Wolverine has had a long string of young partners over the years, with the seasoned anti-hero often showing his soft side by becoming a surprisingly genuine and committed mentor to young mutants.Quentin Quire, Armor and even his own clone Laura Kinney have been at his side at various points -- a trend that began with Kate Pryde when she was still a rookie amongst the X-Men. But while Shadowcat's best growth came after her time with Logan, there was another young partner for Logan that stands out as an even better foil to Wolverine than Pryde. Here's how Jubilee and Wolverine became partners when she first came to the X-Men -- and why it's a better fit for her than even Shadowcat.
Jubilee was introduced in Uncanny X-Men #244 by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri. An orphan mutant who'd been secretly hiding in a Hollywood Mall, a chance encounter with the X-Men gave Jubilee the chance to follow them back to their temporary base in Australia through one of Gateway's portals. Afraid of their response to her arrival, Jubilee hid from them in the depths of the base -- and was left behind when most of the team fled from the Reavers by moving through the Siege Perilous. This meant Jubilee was the only one at the base when Wolverine returned and was caught by the Reavers -- allowing her to rescue him from their torture. The pair made their way to Madripoor, with Jubilee watching over Logan while his healing factor restored his body.
The pair became close during this time. Jubilee accompanied the pair back to the United States and was given a place amongst the Xavier Institute -- quickly becoming an unofficial member of the X-Men Blue Strike Force. She became a calming presence for Wolverine, helping him try to sort through his grief over the death of Mariko Yashida and helping the X-Men save him from the Hand. She was also the person Wolverine made sure to leave a personalized letter for following the events of Fatal Attractions, during which he lost the adamantium on his skeleton and decided to leave the X-Men while he healed. Jubilee grew up in his absence, but the pair remained consistently close -- with any brush of death for Jubilee enraging Wolverine almost like no other. Their bond brings out the best in both of them.
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Jubilee is a key example of the good that Wolverine can be for a young mutant. While it's undeniable that he had a huge impact on Kate Pryde, she was also incredibly close to other X-Men like Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus during her early years. Jubilee on the other hand was far more defined, at least early on, by her unyielding loyalty and tight bond with Wolverine. While she became close with the rest of the X-Men, Wolverine remained her major role model. He taught her how to be tougher than she may have been otherwise, and she in turn was able to keep him in touch with his humanity even during some of the toughest times in his life. This close bond and development of personal skills benefited Jubilee immensely -- and even made her somewhat more capable than almost any other of his partners over the years.
While she may lack the sheer power of someone like the Omega-Level mutant Quinten Quire, Jubilee has been shown to actually be a formidable leader -- with her experience working alongside Wolverine from her earliest years as a hero giving her the confidence and experience that few other young heroes could match. He even remained by her side during her own rough patches, such as when she was a vampire. She became a leader among Generation X, and realities have teased her becoming a major leader -- such as the future glimpsed in Battle of the Atom (where she became the new Wolverine) and the MC2 Universe (where she became the leader of the A-Next, that future's Avengers). Jubilee's time with Wolverine is a core element of the character -- and helps elevate her amongst the partners he's had over the years.
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