Wolverine – 04

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

As Omega Red has Logan secured in his carbonadium tentacles, Yukio can do nothing but continue to lob molotov cocktails down while Asano’s team takes down the yakuza and attempts to secure some of the cargo as evidence.  Meanwhile, Logan manages to kick open a door on the ship to cause a backdraft which allows him to get free of Omega Red.  He recalls sometime earlier in his life when he was briefed on the Soviet’s Super Soldier project and the product of their research, Arkady Rossovich, aka: Omega Red.  Wolverine was given the mission to enter the Soviet Union and steal a device called the carbonadium synthesizer since Omega Red needed it to properly function.  Wolverine does steal the device but has to fight Omega Red. He manages to defeat him but loses the device to the Arctic Ocean.

Back in the present, Shigen receives word of the fight at the docks and is not happy.  Meanwhile, Logan’s fight with Omega Red enters one of the cargo holds where Yukio causes just enough of a distraction for Logan to use a chemical canister which explodes when Omega Red stabs it with his tentacle. This causes a series of explosions and allows Logan and Yukio to escape, though they are tailed by one of Hideki’s men.  Returning to Yukio’s apartment, she attempts to treat Logan, who isn’t healing very well thanks to Omega Red’s power-draining ability.  Hideki’s man lobs a bomb at the apartment but not before Logan manages to sniff him out and save Yukio.  Logan easily takes care of the thug but Omega Red appears and is going to make sure that Wolverine dies this time for sure.

Thoughts/Review:

As I mentioned last episode, I’d not heard of Omega Red although in the Marvel Comics universe, he is a villain character and has Japanese connections.  Since Omega Red is likely not known too much in Japan either, the writers of this episode do a pretty decent job of working in Omega Red’s creation, powers, and his first encounter with Logan during the Cold War.  They conveyed a ton of information, which if not done properly, could have been rather dry and tedious exposition.  Thankfully, that was not the case and things were kept moving along while bringing the audience up to speed on everything they needed to know about Omega Red.  So kudos to the production team and the director for this feat.  ^_^

The fight between Wolverine and Omega Red would seem to belong to Omega Red.  To be honest, there was no reason for Omega Red to ever release Logan once he had initially snagged him.  Omega Red could have continued to hold Logan, slam him around (as he is doing when the episode ends), drain Logan of his powers as Wolverine, and then kill him.  However, Omega Red has to continuously let Logan go when he doesn’t have to.  If there is a reason that Omega Red has to release Logan from time to time, that wasn’t made clear to me unless it is somehow tied up in the loss of the carbonadium synthesizer.  Since we can’t have the hero taken out, then we have to release him to give him a chance. Kinda like what happens in pro wrestling. ^_~

Anyway, Omega Red is slamming Logan around again before strangling him when the episode is over but obviously, Logan survives somehow.  Either Omega Red is going to let Logan go again which will allow Logan to do the needful or there’s going to be some new outside influence to allow Logan to break free and do the needful.  It will be interesting to see where it goes.

So another episode comes to an end and I have to say that I continue to like what I’m seeing here.  I’m rather surprised this hasn’t already been licensed, though I’m not sure it is material for Saturday morning cartoons. ^_~