Over the past decade or so and thanks in part to the success of James Mangold's Logan, X-23/Wolverine/Laura Kinney has been used as an X-Man more often than others. She’s been used by different writers as a foil to Logan/Wolverine because she was originally supposed to just be a female version of him but since then, she’s evolved into something so much more.
This is all because of the changes she’s had over the years. Her character development, combined with a kind and caring audience, has made her a staple of the X-Men and Marvel doesn't seem keen on changing this positive upgrade. From the way she talks to so much more, here are ten ways X-23 has changed over the years.
10 She Talks More Casually
When Laura was first introduced in NYX, there was something very distinctive about her with the way that she spoke. She didn’t speak like all the other X-Men around her because she wasn’t raised as a kid; she was raised as a weapon. As a result, her method of speech was very succinct and to the point.
She very rarely wasted time on things like contractions or slang, preferring the formal vernacular of military reports. Recently, she seems to have grown out of that habit and is currently more assimilated to society, and her peers. She finally fits in in that regard.
9 Her New Fashion Sense Reflects Her Growth As A Person
Laura has changed her fashion sense as time went on. Much of this might have been comic mandate so that she could fit in more with the X-Men, but it also might be an allusion as to how her perception of herself changed over time.
She used to wear mostly dark Goth clothing, but that’s changed completely these days. She dresses in a much more sensible way with less revealing clothes, even incorporating parts of her costume into her everyday look. To top it all off, her costume has been redone to give it a more personal touch.
8 She Became Friendlier & Sociable
In New Mutants: Academy X, Laura was very abrasive, to say the least. She couldn’t do much but berate her classmates on their views. She even makes fun of Sooraya in their first few interactions because of the latter's belief in God.
This insensitivity was due to Laura's lack of understanding of friendship but as the series goes on, she develops deep bonds with those around her. So much so that she becomes close friends with Sooarya and the other girls at school.
7 She Learned The Value Of Family
When she had first met Wolverine, Laura didn’t think of him as her dad. She didn’t have a concept of what family was and viewed herself as a liability. She would often push herself to the limit not understanding what she meant to other people.
But as the story went on and characters like Belladonna or Gabby entered her life, Laura began to understand what family was and even began to view these two people as sisters. Even more recently in Dawn Of X, it’s implied that she sees Wolverine as a father.
6 She Has A Sense Of Identity Independent Of Wolverine
This is big with a lot of X-Men characters, especially those who happen to be clones. A lot of these clones struggle with identity and finding where they fit with people. With Laura, it doesn’t seem to be any different.
A lot of her stories have her struggling with her apparent immortality and how she fits into the big shoes that Wolverine left behind. She at first thinks she’s irreplaceable but as time moves on, she becomes more and more confident in herself and with her identity outside of Logan.
5 She Can Process Her Emotions Properly
This is a big one. At first, due to the misogyny of cape comics, Laura was constantly tormented, going through everything from sexual abuse to attempted murder. Laura had a comically tough life, and the writers made sure to hammer in the fact that she doesn’t know how to deal with it.
Originally, she used to inflict self-harm to get rid of those bad emotions, but these days she’s a lot more vocal about her discomfort and talks to people in a candid way about what’s hurting or bothering her. Thankfully, she now chooses healthier options for her mental health instead of the more toxic and self-destructive alternative.
4 Her Views On Romance Matured
Laura has dated quite a few people throughout her stories. In X-23, she dated Julian Keller, but the writer had also implied that she had feelings for Jubillee. There were a few other people she was set up with, but the most recent and iconic is Archangel.
Her relationship with him was much healthier than her relationship with Julian because she didn’t let him push her around. They had a healthy exchange, and they both eventually broke it off when they were both hurting from it, showing how much they’ve grown.
3 She Adopted The "Wolverine" Name
It’s crass that Laura still goes by X-23, as that is her clone name. For the longest time, she held onto it as her name and wouldn’t let it go or try to find a new codename. She probably did this to defy her destiny and make a legacy of her own even if she still acknowledged that she was a clone. That, and it was easy for other characters to call her X-23.
However, after Wolverine’s passing, she begins to use Wolverine. When she uses it she finds a certain power in it which she cherishes, to the point where even Wolverine admits that she’s also Wolverine.
2 She Developed A Moral Compass
Being raised as a war machine makes it hard for Laura to view right from wrong. In her first appearances she even only kills because that’s the only thing she’s good for. But as of recently, she’s developed a more complex moral code and she has become more aware of herself.
She no longer wants to die or kill other people around her; she's matured past petty violence, showing that she's grown from being a living weapon into a full-fledged human being.
1 She's Basically A New Character Now
This list isn’t comprehensive enough to list down all of the changes that Laura has gone through ever since her introduction. From going by X-23 to taking up the mantle of the Wolverine, she has truly undergone a metamorphosis, like a butterfly with sharp adamtanium wings.
Laura has become more mature and nuanced along with her fans who grew up reading and loving her adventures. She is now more of an adult rather than a wayward teenager and she's now a completely separate person who's so much more than just Logan's legacy but nonetheless, she keeps her place as an iconic Wolverine.