoa to surprise Wolverine for his birthday.[106]
After traveling the Multiverse, killing multiversal variants of the X-Men and recruiting "Camo" - a version of Sabretooth from Earth-33441 who can transform himself into others - from his own universe at the start of the "Sabretooth War" storyline, Sabretooth and his other variants - patriotic superhero "Cap" from Earth-203, andSavage Land inhabitant "Savage" from Earth-1912, and bad boy celebrity "Pretty Boy" of Earth-12 - along with their army of headless Sabretooth cyborgs, arrive on Krakoa to his enact revenge on the Quiet Council for Wolverine's birthday only to find the mutant nation empty as Sabretooth was unaware of the events that transpired during the "Fall of X" storyline. Their presence is picked up byBlack Tom Cassidy from X-Force'sArctic base andKid Omega is sent to investigate. Camo disguises himself as Wolverine to trick Kid Omega. With his guard lowered, Camo stabs Kid Omega in the neck while Sabretooth and the others cannibalize his body. Using the telepathic energy from Kid Omega's still alive head, the Sabretooth Army tracks down Wolverine at the arctic base and uses the head's telepathic powers to put Black Tom andSage in a trance. Sabretooth ambushes Daken - now calling himself Fang and had just began repairing his relationship with Wolverine - and kills him after a vicious duel. Sabretooth spells out "HAPPy bIrThDAy" with pieces of Fang's corpse to taunt Wolverine.[107] Wolverine flies into a berserk rage and attacks but is defeated by the headless Sabretooth cyborgs while Sabretooth continues to taunt him. Sabretooth restrains Wolverine with adamantium tentacles and wanting to prolong Wolverine's suffering, proceeds to massacre many of the inhabitants at the arctic base with his army. Black Tom and Sage are freed from their trace and activate the base's defense mechanisms, forcing Sabretooth to flee with Savage, Camo and the remnants of his army while Pretty Boy and most of the headless Sabretooth cyborgs are killed and Cap is left behind.[108]
Despite this, the remnant army manage to abduct Wolverine's daughterLaura. Back at the station, Sabretooth uses Kid Omega's head to read Wolverine's thoughts. Satisfied that his actions have sent Wolverine into despair, he also discovers a hidden treasure map in Wolverine's memories. Meanwhile, Savage and Camo blame Sabretooth for the deaths of their other counterparts and plot to recover Graydon against him while Kid Omega sends a telepathic message for help to the Exiles.[109] X-Force capture and interrogate Cap for information regarding Sabretooth and his army and manage to uncover some of their history and plans using telepathy until a psionic image of Sabretooth - implanted within Cap's mind as a "failsafe" - attacksPhoebe Cuckoo, forcingDomino to kill Cap to save her. Kid Omega sends another telepathic distress signal from Sabretooth's base to X-Force, to which Wolverine flies to alone on X-Force'sBluebird to confront him.[110] Following the map's coordinates, Sabretooth flies back to Krakoa and discovers with Omega's head that the treasure is buried beneath the island. Meanwhile, the Exiles are driven away by the patrollingStark Sentinels while Wolverine is able to get past them. Sabretooth and Wolverine pick up on each other's scents and Sabretooth immobilizes Wolverine with a telepathic blast from Omega by having him relive memories of their Team X days.[111]
Believing that they are doing a mission together, Wolverine leads Sabretooth further into Krakoa's depths intoForge's workshop. The Exiles catch up to Sabretooth, who forces Wolverine to help him fight them off. Sabretooth kills Toad while Wolverine kills Melter, whose death snaps Wolverine out of his hypnosis. While Wolverine is briefly stunned by his actions, Sabretooth reveals the "treasure" he needed Wolverine to help him acquire: Forge's Neutralizer, which he promptly shoots and depowers Wolverine with.[112] Despite losing his healing factor, Wolverine puts up a fight against Sabretooth, who resorts to using Omega to generate a psionic gun which he uses to shoot Wolverine in the head with. While Sabretooth contemplates what to do with the barely alive Wolverine, the surviving Exiles catch up to them. Out of revenge for the atrocities Sabretooth forced him to commit, Kid Omega shoots Sabretooth with a psychic blast while Nekra uses the Killing Seed - a mysterious seed previously given to her by Cypher to use against Sabretooth, which rapidly grows into a giganticcarnivorous plant that ensnares and devours Sabretooth. The Exiles take Wolverine's unconscious body with them for medical attention while Kid Omega remains behind to watch Sabretooth's suffering while waiting for X-Force to rescue him.[113]
While trapped within the Killing Seed, Sabretooth is placed under mental fantasy resembling a therapist's office where a projection of Cypher acts as a therapist and forces Sabretooth to mentally experience the deaths of his many victims from their perspectives to help him feel a sense of remorse for his actions. Instead, Sabretooth rejects Cypher's attempts to rehabilitate him and becomes emboldened by the memories of his victims, giving him the strength to break free from the Killing Seed.[114] In Sabretooth's absence, the Sabretooth Army has been decimated, with Laura killing Savage before sending a distress signal to X-Force while Graydon, who converted himself into a cyborg while trapped in an alternate dimension, betrays and kills Camo and the rest of the army. Before Graydon and Wolverine, donning Forge's Adamantium Armor and wielding a Muramasa Blade to compensate for his lost powers, could face off, Sabretooth sneaks up behind Graydon and kills him. With the reunited X-Force and the Exiles converging together on Krakoa's beach, Sabretooth lures Wolverine to the Pit and uses his mental connection to the Pit to drag Wolverine within his depths and uses its vines to strip him of his armor and sword. However, Phoebe severs Sabretooth's connection to Krakoa, causing the Pit to eject Wolverine. Before X-Force or the Exiles could intervene, Wolverine reveals that the Adamantium Armor restored his powers and challenges Sabretooth to a final showdown. After a bloody and vicious battle, Wolverine kills and hacks Sabretooth to pieces with his claws and the Muramasa Blade, finally avenging his loved ones.[115]
Psychologist Suzana E. Flores notes that while all Marvel villains have antisocial traits, Sabretooth "takes the notion of being antisocial to another level: he IS antisocial personality disorder incarnate." As such, he is manipulative, sadistic, and violent, and unable to attach emotionally to others. While the exact causes of his disorder are unclear, she concludes that this personality type probably cannot be effectively treated or rehabilitated.[116]
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Sabretooth is a mutant with a number of both natural and artificial improvements to his physiology compared to normal humans. His primary mutant power is an accelerated healing ability that allows him to regenerate damaged or destroyed areas of his body and cellular structure far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary human. Like Wolverine's, his abilities have been depicted with variable degrees of contradiction by various creators. Sabretooth's increased attributes stem in part from said healing. This "healing factor" also grants him virtual immunity against most poisons, drugs, toxins, and diseases, and limited immunity to fatigue.[117] The regenerative qualities of his powers cause him to age at an unusually slow rate. While he is of an unknown advanced age, Sabretooth has the appearance and vitality of a tall, very burly, highly muscular man in his late 20s to mid 30s.
The depiction of Sabretooth's powers has changed and evolved depending on creative team, with his healing power introduced as aretcon after he became Wolverine's rival. In other, earlier appearances, Sabretooth was much more average. In a fight with Spider-Man, he was incapacitated when his face was severely wounded, and did not display any accelerated healing.[118] When Sabretooth returned, his still prominent wounds were reopened when he was hit in the face.[119]
Sabretooth possesses acute senses that are comparable to certain animals. This includes the ability to see objects with greater clarity and at much greater distances than an ordinary human. He is able to see with this same level of clarity in almost complete darkness, just like a nocturnal hunter. It is also said that he can seeinfrared andultraviolet portions of the spectrum.[120]
He possesses some degree of notable physical abilities, such as superhuman strength due to his healing factor. The exact limits of his strength are unknown, though he originally could crush an iron barbell with ease.[121] His physical strength has been artificially enhanced at least twice. The first was a strength enhancement from his son, Graydon.[122] It was then further enhanced after joining the latest incarnation of the Weapon X Program.[123] His healing factor also grants him superhuman stamina, so he can push himself at peak capacity for several days before fatigue sets in.[117] On top of this he is depicted as having retractable claws that can rend normal clothing and flesh with ease.[117]
His agility and reflexes were both naturally above human and further artificially-enhanced. With an ability to pounce like a huntingbig cat, stalk and move quietly throughout his appearances, most human and some super powered enemies can not react to his leap before being hit.[124]
Sabretooth is an excellent hand-to-hand and armed combatant, having been trained by various organizations such as the CIA, Department H's Weapon X program, the Foreigner, andHydra. He is also an expert at hunting and tracking, even without the use of his heightened senses. Sabretooth also developed a high resistance to telepathic probing and manipulation, after an incident where his brain was skewered.[54] And even with that damage to his brain, it has been shown that Sabretooth is actually quite intelligent compared to the average person, as shown by his ability to avoid capture and escape the highest levels of incarceration without assistance. He is also highly skilled atpsychological manipulation, and has demonstrated the ability to speak fluentGerman.[125]
An alternate universe version of Sabretooth appears in5 Ronin. This version is a maskedronin, driven insane after being betrayed by the Daimyo's soldier, and the brother of fellowronin "The Wolverine". After killing the Wolverine, whom inexplicably revives after being buried by Watari the Fool, before re-fighting and mortally wounds him, the Wolverine is heartbroken to learn he has killed his own brother, apologising to him before granting him a mercy decapitation and setting off to find the Daimyo and avenge his brother.[128]
An alternate universe version of Sabretooth from Earth-295 appears inAge of Apocalypse. This version is a member of the X-Men who was previously a villain, but was cast out as a traitor by Apocalypse when he expressed moral reservations about using nuclear weapons to wipe out the world's human population.[129] Additionally, he isBlink's adoptive father.[130][131] After his universe is destroyed, Sabretooth becomes the leader ofWeapon X and a temporaryHerald of Galactus before being killed whenNightcrawler accidentally releases a horde of creatures that destroy anything they touch.[132][133]
An alternate universe version of Sabretooth from Earth-11326 appears inAge of X. This version is also known as 'Weapon X' and was used by the Avengers to track down other mutants before being killed by theHulk.[134][135]
An alternate universe version of Sabretooth fromEarth-9997 appears inParadise X #4. This version is a member of the Bear Clan, a group of humans who theCelestials altered into bestial forms.[volume & issue needed]
An alternate universe version of Sabretooth from Earth-58163 appears inHouse of M. This version is a servant ofMagneto before being killed byBlack Panther.[136][137]
An alternate universe version of Victor Creed from Earth-90214 appears inWolverine Noir. This version is the owner of the "Victory Boxing" club.[138]
A zombified alternate universe version of Sabretooth from Earth-2149 appears inMarvel Zombies.[139]
An alternate universe version of Sabretooth from Earth-1298 appears inMutant X. This version is a member of the Pack, a group of escaped Weapon X subjects, before being killed by Wolverine.[140]
An alternate universe version of Sabretooth from Earth-807128 and several clones of him created byMister Sinister appear inOld Man Logan.[141][142]
An alternate universe version of Sabretooth from Earth-1610 appears in theUltimate Marvel universe. This version is a soldier for Weapon X who sports adamantium claws and teeth.[143][144]
An alternate universe version of Victor Creed fromEarth-6160 appears inUltimate Wolverine. This version is a member of a resistance against the Rasputin family (consisting ofColossus,Magik, andOmega Red).[145]
An alternate universe version of Sabretooth from Earth-200111 appears inWolverine MAX.[146]
Sabretooth appears inLouise Simonson andDan Panosian'sX-Factor Forever.[volume & issue needed]
An alternate universe version of Sabretooth from Earth-161 appears inX-Men Forever. This version is Wolverine's father. After being injured while attacking theX-Mansion, he loses his sight, healing factor, and one hand, and reforms and joins the X-Men.[19]
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolverine Epic Collection: Inner Fury | Sabretooth (vol. 1) #1–4 andWolverine (vol. 2) #69–75,Wolverine: Inner Fury #1,Wolverine: Killing #1,Wolverine: Global Jeopardy #1,X-Men (vol. 2) #25 | March 2020 | 978-1302923907 |
| Sabretooth: Open Season | Sabretooth (vol. 3) #1–4 | March 2005 | 978-0785115076 |
| Wolverine byDaniel Way: The Complete Collection | Wolverine (1988) #187–189,Wolverine (2003) #33–40,Wolverine: Origins #1–5 and #1 Director's Cut,Sabretooth: Open Season (2004) #1–4, and Material FromI (Heart) Marvel: My Mutant Heart #1 | January 2017 | 978-1302904722 |
| X-Men Origins: The Complete Collection | X-Men Origins: Sabretooth andX-Men Origins: Colossus,Jean Grey,Beast,Wolverine,Gambit, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Iceman, Emma Frost, Deadpool | August 2018 | 978-1302912208 |
| Sabretooth: The Adversary | Sabretooth (vol. 4) #1–5 | October 2022 | 978-1302931452 |
