In Marvel Comics continuity, Wolverine and Sabretooth have shared a long history that spans centuries, and more often than not, starts and ends with them as enemies. They’ve fought, they’ve bled, and they’ve used their incredible mutant healing factors to recover from each brutal battle they’ve waged against one another. But at the end of the day, is their rivalry really one born out of a traditional sense of good versus evil, or one of a sibling rivalry gone wrong? Are Wolverine and Sabretooth biological brothers, too?
Wolverine and Sabretooth may share a similar backstory and power-sets, but their connection beyond that isn’t always clear, especially with the messy X-Men film continuity constantly shaping the consciousness of the general Marvel audience when it comes to understanding how these characters originally premiered, and how they developed over the years. So that being said, are Wolverine and Sabretooth actually related in the comics, or are they just such perfect foils for each other that it seems they must be connected?
The short answer to the question of whether or not Wolverine and Sabretooth are brothers in comic continuity is simple: they’re not. And it’s important for all curious Marvel fans (of either comics or movie adaptations) to understand that Wolverine and Sabretooth have never been officially related. At least not in the printed comics, anyway.
Their history may have been expanded upon and clarified over the years, detailing a shared torture thanks to the infamous Weapon X Program, among others. But through any number of reboots and relaunches that might have changed the Marvel Universe as a whole, the details behind Wolverine and Sabretooth’s connection have been tweaked, but never outright changed to them being anywhere close to blood related. That being said, there is a good reason many believe Logan and Creed to be brothers, half-brothers, or some variation.
Yes, believe it or not, comic writer and legendary Marvel storyteller Chris Claremont introduced Sabretooth (or ‘Sabre-Tooth’) as an enemy to the immortal Iron Fist, with a plan to eventually reveal his secret parentage to the X-Men fan-favorite. Witnessing the villain’s strengths, speech, and fighting skills in his first appearance seem to make the relation obvious in restrospect, but Claremont waited years to expose the truth, as Sabretooth grew in prominence as a mutant, and foe to the X-Men.
Despite the popular assumptions that Wolverine and Sabretooth are brothers, the closest these characters ever came to being officially related was in Wolverine #10 (1989). In the issue’s flashback, Wolverine recalls his first battle with Sabretooth following his murder of Silver Fox. Logan is ultimately beaten, but when asked about the villain’s ominous “Given who we are…” line (via X-MenComics.com), Claremont confirmed he originally intended Sabretooth to be Wolverine’s father:
Although subsequent writers of the character ultimately canceled out the seed of that idea (with Nick Fury disproving Creed’s claims of being Logan’s father in Wolverine #41 (1991) putting the matter to rest), it further muddied the waters, keeping the debate of their blood relations a hot topic amongst fans to this day.
As if there wasn’t enough confusion already (or perhaps because of it), Wolverine: The Origin chronicled the mysterious beginnings of Wolverine that not only delved into the formative years of James Howlett in 19th Century Canada, but also introduced Wolverine’s actual half-brother, Dog Logan, an enormously built and menacingly vicious man that eerily resembled Sabretooth in both looks and demeanor. James was not, as he had believed, the biological son of James Howlett, Sr. and his wife Elizabeth, but the illegitimate child of groundskeeper Thomas Logan.
The truth came to light when drama surrounding Thomas and his own abused son, “Dog,” boiled over into tragedy. Drunken rage turned to murder when young James’ claws sprouted to be used as weapons, killing his biological father Thomas Logan, and sending the eventual X-Man on the run. It’s Wolverine: The Origin that the general confusion over Sabretooth and Wolverine’s brotherhood more or less stems from, with “Dog” Logan appearing to offer a new origin story for Victor Creed, as well.
Hugh Jackman & Liev Schreiber depict a new origin, making the hero and villain half-brothers
In the comics, the confusion and theories over “Dog” and Sabretooth were eventually rectified years later, when it was confirmed that the two characters were, without a doubt, not the same (despite their overwhelming similarities). Unfortunately, when the makers of X-Men Origins: Wolverine adapted the comic origin to film, they decided to not only disagree with the comic calrification, but directly contradict it. The movie explicitly rewrites comic canon by turning Victor Creed/Sabretooth into James Howlett/Wolverine’s half-brother.
While it’s pretty clear that Sabretooth is in no way related to Wolverine, their relationship is special. Having worked together as colleagues in the past, Sabretooth became aware of Wolverine as the ultimate refutation of his own animal instincts – someone who is exactly like him but pretending to be better. Worse, because of their healing factors, Sabretooth knows that he’ll be confronted by this existential challenge for the rest of his very long life. The obsessive hatred he feels as a result has led to Sabretooth killing several of Wolverine’s loved ones, creating a mutual enmity that is its own kind of bond.
Wolverine and Sabretooth are not brothers in Marvel Comics, but that doesn’t mean either will ever be rid of the other.
Source: X-MenComics.com