Sabretooth Proves He's Much Smarter Than the X-Men, or Comic Fans, Know

While Sabretooth has always been seen as a bloodthirsty brute who murders mindlessly, his new series proves that he's much smarter than anyone knows.

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Sabretooth #3

Throughout his Marvel Comics career, Sabretooth has mostly been portrayed as a vicious, bloodthirsty brute who is seemingly more animal than man, though in his current ongoing series, Victor Creed proves he is much smarter than the X-Men, or anyone for that matter, gave him credit for.

Sabretooth is a mutant with abilities nearly identical to that of Wolverine. Creed has the ability to pick up the scent of his victims, as well as a healing factor that could be even stronger than Wolverine's, and razor-sharp claws. While it seems like Sabretooth and Wolverine would be a match made in heaven because of their similarities, Sabretooth has always acted as something of a dark reflection of Wolverine, a narrative tool used to show what could happen if Wolverine broke bad. Sabretooth is a monster who lacks sympathy and just simply enjoys killing, even if it puts him in hot water, and if Wolverine didn’t keep his humanity in check, he could end up just like him. Because of his lack of development in past storylines aside from basically just being a cautionary tale for Wolverine, it has always been assumed that he was just a mindless brute – though fans recently learned that that misconception couldn’t be further from the truth.

In Sabretooth #3 by Victor LaValle and Leonard Kirk, Sabretooth and his fellow prisoners within the depths of Krakoa’s Pit are working on an escape plan, one which was formed by Sabretooth himself. During his time in the Pit, Sabretooth found a way to temporarily merge with the island and push his consciousness out onto its surface, possessing plant life that collectively takes on his likeness. Basically becoming the X-Men's king of Hell, Sabretooth teaches the inmates to also possess the plant life, and he tells them to contact a few specific mutants who can help them all escape. However, while the mutants Sabretooth is trapped in the Pit believe Sabretooth is just trying to break them all out of their imprisonment, Sabretooth’s actual plan is much grander and could mean the downfall of Krakoa. Sabretooth tells the other inmates to push their consciousnesses to the surface of Krakoa and make contact with the mutants who can break them out of the Pit, but they fail to carry out his orders and instead spread the word of their hellish punishment to any mutant that will listen, which is exactly what Sabretooth wanted all along.

Rather than simply escaping, Sabretooth's new series shows he wants to create a mutant insurrection against Xavier and the entire Quiet Council of Krakoa, and he decides the best way to go about creating an uprising is by revealing how inhumane the Krakoan Pit really is. Sabretooth knew his fellow inmates wouldn’t follow his orders no matter what he told them to do given how skeptical they have been of Sabretooth since they first encountered him in the Pit, and that is exactly what Sabretooth was counting on. Not only does his latest scheme prove he is highly intelligent, but this issue gives readers a glimpse into Sabretooth’s past successes in breaking down regimes and toppling governments. Sabretooth’s healing factor grants him a very long life, just like Wolverine, and Sabretooth used his life in different covert-ops groups with his most notable being Weapon X.

This issue details how he was able to dismantle the strongest world powers throughout history, not by using his teeth or claws, but with tactics and cunning. From his latest villainous plot to his impressive history that has been virtually kept quiet until now, Sabretooth proves that he is much smarter than the X-Men, or comic fans, know.

Next: The X-Men's First Fight with Juggernaut Isn't The One Fans Think

Look for Sabretooth #3 now available from Marvel Comics!