BIOGRAPHY - Page 7
Through unknown benefactors, Sabretooth soon went through the same Adamantium bonding process to which Wolverine had been subjected so many years before. As a result, Sabretooth now possessed an unbreakable skeleton and metal claws, at a time when Logan had lost his. The first use of these new advantages was directed at Wolverine, who was about to marry the Viper in order to complete an obligation and keep Madripoor safe. No sooner had the ceremony concluded did Sabretooth appear and murder the minister. Gleefully, he asked if Wolverine really thought he could get married without Creed killing the bride. With Wolverine using nothing but bone claws, the advantages all belonged to Sabretooth and it was only by the intervention of Shadowcat that Wolverine survived. [Wolverine (2nd series) #126]
In a twist of logic, however, Sabretooth declined to press his advantage against his old foe, but actually teamed up with Wolverine and Shadowcat against the forces of the Hand and Hydra. Both organizations had moved in on Madripoor, intending to claim the island nation as their own. In his twisted, long-held admiration of the near-anarchist locale, Sabretooth feared that the Hand and Hydra would try to tame the island with their rules and regulations. Together, the three rid the island of both organizations, after which Sabretooth departed without any further threats, confident that he could beat Wolverine any time he wanted now. [Wolverine (2nd series) #127-128]
Returning to his mercenary lifestyle, Sabretooth was soon employed by a fellow mutant, Hoo, to help break into Worthington Industries. There, Hoo’s employers believed that the government was secretly trying to recreate Forge’s neutralizer weapon, capable of eliminating a mutant’s powers. Coming up with an unorthodox plan, Sabretooth utilized Hoo’s ability to swap the minds of two people, putting his mind in Wolverine’s body. Posing as Wolverine, Sabretooth then tricked Archangel into taking him into the Worthington Industries research facility. However, before Sabretooth could work to steal the research, Wolverine arrived (in Sabretooth’s body), giving Archangel the opportunity to destroy the facility’s machinery. In the aftermath, Sabretooth’s mind was restored to his own body and he escaped, having no idea that if he had provided the research to Hoo’s employer, Sebastian Shaw, he would have been the first victim of the recreated neutralizer. [X-Men Unlimited (1st series) #17]
Though having considered himself a predator his whole life, Sabretooth nonetheless became the prey when he found himself the quarry of the bounty hunter named Teneber, who hunted him through the snowy Canadian Rockies. During the chase, Sabretooth found that his enhanced senses and animalistic instincts worked against him, as Teneber used ultrasonic broadcasts and 
scent trickery to foil his hearing and sense of smell. Even Teneber’s bullets neutralized Sabretooth’s healing factor, the rounds being delayed explosives which would detonate only after Sabretooth had begun to heal from the initial wound. Eventually, however, Sabretooth learned to suppress his animalistic side and relied on his human logic to get close enough to disarm Teneber. Rather than killing him, Sabretooth stripped Teneber naked and abandoned him to the wilderness, giving him the chance to survive if he could be more like an animal. [X-Men Unlimited (1st series) #40]
Possibly as a result of being hunted, Sabretooth decided it was past time to eliminate a potential threat who wanted him dead: Elena Ivanova. Through an intermediary, Sabretooth supplied information as to his location, prompting Elena to enter his trap in the tunnels beneath Manhattan. Sabretooth very nearly succeeded in killing Elena, but was stopped at the last minute by Elena’s friend and Sabretooth’s former Team X teammate, Maverick. No match for Sabretooth himself, Maverick created a flashflood in the tunnels, which swept Sabretooth away. [Maverick #5-7]
When Apocalypse decided to create a new Horseman of Death, he planned to make two candidates fight for the honor, proving which was the strongest. To this end, Apocalypse chose Sabretooth and Wolverine. While Creed relished in the idea of more power and more 
opportunities for slaughter, Logan fought to become the Horseman only out of fear of what Creed would do if he were chosen. Despite his greater speed, strength and new Adamantium skeleton and claws, Sabretooth found himself bested by Wolverine. Worse, Apocalypse wished to augment Wolverine, and to that end recreated the process of Wolverine’s Adamantium implantation and used the Adamantium in Sabretooth’s body as the source material. Sabretooth raged at the indignity and Apocalypse’s “mistake.” Nevertheless, the process proceeded and Sabretooth lost his Adamantium advantage, while Wolverine (at least temporarily) became the next Horseman of Apocalypse. [Wolverine (2nd series) #145]
His healing factor completely overwhelmed by the experience, Sabretooth barely survived. He sought aid from a centuries old cult in the Andes Mountains of Argentina, the Blood Tigers, who worshiped the experience of the hunt. Believing him to be the “God of the Hunt,” they assisted in his recuperation, until the arrival of Gambit and his friend, Courier. Seeking out Mister Sinister, Gambit and Courier required Sabretooth’s aid in locating one of Sinister’s hidden bases. Reluctantly, Sabretooth agreed to aid them, hoping that Sinister would be able to jumpstart his healing factor. After locating the facility and making short work of the Marauder clones guarding it, the trio faced Sinister himself, who ultimately agreed to give Gambit the information he desired, as well as material to restore Sabretooth’s healing factor, in exchange for genetic material from the unique mutant Courier. [Gambit (3rd series) #8-9] Despite the restoration of his healing factor, Sabretooth’s condition worsened. The very presence of Adamantium in his system for so long had made him dependent on the substance, and he began to suffer from Adamantium withdrawal. Despite all of their shared past, Gambit felt honor bound by Sabretooth’s assistance and went so far as to procure a source of Adamantium, ironically from the coils of Sabretooth’s old partner, the Constrictor. With the Adamantium, Gambit’s employer, the New Son, was able to stabilize Sabretooth’s biochemistry. [Gambit (3rd series) #11]
Months later, Sabretooth was seen protecting Mister Sinister when the Neo named Domina attacked the scientist’s base. Domina blamed Sinister for his part in the High Evolutionary’s recent anti-mutant regression wave that led to many Neo deaths. The powerful Domina evidently was so formidable that she killed both Sinister and Sabretooth. [X-Men (2nd series) #102]
[Note: Sinister had previously stated that he no longer possessed Sabretooth’s genetic makeup, and thus could not clone him as he did the rest of the Marauders. This seems unlikely and actually flies in the face of logic, as Sinister provided Gambit with a genetic sample of Sabretooth’s healing factor. As for their deaths at the hands of Domina, it is most likely that this was actually a clone of Sabretooth, which would have amused Sinister greatly since he had just claimed that he could not create one.]
Despite his brutal treatment of her and the murder of Trevor Chase’s parents, Mystique recruited Sabretooth for her latest Brotherhood of Mutants. Possibly due to her dramatically ambitious plan to create a version of the Legacy Virus to kill all humans on the planet, Mystique felt her animosity against Sabretooth was less important. Together with the new Brotherhood, Sabretooth invaded Muir Island and tore into the mutants staying there. In fact, he would have killed Wolfsbane had Bishop not interfered, blasting him with several energy bolts. As the rest of the X-Men turned their attention to Mystique and her plans, Sabretooth recovered enough to escape in the confusion. [Dream’s End crossover]
Looking for work, Sabretooth found himself summoned to an inner city New York establishment to meet a potential client. The employer, however, turned out to be the mysterious Director, head of a revitalized Weapon X project, intent on assembling a team of mutants to do its bidding. After being gassed, Sabretooth woke up to find himself once again about to undergo the Adamantium 
bonding process. Though he had raged at losing his metal before when Apocalypse had removed it, Sabretooth was incensed at its return without his consent. Upon awakening after the procedure, Sabretooth moved to kill the first people he saw. However, much to his surprise, he found himself mentally inhibited from doing so, thanks to a sub-dermal version of the inhibitor collar he had worn during his time with X-Factor. At this point, Sabretooth was presented with an offer to join the new Weapon X project, one he literally could not refuse. [Wolverine (2nd series) #160, 162, 164]
Ironically, Sabretooth’s first mission was to extract Wolverine, who was being held prisoner in the Cage, a facility for containing super-powered individuals. After delivering him to Weapon X, Sabretooth was then assigned to bring in Maverick. He was aided by John Wraith, who had agreed to join Weapon X on his own due to fear. Though Maverick fought fiercely, Sabretooth got 
the drop on Maverick and tore open a hole in his chest with his Adamantium claws. Creed then turned his attention back to Wraith, intending to kill him for simply being a mystery. However, before he could finish the job, Sabretooth was teleported back to the Weapon X facility to take care of Wolverine, who had broken free and was wreaking havoc. Clearly with the upper hand this time, Sabretooth was about to finish off Wolverine until the X-Man was rescued by the Beast and the mysterious Shiver Man. Though Sabretooth survived none the worse for the encounter, he clearly was no match for the Shiver Man. [Wolverine (2nd series) #165-166]
Meanwhile, Sabretooth brought the dying Maverick to the Weapon X program, offering him a chance to survive if he agreed to serve them. Reluctantly, Maverick agreed to become part of Weapon X and undergo enhancement, but only if his original identity could remain a secret. It is in this way that the mysterious Agent Zero was recruited, with his true identity known only to Sabretooth, the Director and Brent Jackson. [Weapon X: the Draft – Agent Zero #1]
Over the weeks that followed, Sabretooth continued forcibly to recruit new agents of Weapon X, such as his former X-Factor teammate Wild Child. Together, the two were sent to bring in Sunfire as another recruit but this attempt failed, with Sabretooth being burned in the process. A poorly received jest by Wild Child enraged Sabretooth, who severed his teammate’s vocal chords, so that he could not make such snappy remarks again. Additionally, upon returning to the Weapon X facility, he threatened the scientists not to restore Wild Child’s chatter box or else he would kill them. [Weapon X: the Draft – Wild Child #1]
Sabretooth’s next recruitment seemed to go better when he brought in Deadpool, though not without physical coercion. Deadpool became more enthusiastic about the project when he was given a treatment to cure his skin disfigurement, but quickly became disillusioned when the program ordered him to kill his former lover, Copycat. When Deadpool then attempted to get her to safety, Sabretooth and the rest of the Weapon X operatives were sent after her. However, it was Sabretooth who reached her first, killing her in the zoo where she was hiding. Anticipating Deadpool to attempt revenge, the Weapon X operatives were ordered back to headquarters. There, it was Sabretooth who stopped Deadpool, preventing him from finding and killing the Director. [Deadpool (2nd series) #57-60]
For all his appearances as a loyal operative for the program, Sabretooth continued his own side activities... in particular senseless murder. When supervisor Brent Jackson visited him in his off-facility apartment, Sabretooth thought nothing of showing the various mutilated bodies of his 
victims strewn about. Even worse for Jackson, Sabretooth demonstrated that he had an adolescent girl locked in a closet for “dessert.” Jackson immediately took the girl away and ordered Sabretooth to stop these activities. To Jackson’s surprise, Sabretooth promised to obey. Creed agreed to limit his killing to the program's primary targets - mutants - devilishly remarking to Jackson that they were the bosses. [Deadpool (2nd series) #59]
Though seemingly reined in, Sabretooth continued his subversive activities. His mental blocks indeed prevented him from bringing harm to any Weapon X operative, but they did not prevent him from stealing the Directors files (including his personal “Logan Files”) nor obtaining the Director’s activation codes. Using the codes, Sabretooth initiated the experimental Mutant Power Cannon, capable of deactivating mutant powers, and directed the beam via satellite to Wolverine, nullifying his powers. With the Logan Files, Sabretooth recruited Omega Red and Lady Deathstrike to his cause. After kidnapping Wolverine’s ward, Amiko, they crippled Yukio and then went after the depowered Wolverine, whom they beat to a pulp. [Wolverine (2nd series) #170-174]
When Omega Red and Lady Deathstrike brought Wolverine to him, Sabretooth cheated the pair, teleporting away with Wolverine and Amiko. Arriving in a wooded area, Sabretooth offered Wolverine a game for Amiko’s life. The game of cat and mouse led to where Amiko was being kept, the ruins of the original Weapon X program. Ultimately, Sabretooth bested his old foe and in his revelry revealed information from the Director’s Logan Files, in particular that Wolverine’s memory problems were the result of his own healing factor and not through manipulation.
With the knife twisted, Sabretooth went to kill Wolverine, only to have the arriving Director and Weapon X troops prevent him from finishing the job. Faced with capture, Sabretooth activated his teleportation device and fled. [Wolverine (2nd series) #175]
Now free of the Weapon X program, Sabretooth returned to his life as an assassin. After completing one job, he inadvertently happened across another assassination in progress. Though he had no intention of interfering, the assassin’s backup did not realize this and shot Sabretooth to prevent any witnesses. Enraged, Sabretooth attacked but soon found himself outmanned and escaped, taking along the assassins’ target, a beautiful woman named Bonnie Hale. When Bonnie’s pursuers continue at their task, Sabretooth learned from one that she has been infected with a bio-engineered plague, which would release in less than 72 hours. If she were not dead by then, it would be unleashed upon the world. At first, Sabretooth refused to believe the man, touched by Bonnie’s feelings for him and their physical intimacy, but ultimately accepted the story and killed her before the virus could be unleashed. Afterward, Sabretooth obtained his revenge by hunting down and killing the scientists responsible for the whole affair. [Sabretooth: Mary Shelly Overdrive #1-4]
Returning to his vendetta against Weapon X, Sabretooth began to use the stolen files to determine future recruits, so he could kill them. His first victim was the former Mutant Liberation Front member Locus. [Weapon X (2nd series) #1] Needing to find the other recruits before Sabretooth could reach them, Weapon X sent Aurora and Wild Child to bring in a teleporter, unaware that the supposed mutant was a fabrication created by Sabretooth before his escape to spring a trap. Savagely, Sabretooth beat and disfigured Aurora in front of Wild Child, who was intimidated into staying out of it by Creed. Sabretooth told Wild Child he would only kill Aurora if Kyle tried to intervene. [Weapon X (2nd series) #2]
In addition to murdering prospective mutant recruits, Sabretooth also began selling information from Weapon X’s files on mutants to those who met his price, including other governments which might want to start their own Weapon X projects. The open secret of Sabretooth’s offer found the ears of Omega Red, who by this time was in the hierarchy of New York’s Russian mob and was publicly an “honest businessman.” To that end, Omega Red offered this information to Agent Zero, whom Weapon X had assigned to track down Sabretooth. Oblivious to the danger, Sabretooth entered a meeting for a prospective buyer, only to find an ambush by Agent Zero. Unfortunately for Sabretooth, the trap was too well set and he was captured. [Weapon X (2nd series) #3]
Back in Weapon X custody, Sabretooth was implanted with more mental blocks by Mesmero, though even Mesmero’s mental coercion could not force Sabretooth to give up where he had hidden the stolen files. Nevertheless, Sabretooth was immediately assigned missions, such as the collection of non-useful mutants for the Neverland Camp and a personal mission of the Director’s, preventing his ex-wife from remarrying. [Weapon X (2nd series) #4-6]