WolverineAre we going to see Patch before we necessarily see Wolverine in the MCU? Now may be the time to invest in the other Wolverine #1.

Wolverine and the X-Men have been hot commodities in the collecting world. They've gotten new life in the comics thanks to Jonathan Hickman, and the movie rumors have been rampant since Disney took control of the Fox properties.

THE MADRIPOOR CONNECTION

WolverineAs I have written before, Marvel Studios has shown a reluctance to reuse characters from other franchises as we have seen in the Spider-Man films. However, there are some characters that fans demand, and Wolverine is at the top of that list. Last year's famous set photo from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier may have given us our first clue that Wolverine could debut be on his way.

Much has been speculated about the Madripoor flag from the set photo. There's no denying the fictional nation is ingrained in X-Men mythology, but it's specifically tied to Wolverine. Better yet, it is more closely related to Patch.

PATCH IN THE MCU?

For those unfamiliar, Patch is one of Logan's many code names. He uses this in several adventures in Madripoor, and this may be the opening Marvel Studios will use for Wolverine. As we have seen from day one of the MCU, Marvel likes connecting the universe with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. Who else but Nick Fury would know all about Canada's secret Weapon X program and find its most successful experiment using the name Patch in Madripoor?

NEW ADVENTURES FOR WOLVERINE

WolverineAnother reason to lean toward Patch is originality.

Hugh Jackman's turn as Wolverine is positively beloved worldwide, and the first thing Marvel Studios will want to do is establish this is not Fox's Logan. Considering Jackman portrayed him in eight movies for nearly two decades. It won't be easy for Marvel to do something with Wolverine that Fox hasn't already put on film. Patch may be the solution.

We have seen Wolverine do almost everything in the Fox franchise. He has battled Magneto at the Statue of Liberty, lost his healing factor in Japan, traveled through time, and he even died at the hands of his clone. What else is there for him? He can don the patch and be a Canadian secret agent or maybe a hired assassin, which would be convenient to pull him into the spy world of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. In turn, this could even set up a potential for the New Avengers with Wolverine, but that's a topic for another post.

WolverineWOLVERINE INVESTMENT POTENTIAL

All that being said, it is a good time to invest in Wolverine #1 from the ongoing series. Not only is this the first time he takes the name "Patch," but it features the debuts of the Cult of the Black Blade and Muramasa.

Fair market values for 1988's Wolverine #1 have been on the rise. While they don't carry the weight of the 1982 Wolverine #1 from the limited series, the first issue of the ongoing series has decent values. At a 9.8, it is averaging $184 over the past 90 days. That's nearly $20 higher than 2018's FMV of $169. As a side note, there is an outlying sale of $415 from June 9. Throw away that figure, and it hasn't sold for more than $255, which is still a respectable number.

If you are willing to drop the grade to a 9.6, you can save about $100 on average. Price wise, that leaves something for practically any budget.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I have no doubt that Wolverine will be on the big screen in the MCU, but I lean toward him getting his own franchise. He might not even be part of the X-Men, at least not initially, which would be a travesty, honestly.

 

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