Sabretooth
Real Identity: Victor Creed
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
The primary antagonist in this movie is Stryker, but I already did him in X-Men 2. So we’re going to go with Sabretooth, even though he’s more of a henchman. But he has a close relationship with Logan and has just as much screen time.
Characteristics and Powers: Sabretooth’s primary form of attack is the “fingernails of a bag lady,” similar to Logan’s bone claws but more like a cat’s with the curve and shape. Accompanying that is feline-like agility, as he’s always jumping from thing to thing. He also has the same healing factor as Logan, which contributes to his longevity. He was of fighting age during the Civil War, so that means he’s about 140 around the time this movie takes place.
His powers suit his personality–he just likes killing. Doesn’t care who. This is the divide between him and Wolverine, who’s in constant conflict with being human and animal. Sabretooth is not one of the higher evolutions like Magneto’s always talking about. He embraces his animality.
Relationship to the Hero(es): So this movie starts with a batshit prologue where Logan is sick and his “friend” Victor is staying beside him. Then there’s a scuffle downstairs, and Victor’s dad shoots Logan’s dad. Only it wasn’t really Logan’s dad, because (twist) Victor’s dad is Logan’s dad! At least for 10.2 seconds because Logan’s bone claws manifest and he kills him. Anyway, the point is Victor and Logan run away. Then they fight in every American war on the continent (but not the Canadian wars, for some reason. *shrug*).
None of this has anything to do with the plot of the movie, subsequent movies, or previous movies. But suffice to say, Logan and Victor have a long history together, but it splits when Sabretooth kills his superior officer (who tried to stop him from raping a girl) during a special operation in Vietnam. The team disbands and everyone goes their separate ways.
Six years later, Wolverine’s trying to live his own life as a lumberjack. But Sabretooth comes back in the picture, killing/kidnapping other mutants, including the old team. Logan doesn’t think he can defeat Sabretooth without an advantage. Enter Stryker, who bonds adamantium to Logan’s skeleton. Unbeknownst to him but knownst to us, Sabretooth is working with Stryker.
Goals/Motivation: Looks like Sabretooth didn’t leave Stryker’s side. Victor is killing or kidnapping mutants. The ultimate goal? To make one conglomerated super-mutant. (More on that in a minute.) But the one thing I don’t get is how we transition from dead mutant to monster part. Like, is he taking out organs? DNA? Stem cells? Why is it okay for some mutants to be dead and some alive? Like, didn’t he leave the not-Nightcrawler teleporter from the Black Eyed Peas in the alley, and then the final result has teleporting powers? Is the mutation just floating in the aether now? Is this like Highlander? There can be only one.
Relatability: None. Sabretooth is a down-and-dirty psychopath. A thug. A henchman. A minor obstacle on the way to the big bad guy. He’s a moron–he works for Stryker, then is surprised when he decides to keep the mutants locked up. And for some reason, he STILL follows orders to stop Silverfox, which prompts the final confrontation between him and Wolverine. The latter wins, but chooses not to kill him. You see how every event in this movie is connected by threads thinner than a spider’s gossamer silk?
Fun Factor: Well, if you always dreamed of being a furry, this is probably a step in the right direction. You get kitty claws, which might be good for opening plastic bags, but you also get an awkward cat run. Humans are not supposed to walk like tigers. It looks ridiculous.
Fatal Flaw: Stryker tells Wolverine that, to defeat his brother, he has to “become the animal.” But the difference between Sabretooth and Wolverine is that Wolverine fights so that he doesn’t become the animal. Showing Sabretooth mercy leads to him lending a helping hand during the final fight with Weapon XI (we won’t call him “Deadpool”) which is the final result of all the mutant powers Stryker’s been collecting–teleportation, Baraka arm swords, healing factor, laser eyes, electricity control, and probably more.
Method of Defeat: In this case, he’s not really defeated. Victor just kind of… walks away after Weapon XI is defeated. I guess there’s a promise that they’ll meet again, but when you remember that their reunion happens in the first X-Men, when Sabretooth looks like Ron Perlman from the Beauty and the Beast TV series, it’s pretty lame.
Final Rating: ★
