Logan, codenamed the Wolverine, is one of the most famous mutants in the Marvel Universe. With the ability to heal himself from nearly any injury, a skeleton fused with the fantastically durable metal adamantium, a distinct trio of extendable claws on each arm, and a dour demeanor accompanied with a propensity for scathing one-liners, Logan is an instantly memorable and enduring addition to the roster of Professor Xavier's staff at his School for Gifted Youngsters. While some of his abilities were incurred as the result of experiments conducted by a shadowy organization hoping to create the ultimate living weapon, Wolverine has a long legacy of fighting tirelessly on the side of justice as a member of the X-Men.
However, Logan isn't the only character to have borne the moniker of Wolverine! X-23, better known to some as Laura Kinney, was cloned from Logan's DNA and possessed many of the same abilities and characteristics as her predecessor -- and in some instances, some might even argue that she surpasses her genetic benefactor! Laura was introduced in the X-Men: Evolution animated series and quickly made her way to the 616 before becoming better-known t0 moviegoers thanks to her appearance in the 2017 movie Logan. Like Wolverine, Laura is haunted by the circumstances of her origin, and while the two share plenty of common ground between themselves, they each possess their fair share of unique advantages. Here are ten ways that X-23 outshines Wolverine, and 10 ways that Logan has one up on Laura!
20 x-23: HAS A SIDEKICK
Even the most capable of superheroes can benefit from the talents of an able sidekick, sometimes at the most crucial moments. While Logan tends to work as a lone wolf, frequently pushing back against those who attempt to offer him their assistance, Laura works closely with her cloned sister and sidekick, Gabby.
While threats to Gabby's wellbeing do sometimes demand Laura's attention, Gabby has grown to be a powerful force in and of herself, taking on the codename Honeybadger. While Gabby possesses abilities similar to those claimed by Logan and Laura, Gabby feels no pain, allowing her to push her endurance to the limit when necessary.
19 WOLVERINE: AN ASTONISHING HISTORY
After making his first appearance in final panels of The Incredible Hulk #180 (1974) by Len Wein, Herb Trimpe, Jack Abel, and Christie Scheele, Logan has appeared in thousands of comics. In addition to serving as a member of the X-Men, he has headlined hundreds of miniseries and several self-titled ongoing books.
This storied history means that Logan has a plethora of possible narratives waiting to be explored. Logan's various adventures have accrued a number of relationships and conflicts between the surly mutant and the other denizens of the Marvel Universe, meaning Wolverine has a ton of drama to fuel future stories.
18 x-23: WORKS WELL WITH A TEAM
While Logan is famed for his work with the X-Men, Professor Xavier's team of mutants fighting for justice, he tends to be more of a loner, sometimes driving away those who might offer him assistance and support. By contrast, X-23 tends to work well with those around her.
X-23's ability to work well on a team is demonstrated in part by her inclusion on rosters like X-Force and X-Men Red. All-New Wolverine #33 - 35 (2018) by Tom Taylor, Ramon Rosanas, Nolan Woodard illustrates this knack for teamwork on a personal level, as Old Woman Laura assembles a team of friends from her past to execute one final mission.
17 WOLVERINE: SURLY BUT RELIABLE
While Logan's work with the X-Men is well-known, he's equally renowned for his solo adventures, both on the page and screen. But his gruff demeanor can sometimes hinder his ability to work with others, as demonstrated by his cameo in the 2011 movie X-Men: First Class.
This reluctant but steadfast loyalty is illustrated on the big screen by Logan (2017). Logan's loyalty to both Xavier and Laura is demonstrated time and again, as the aging Wolverine puts his life on the line to ensure the well-being of those closest to him -- cursing them every step of the way.
16 X-23: ENHANCED HEALING FACTOR
While X-23 was cloned from Logan, she was engineered with the specific goal of enhancing upon her predecessor's characteristics. In some instances, this resulted in an improvement on the skills Laura shares with Logan, including his ability to quickly heal from extreme bodily injury.
In All-New Wolverine #19 - 21 (2017) by Tom Taylor, Leonard Kirk, Cory Hamscher, and Michael Garland, a story arc called "Immunity" puts Laura's healing factor to the test, allowing her to survive exposure to an infectious extraterrestrial infection! This extreme limits of Laura's ability to heal herself that are demonstrated during this nail-biting tie-in to the ResurreXion event.
15 WOLVERINE: NAME RECOGNITION
Whether thanks to treachery or temporary fatality, several characters besides Logan have borne the codename of "Wolverine" since Logan was first introduced, including Logan's long-lost son Daken and Sabretooth. Nevertheless, when one hears the name "Wolverine," Logan is the character most likely to spring immediately to mind.
While branding may not be everything, it certainly helps, and Logan's name recognition as Wolverine gives him a distinct advantage over X-23. After Logan is imprisoned in adamantium by Doctor Cornelius, the founder of the Weapon X program, Laura bears the codename "Wolverine" during the run of her eponymous All-New Wolverine series from 2015 to 2018.
14 x-23: JONATHAN THE ACTUAL WOLVERINE
While Logan is known for his heroics, "adorable" is hardly the adjective that would be used to describe him. The same cannot be said for Jonathan, Laura and Gabby's pet wolverine.
Jonathan the Unstoppable (a nickname he earns after surviving a bullet fired by a deeply misguided burglar) joined forces with Laura and Gabby after escaping a scientific facility where he was subjected to medical testing. In All-New Wolverine #31 by Tom Taylor, Marco Failla, and Nolan Woodard, Gabby and Jonathan team up with Deadpool to infiltrate the facility from which Jonathan escaped -- and exact appropriate vengeance on Jonathan's former captors!
13 WOLVERINE: (BEGRUDGING) FRIENDS WITH DEADPOOL
With friends like this, who needs... well, you know the rest. While it is true that you sometimes get by with some help from your friends, in Deadpool #15 - 19 (2013) by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan, Declan Shalvey, and Jordie Bellaire, Deadpool uncovers a troubling fact about the common source of some of Wade and Logan's most amazing abilities: the Weapon X program!
When Wade calls for Logan's help, Logan answers the call, but he may come to regret it: in the 2016 movie Deadpool and its 2018 sequel Deadpool 2, the Merc with a Mouth can't stop talking about his favorite mutant, Wolverine.
12 X-23: NO DISTINCTIVE COSTUME
While Logan is closely associated with his most iconic costume, the blue-and-yellow spandex outfit he wore during his appearances in the wildly popular X-Men: The Animated Series, which aired from 1992 to 1997. By contrast, X-23 has had several different costumes since her first appearance in an episode of the X-Men: Evolution animated series in 2000.
During her time as the All-New Wolverine, Laura sported a costume similar to Logan's iconic duds. However, Laura has received another update to her costume since returning to the codename X-23, and the fact that the character has no particular costume associated with her provides endless potential for future sartorial improvement.
11 WOLVERINE: AN ICONIC APPEARANCE
By contrast, Logan's appearance is iconic, and it isn't just thanks to his costume: one of the most distinctive elements of the character's appearance are the two hair-horns that rise majestically above his expansive (if graying) muttonchops. While the hairstyle does give Logan's countenance a hint of the animal from which the mutant derives his codename, it also embodies the wild and untamed personality traits that define the gruff hero.
In fact, the hairstyle is so distinctive that the young friends of X-23 can't help but give Logan a makeover to match the iconic look in the 2017 movie Logan.
10 X-23: STAYIN' ALIVE (IN PRIMARY CONTINUITY)
In 2014, Logan succumbs to horrible experiments that were conducted upon him by Doctor Cornelius, and Wolverine was ultimately imprisoned in adamantium and temporarily taken out of commission. This wasn't the first time Logan had been defeated by his enemies, and while such fatalities are generally acknowledged to be temporary, there is an indelible mark left by a character who has returned from the grave (no matter how many times their resurrection occurs).
Unlike Logan, Laura has managed to survived without interruption since she first appeared in the 616 in NYX #3 (2004) by Joe Quesada, Joshua Middleton, and Jean-Francois Beaulieu.
9 WOLVERINE: SEVERAL DIFFERENT INCARNATIONS
In addition to being resurrected on multiple occasions, Logan can also claim the honor of having several different versions of himself co-existing alongside one another. Among the most famous of these parallel Logans is "Old Man Logan," a grizzled elderly version of the character who hails from a dark and futuristic parallel universe.
However, there are even more bizarre alternative versions of Logan that have been introduced over the decades. A recent notable incarnation is Li'l Wolvie, an innocent, pie-loving version of the character who made his first appearance in Exiles #1 (2018) by Saladin Ahmed, Javier Rodriguez, Alvaro Lopez, and Jordie Bellaire.
8 X-23: HAUNTED BY HER PAST DEEDS
Like Logan, Laura gained some of her fantastic abilities thanks to a shadowy criminal organization who hoped the experiments they performed would yield an unstoppable living weapon to unleash upon their enemies. While Logan is afflicted with amnesia that clouds his memories of his past, Laura remembers the violent misdeeds she committed at the behest of her captors with horrible clarity.
The memories of her dark past provide compelling motivation for Laura's actions, and her exploration of her past and attempts to deal with her memories have provided ample fodder for some fascinating stories about X-23's troubled and brutal personal history.
7 WOLVERINE: HAS NO MEMORY OF HIS PAST
While Laura is haunted by her past, Logan has no memory of his. In his first appearance on the big screen in 2000's X-Men, Logan has spent the past decade and a half wondering about his past, with no memories and only the military dog tags he wears around his neck as evidence of his history.
Logan's amnesia and his subsequent quest for information concerning his personal history have provided the impetus for a plethora of stories concerning the character, including a major subplot for the sequel to the original X-Men movie, 2003's X2: X-Men United, as well as the spinoff feature X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).
6 X-23: KEPT THE WOLVERINE LEGACY ALIVE
After Logan's defeat by the experiments of Doctor Cornelius, Laura rose to the occasion and accepted the inherent responsibilities that come with taking the codename Wolverine in All-New Wolverine #1 (2015) by Tom Taylor, David Lopez, David Navarrot, and Nathan Fairbain.
While Logan does eventually return from the grave and reclaim the title of Wolverine from Laura, during her time bearing the codename, Laura does Logan's legacy proud by resisting her programming as a living weapon and doing her part to reduce the amount of violence in the world by utilizing the fantastic abilities to ensure that justice is adequately served.
5 WOLVERINE: EXTREME HEALING FACTOR
While Laura's healing factor has allowed her to survive some fairly dire circumstances, when operating at peak capacity, Logan's healing factor is incredibly impressive, as well. Nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than in the 1987 Uncanny X-Men Annual by Chris Claremont, Alan Davis, Paul Neary, and Glynis Oliver.
In that issue, Logan's healing factor allows his entire body to re-generate from only a single drop of blood. While his healing factor may have been kicked into high-gear by the mysterious crystal upon which said drop of blood fell, this nevertheless constitutes a remarkable feat by Logan's uncanny abilities!
4 X-23: NO VICES
Although Laura was cloned from his DNA, she has managed to avoid some of the pratfalls that might accompany sharing a genetic code with Logan. The brusque Canadian mutant is not only known for his messy and chaotic fighting style, but he's also renown for his affinity for cigars and booze.
Although Laura's avoidance of substance abuse can prove to be an asset in many situations, there is one instance in which Logan's affection for booze proves invaluable: in Astonishing X-Men #17 (2005) by Joss Whedon, David Cassaday, and Laura Martin, Logan is able to escape the effects of a powerful psychic whammy thanks in part to his affection for beer.
3 WOLVERINE: ENTIRE SKELETON FUSED WITH ADAMANTIUM
Laura was able to escape her captors before they successfully fused the entirety of her skeleton with adamantium, but Logan was unable to avoid the same fate. While the process was excruciatingly painful and only possible thanks to his healing factor, there are some pretty serious benefits that come with having an adamantium-fused skeleton, including being pretty near indestructible!
Thanks to Logan's amazing healing factor, he is able to regenerate not only the naturally occurring bone in his skeleton but the adamantium that has been fused with it as well, although the regrowth of the incredibly durable adamantium metal takes a considerable amount of time.
2 X-23: HAS CLAWS ON HER FEET
Both Laura and Logan have six claws apiece, but two of Laura's claws extend from her feet rather than her hands. In the 2017 movie Logan, Professor X idly theorizes that the different occurrence of her claws might be due to Laura's gender, comparing the placement of her claws to that of a female lion.
While Logan's claws are still incredibly dangerous, thanks in part to the fact that they have been fused with adamantium, the unique placement of Laura's claws give her the chance to be especially dangerous in battle -- especially since uninformed enemies might neglect to notice the placement of X-23's foot claws!
1 WOLVERINE: THREE CLAWS ON EACH HAND
There is one way in which Logan indisputably has one up on Laura: the number of retractable claws he has on each hand! While each of Laura's hands has only a pair of extending claws, Logan's trio of adamantium-fused razor-sharp claws on each hand allow him to leave his distinctive mark wherever he pleases.
While Laura may have a pair of claws located on the end of her legs as well as her arms, Logan has used the claws on his hands to great effect over the years, perhaps most famously to perform the "Fastball Special," a unique attack that propels all six of Wolverine's claws literally flying at his enemies. Snikt, indeed!