Warning! This article contains spoilers for Wolverine: Black, White & Blood #4
As a stalwart member of the X-Men and a former Avenger, as well as a solo agent in his own right, Wolverine’s globe-spanning adventures have seen him team up with countless heroes across the Marvel Universe. And sometimes that even includes villains, if the situation requires - including Sauron.
Created by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams back in 1969’s The X-Men #59, Sauron resides in the prehistoric Savage Land. Typically an enemy of the X-Men, prior to the settlement of the nation of Krakoa, Dr. Karl Lykos is a human scientist who transforms into an evil winged-lizard vampire after feeding off of mutant energy. Naturally, this was because he was bitten by a swarm irradiated pterodactyls. Initially created to be a giant bat, restrictions from the Comic Code Authority at the time forced Neal Adams to redesign Sauron as a Pteranodon, as traditional vampire imagery was forbidden from appearing in comic books bearing the Authority’s seal of approval.
In the story 'Sticks & Stones' by Steven S. DeKnight and artist Paulo Siqueira in Wolverine: Black, White & Blood #4, Wolverine is seen being inexplicably hunted by the villainous Sauron. After the two are attacked by a Tyrannosaurus rex, they decide to team up to battle the one responsible for their ambush, a Marvel villain whose goofiness almost matches that of Sauron himself: Garokk, the Petrified Man.
Not only do Logan and Sauron quickly dispatch the Savage Land’s would-be dictator, they learn that they work incredibly well together as a unit. Matching Logan’s callousness and no-nonsense approach to taking down bad guys, Sauron eventually earns his begrudging respect. That is before they resume their initial fight with one another.
What makes this story work is the fact DeKnight doesn’t shy away from Sauron’s inherent silliness but also doesn’t make simply portray him as a walking punchline. Famously, a panel from storyline featuring Sauron and fellow dinosaur-based villain Stegron in the pages of 2014’s Spider-Man and the X-Men became a widely-spread meme. While the line “…I don’t want to cure cancer. I want to turn people into dinosaurs,” is funny, it’s also not sustainable as a consistent interpretation of the character.
Sticks & Stones reminds readers that Sauron is a fun and lively character who, like the best Silver Age Marvel characters, can be adapted to serve a number of different storylines. And while it’s unlikely to see Sauron as the centerpiece of a major X-Men event anytime soon, it’s still good to see the more ridiculous characters of the Marvel Universe pop up now and again without total irony - especially if it's an unlikely team-up with Wolverine.
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