Although she had an unlikely path to prominence, X-23 has evolved into one of the most popular mutant heroes in the X-Men's world. In comics and on the big screen, this young clone of Wolverine has defied the odds to become one of Marvel's most beloved young heroes.

However, though the years, the precise nature of her first appearance has been somewhat murky. Although she officially debuted in the X-Men: Evolution cartoon, one popular fan theory suggested that her true origins were even earlier than that. Now, we're taking a closer look at the rumors and the truth to see how X-23 really got her start in comics and TV.

RELATED: X-23: How Marvel Turned The All-New Wolverine Into A Cosmic POWERHOUSE

X-Men: Evolution

X-Men-Evolution-X-23

Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost created X-23 in an episode of the animated series X-Men: Evolution. Much like Harley Quinn before her, X-23 became a recurring part of a cartoon before joining the Marvel Universe.

In X-Men: Evolution, X-23 showed up in Episode 10 of Season 3. She was raised by Hydra in the animated series as a clone of Wolverine and put through the Weapon X process when she turned 12. Her treatment was cruel and harsh, and she became a ruthless killing machine. Her first appearance came when she attacked the X-Men and took everyone out except for Wolverine. She blamed Logan for what she went through and wanted to hurt him in return. She ended up appearing off and on through the rest of the series, where she ended up helping Wolverine in his battle against Hydra.

RELATED: Wolverine: Is X-Men Turning X-23 Into Old Woman Laura Again?

Wolverine #80

Wolverine X-23

After she debuted in X-Men: Evolution, some fans connected her to a scene from 1994's Wolverine #80, almost a decade before her official debut. The reason people assumed this was the first appearance of X-23 was because of a vial of Logan's genetic material that was labeled with the phrases "Logan X" and "#23." In this issue, by Larry Hama, Ian Churchill and Al Milgrom, Logan watched a video of someone explaining the unique function of adamantium. As Logan said as he looked at this vial, it contained "pieces of me."

However, CBR spoke to Craig Kyle about this early appearance of what fans and retailers thought was the origin of X-23. Kyle said that it was not the genesis of Laura at all. He said this was a ruse by "opportunistic comic resellers" to bring up the value of the comic, and he admitted he had never even read that comic before he created the hero.

NYX #3

X-23 getting ready to kill

Once Marvel realized how popular X-23 was on the small screen in X-Men: Evolution, the young hero made her way into the world of comic books. Shockingly, her first appearance was far more risque than her Saturday morning cartoon adventures, as she made her official Marvel Universe debut in Joe Quesada and Joshua Middleton's NYX #3.

This series follows a mutant named Kiden Nixon, a girl whose power is Temporal Stasis, where she can stop time but continue moving through it herself. After watching her father die as a young child, she ran away and grew up on the streets. At this time, she met X-23. The ghost of Kiden's father came to her and sent her to help X-23, who had herself fallen into a life of crime and bad decisions. This story was how Marvel Comics readers met Laura for the first time. However, she quickly fell into the X-Men's orbit and began to resemble her X-Men: Evolution counterpart.

KEEP READING: Comic Legends: Was X-23 Nearly Permanently Stuck Physically At Age 13?