Born not with a name but a designation, X-23 was raised in a facility to become nothing more than a weapon. With the help of her mother, Laura was finally given a name and a chance at a real life. Finding her way to the X-Men and Logan, the man known as the Wolverine, Laura found a home.
After the death of Logan, Laura took on his mantle and became Wolverine, finding sisters of her own. The youngest, Gabby, came to live with Laura. Gabby and Laura lived together and became closer to their brother Akihiro. Laura has been both thrust into the role of mentor and sister, finding the family she lacked for most of her life.
The somewhat rare instance of a character appearing first in a cartoon series, Laura was created by writer Craig Kyle and debuted in an episode of X-Men Evolution in 2003. She made her comic debut in the mini-series NYX in 2004… Honestly, the less said about that, the better.
While having the same base powerset of claws, healing factor, and enhanced senses as her father, Laura has a few key differences. Her arms store 2 claws instead of 3. A singular claw can be found within each of her feet, much to Taskmaster’s chagrin.
Unlike Logan, who has adamantium coating across all of his bones, Laura only has adamantium coating on her claws. This allows her to be lighter, faster, and have a healing factor that can spend less time dealing with adamantium poisoning.
She’s appeared on many teams as both an X-Man and as part of Avenger’s Academy. Most recently, she was elected to Krakoa’s first team of X-Men.
In a medium where characters tend to get caught in never-ending cycles of perpetuity, Laura is the rare instance of a major comic character who has been allowed to experience lasting character growth.
She has been able to come to terms with the trauma of her life without letting it define her. She is also not bogged down in the years of backstory retcons and genre tropes that have been heaped on Logan.
While she is just as, if not more capable then Logan, using a fighting style of precision and speed over the brutality of her father, she also does not feel tied down into the idea of needing to be alone. She has grown and has a network of family and friends to support her.
Gold
Enemy of The State II
October 2016 – March 2017
- All-New Wolverine #13-18
- Tom Taylor
- Nik Virella & Djibril Morissette-Phan
- Scott Hanna, Djibril Morissette-Phan, Nik Virella
- Michael Garland, Jesus Aburtov
- Cory Petit
The Plot
After receiving a delivery of trigger scent, Laura takes Gabby and Jonathan to an isolated safe house. What was meant to be a safe hideout turns into a bloodbath when planes appear overhead dumping trigger scent all over the small town.
Now Laura needs to discover who from her past is looking to control her through the trigger scent while avoiding Nick Fury and SHIELD, who are looking to bring Laura to justice for the carnage inflicted…. but not all is as it appears.
Why We Love It
All-New Wolverine is very much about Laura’s growth into a true hero while confronting her past. This arc really pulls from everything before, allowing Laura to fully confront and overcome it.
The climactic fight between Laura and Kimura leads to the best moment the character has had to date, where she rejects the title of X-23 and the idea that she is a weapon. She is so much more… a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a hero. She is Wolverine.
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Silver
Orphans of X
October 2017 – January 2018
- All-New Wolverine #25-30
- Tom Taylor
- Juan Cabal & Leonard Kirk
- Juan Cabal & Leonard Kirk
- Nolan Woodard & Jesus Aburtov
- Cory Petit
The Plot
Wolverine’s are being hunted. Mysterious group the Orphans of X are looking to take out anyone connected to the mutant known as Wolverine and, with the acquisition of the Muramasa blade, they have just what they need to succeed.
Laura must rescue her family and address just who the Orphans of X truly are.
Why We Love It
As a story starring a legacy character, Orphans of X does a wonderful job exploring with just how Laura deals with that legacy. Years of comics have showcased a lot of death and destruction following Wolverine, and Taylor is able to give voice to that not from a single super-powered enemy we see so often in these types of stories, but from a whole network of people who have had their lives destroyed.
Laura needs to find a solution to a problem her claws cannot fix. It is also the only story involving the Muramasa blade I can think of that doesn’t fall into the category of being overly convoluted. The bit of backstory covered here makes (comic book) sense and helps drive the plot.
Also, Cabal’s art may be the stronger here than at any other point in the run and the Honey Badger splash page is amazing.
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Origins: Innocence Lost & Target X
March 2005 – July 2007
- X-23 #1-6
- X-23: Target X #1-6
- Craig Kyle & Chris Yost
- Billy Tan, Mike Choi & Sonia Oback
- John Sibal, Mike Choi & Sonia Oback
- Brian Haberlin, Mike Choi & Sonia Oback
- Cory Petit & Troy Peteri
The Plot
Two six-issue mini-series that provide a solid origin for Laura. In Innocence Lost, Laura’s birth and early life are told primarily through Sarah Kinney, a brilliant geneticist hired to clone Logan for Alchemax, a company looking to develop a weapon that they can control. A growing attachment to her daughter and disdain for those running the project will force Sarah to take down the program and free her daughter.
In Target X, the latter part of Laura’s time with Alchemax is revisited, specifically the introduction of her handler and tormentor Kimura, through flashbacks as Laura has been captured and interrogated by Captain America for the crimes she has committed.
Why We Love It
Often superhero origins are spread out over a bunch of issues and retcons from various writers that often contradict each other, Laura benefits from having a cohesive story written in part by her creator.
The two mini-series not only establish a comprehensive origin, but also showcase friends, allies, and primary antagonist. The scenes between Laura, Captain America, and Daredevil are engaging and provide a stark contrast for how Laura is viewed originally to how she is viewed today.
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Bronze
X-23: One-Shot
March 2010
- X-23 #1
- Marjorie Liu
- Filipe Andrade & Nuno Alves
- Jay Leisten, Nuno Alves, & Sandu Florea
- SotoColor & Nuno Alves
- Clayton Cowles
The Plot
While on a mission in NYC with Logan and Jubilee, Laura comes across old friends that helped her before the X-Men. Laura’s mind is taken over by the villain “Gamemaster.”
With another antagonist looking to control her, Laura must learn how to fight not only for others, but for herself as well.
Why We Love It
This one-shot was the first time Laura was written by Marjorie Liu and includes the first steps for Laura to establish a sense of agency and self-worth are taken against another adversary who sees her more as a tool than as a person. This idea becomes a central theme in Liu’s run and in Laura’s stories since.
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The Vault
January 2020, February – March 2021
- X-Men #5, #18-19
- Jonathan Hickman
- R.B. Silva & Mahmud Asrar
- R.B. Silva & Mahmud Asrar
- Marte Gracia & Sunny Gho
- Clayton Cowles
The Plot
After the re-emergance of the Children of The Vault, a group of highly evolved beings raised within the hold of a ship where temporal acceleration where minutes on the outside are months on the inside.
Wolverine, Sync, and Darwin are sent on an impossible mission to infiltrate the vault and assess the threat, no matter how long it takes.
Why We Love It
The most recent story on this primer really showcases Laura’s place within the population of Krakoa with her last mission before being elected to the first team of Krakoan X-Men.
Hickman’s sci-fi plot using the mixture of temporal acceleration linked to the established science of the resurrection protocols provides a heightened sense of urgency to the escape the Vault, no matter how long it takes and what the cost is. The romance that builds between Sync and Laura before becoming one-sided was surprisingly well done for the limited space of these issues.
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Father Lost
April 2016
- All-New Wolverine #7
- Tom Taylor
- Marcio Takara
- Marcio Takara
- Jordan Boyd
- Cory Petit
The Plot
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl shows up demanding Wolverine’s help to reunite a family of squirrels that were separated when, in a previous issue, Wolverine sent a tank crashing into their home (tree).
Laura learns to balance the needs of the community (of squirrels) she protects while also learning how to be a big sister.
Why We Love It
It’s the first appearance of Jonathan, the actual Wolverine! What else do you need?
Okay but seriously, the best part of this issue is Laura coming to grips with how Logan leaving a young Laura at the Xavier institute, may not be the best way to deal with a new family member. Having this experience to grow and figure out what is best for her and Gabby. Just because she’s now Wolverine, doesn’t mean she has to make the same choices Logan did.
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Misadventures in Babysitting
November 2011 – December 2011
- X-23 #17-19
- Marjorie Liu
- Sana Takeda
- Sana Takeda
- Sana Takeda
- Cory Petit
The Plot
While contemplating her place post-Schism, Laura gets to spend a night in New York City babysitting Franklin and Valeria Richards while dealing with her ex-boyfriend. What could go wrong?
Why We Love It
The story itself seems relatively low-stakes, but Liu and Takeda’s last multi-issue arc of their run highlights the skill they will end up bringing into their future series, Monstress.
The ability to weave slice of life aspects (babysitting and boyfriends) with time and space traveling acts of super-heroism. It also shows growth as someone who had been seen as a villain by Captain America is now trusted enough by Susan Storm to leave her children in Laura’s care.
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