According to our good friends at Nerdist, they have it on good authority that the villainous collective facing Wolverine in his forthcoming third solo film is/are….the Reavers. Wait, who are the Reavers? Well, they’re a sloppy looking bunch of fiercely effective, cybernetic assassins under the employ of one Donald Pierce. You see, Donald Pierce is actually a member of the Hellfire Club (remember them?), and…he hates the X-Men. He really, really hates the X-Men. Because he hates the X-Men, he created the the Reavers to hunt them down and exact his revenge; the X-Men and Pierce tangled on occasion, and it didn’t end well for Pierce. So, are they the villains in Wolverine 3? Potentially. And if so, this is a very interesting choice.
Wolverine 3 is set in a relatively distant future featuring an older Wolverine; it’s apparently based on a more contemporary Wolverine comic story titled “Old Man Logan.” In “Old Man Logan,” the super-villains effectively killed all the superheroes and, after their collective victory, decided to divide the United States between them.
So, how does this setting connect to the Reavers? Nerdist speculates that Donald Pierce and the Reavers (which tends to include Lady Deathstrike) are backed by either the Hellfire Club or Essex Corp. The club or corporation, both interested in the destruction, manipulation, or creation of mutants, will probably be a thorn in Wolverine’s side. Hell, they’ll probably try to capture him for further experimentation.
Another interesting tidbit: it’s also speculated Wolverine 3 will take some liberties with the Reavers, creating cybernetic soldiers looking very much like classic foes from Wolverine’s past. It’s already rumored Liev Schreiber will be returning as Sabretooth, so perhaps he’ll be a rebuilt foe manufactured by the genetic/cybernetic brilliance of one Mister Sinister, CEO of Essex Corp. Perhaps.
So, what do you think about the Reavers’ inclusion? Let us know below!
