Warning: contains spoilers for X-Men Unlimited Latitude #1!
In a preview for X-Men Unlimited Latitude, on sale March 30, on Marvel Unlimited. In it, Wolverine must infiltrate a SWORD facility that has been compromised by AIM, putting mutants and humans alike in danger.
When Jonathan Hickman took over as the head writer/mastermind of the X-Men franchise, he and his collaborators repositioned the mutants as Marvel’s premiere title, after years of being relegated to second-class status. Professor X and Magneto came together to form the nation of Krakoa, a safe haven for Earth’s mutants; in exchange for official recognition among the humans, Krakoa shares some of its technology. The X-Men, through the Resurrection Protocols, have also conquered death itself - which has so far been kept secret from the rest of the world. With this new era have come a plethora of new titles, both online and in print. X-Men Unlimited Latitude originally appeared online in four installments on Marvel Unlimited, and fans who missed it there can now read it in print. The issue is written by Hickman with art by Declan Shalvey.
The preview opens with Wolverine, floating through the vacuum of space with no breathing apparatus (thanks to his healing factor) before crashing into a massive SWORD space station. Readers learn that AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) has infiltrated the station, taking several mutants hostage. Wolverine has been sent to not only rescue the mutants but discern what exactly AIM wanted with them in the first place. Wolverine almost walks into an ambush but punches a hole in the station with his claws, creating a vacuum that sucks the AIM goons into space. Wolverine makes his way to the facility’s computer to learn more about AIM’s agenda.
As seen in the preview, Wolverine is the perfect mutant to lead a rescue mission in space. His healing factor allows him to survive in space, without the need for a ship, as well as soak up any damage the army of AIM goons he's facing might throw at him. This in turn allows Wolverine to take courses of action that other mutants could not—such as his using his claws to open a hole in the station, which cleared him a path through AIM’s defenses, and rescue his friends. However, should Logan fall afoul of AIM, he's likely to be left spinning through space, doomed to a near-eternity without rescue, and there's no way of knowing what weaponry the mad scientists have created to face him.
The preview also shows readers another reason Wolverine is ideal to lead such missions: he has sense of loyalty to those he cares about and will go to any lengths to rescue them; as he says in the preview, saving his friends is more important than any other part of the mission. For nearly 50 years, Wolverine has been one of the shining lights of the X-Men franchise, a loyal and dutiful member of the team, who will go to great lengths to help his teammates, and in a preview for X-Men Unlimited Latitude, he braves the vacuum of space to stage a rescue mission.
