Wolfsbane (comics) - Powers and Abilities

Powers and Abilities

Wolfsbane is a mutant with the ability to transform herself into a wolf at will, while retaining her human intelligence, or into a transitional form which combines human and lupine aspects; while this ability is lycanthropy, it is not magical in nature, but a complex biological function involving the mutant X-gene. She can change into a humanoid lupine form resembling a werewolf, or become an actual red wolf. In either form, Wolfsbane has enhanced senses of hearing, sight, and smell (similar to those of a wolf's, but also superior to them); animal-like strength, agility, and reflexes; razor-sharp talons and fangs; and bestial instincts. In lupine form she can also see into the infrared and ultraviolet portions of the spectrum, thereby enabling her to perceive heat patterns and to see in the dark. In her lupine form she can also hear sounds and detect scents outside the normal human range. In her transitional form she is less agile than she is as a wolf, but stronger than she is in human form. In her transitional form she can speak, use her forepaws as hands and easily stand erect, and at least some of her senses remain superhumanly acute. Danielle Moonstar's former telepathic talent, which enabled her to communicate with animals, allowed her to communicate with Wolfsbane to a limited degree when she was in her lupine form or "transitional" humanoid-wolf form; in lupine form Wolfsbane may have more difficulty understanding complex human concepts. Rahne later learned to enter different transitional forms which vary slightly in appearance. In her "absolute" lupine form, she possesses superhuman strength and durability. She possesses regenerative abilities which allow her to recover from injuries in a few days which would incapacitate a normal human for weeks or months.

Wolfsbane's human form is normal in appearance, originally with the exception that her hair never grew more than a few centimeters long; this limitation has been since then removed by a temporary biological change into a "mutate" by the Genengineer on the island of Genosha during the X-Tinction Agenda storyline. The artificial mutation process Wolfsbane underwent caused her to act with animalistic savagery in her lupine and "absolute" forms. Rahne was shown to exhibit her keen sense of smell while in human form, sensing traces of blood and spittle on teammate Strong Guy's hand, (identifying who the fluids belonged to) despite him having already wiped it clean. This was followed by Siryn's sonic-scream, leaving Wolfsbane's "doggy-ears...ringing for a week" implying her hearing is also enhanced in human form. Rahne mentions to Rictor that she indeed has her wolf senses in her human form but changed the subject before explaining further.

While a member of the second X-Factor team, Rahne wore a special uniform made of "unstable molecules" that converts to a collar in her non-human forms.

After her teammate Elixir altered her DNA to match that of her unborn child's strength she demonstrated greatly increased superhuman strength, and Elixir believed her to be bulletproof. Furthermore her senses have become further heightened to the point that she was able to smell out a missing teammate nearly a mile away and underground. After returning to X-Factor, she stated that she is almost impenetrable. After giving birth to her child, these extra abilities have faded and she has returned to her original levels of strength and durability.