Romulus (Marvel Comics)

Superherobox|

imagesize=
character_name=Romulus
species=Lupus Sapiens
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut=Wolverine vol.3 #52
Wolverine vol.3 #53
creators=Jeph Loeb
Simone Bianchi
alliances=Weapon X
powers=Immortality or superhumanly prolonged lifespan
Animalistic traits
Possibly a healing factor
Superhuman intelligence

Romulus is a Marvel Comics supervillain. He is the leader of the Lupine, a split evolutionary strand where man has evolved from canines instead of primates. He is a mysterious character, always appearing in the shadows and covering his scent with oils.

Fictional character biography

He is first seen as a shadowy figure on top of a mountain, observing a battle between dark haired and blond-haired Lupines in prehistoric times in one of Wolverine's dreams. [Wolverine vol.3 #50] His next appearance shows him throwing a dark haired Lupine, who has killed a tribe of prehistoric men, in a fire, burning him badly, then throwing him in a lake nearby to wake him up, disappearing afterwards. [Wolverine vol.3 #51] In the next dream, he leads an army of Lupines riding on elephants into battle, possibly in barbaric times [Wolverine vol.3 #52] .

Wolverine's next flashback depicts a gladiator battle in a colosseum in Ancient Rome, with two gladiators fighting a group of tigers. One gladiator gets badly wounded, while the other finishes off the tigers. The standing gladiator looks up at Romulus, who is shown as an emperor, and tells him he awaits his decision. Romulus raises a thumb down, and the standing gladiator proceeds to cut off the wounded one's head. The head rolls off and reveals it belonged to a blonde-haired Lupine. [Wolverine vol.3 #53]

Yet another flashback shows Wolverine in Japan, attempting to kill Sabretooth in their first encounters, as ordered by The Hand, only to be stopped by what appears to be Romulus himself. [Wolverine vol.3 #52-53]

In present day, Romulus augments Wild Child's powers and sends him to retrieve Sabretooth, who is captured and being interrogated in Africa, in Black Panther's mansion. It is shown that Sabretooth fears the mere mention of Romulus' name. Wild Child succeeds in bringing Sabretooth to Romulus, who then erases all humanity from Sabretooth, taking away his intelligence as well as the ability to speak. [Wolverine vol.3 #53]

As Wolverine invades the Weapon X facility, he gets attacked by the wild Sabretooth, and as he gets his eyes gouged out, he falls unconscious and has another flashback. This time it shows Wolverine in his tank during the Weapon X program, with The Professor and Sabretooth monitoring him. Romulus appears and admonishes Sabretooth for misbehaving, to which Sabretooth replies with obedience. It is shown that Sabretooth knew all along about Romulus and his activities. Romulus proceeds to make a remark, stating how his understanding of genetics is far greater than the likes of Xavier or Essex. The Professor states that there would not be a Weapon X program without Romulus, and erases Wolverine's memory. [Wolverine vol.3 #54]

After Wolverine retrieves the Muramasa blade and kills the wild Sabretooth, Wild Child appears before him, and tells him how Romulus has caused Wolverine to have all those flashbacks. He also tells him that two Lupines always emerge from the pack, one black and one blonde, and that only one can survive. Here, Romulus appears for the first time in the present for a brief moment behind Wolverine, telling him that everything he's learned so far of his past is true, and then proceeds to disappear together with Wild Child. [Wolverine vol.3 #55]

His last appearance is hinted to be as the voice speaking to Wild Child in Wolverine vol.3 #56, where he was most likely behind Wolverine's imprisonment and torture at the hands of an unknown company.

Powers and abilities

Little is known about the full extent of Romulus' powers, but it is presumed he has all the abilities of other Lupines, except at a greater scale. He is also shown to have great intelligence, having a profound understanding of genetics, and seemingly being able to slow down or even completely reverse the process of aging, having lived for thousands of years.

Footnotes