Wolverine/X-23 Laura Kinney Appreciation 2023

[Grunty]

So the somewhat OOC line from the Fallen Angels mini about her wanting to escape Logan's shadow might've been true in the meta sense?

If someone's entire reason for existing, is to be a "closest thing we could make" immitation of a man famed for being a human killing machine, then it certainly makes sense why they would want to step out of that shadow.

[mesjarch]

I have a weird feeling that Old Women Laura plot will end, like all Laura plots during this new Era. It will go nowhere!

Original Laura (Vault) is just a plot tool at this point. Based on X-Men #18 synopsis, that Marvel gave, it seems she won't be with us for too long.
Current Laura (Resurrected) is either forced by editorial decision to be added to a book (Duggan's X-Men) or used for some small filler stories by authors, who actually like her(?)(X-Terminators and Captain Marvel Brood story). The second idea works much better, than the first, so maybe it would be better to keep Laura away from main X-Men books for now.
Gabby – is she even alive?(Taylor is gone, and she ended up like most of young mutants do – forgotten)

[Persephone]

I have a weird feeling that Old Women Laura plot will end, like all Laura plots during this new Era. It will go nowhere!

Original Laura (Vault) is just a plot tool at this point. Based on X-Men #18 synopsis, that Marvel gave, it seems she won't be with us for too long.
Current Laura (Resurrected) is either forced by editorial decision to be added to a book (Duggan's X-Men) or used for some small filler stories by authors, who actually like her(?)(X-Terminators and Captain Marvel Brood story). The second idea works much better, than the first, so maybe it would be better to keep Laura away from main X-Men books for now.
Gabby – is she even alive?(Taylor is gone, and she ended up like most of young mutants do – forgotten)

Gabby’s made the jump to New Mutants. Or she did, anyway. Unclear as of the reboot. The writers seem to like her a lot and she’s Snikt-Family. I have a feeling she’ll fare better than most young mutants.

[Ambaryerno]

Gabby’s made the jump to New Mutants. Or she did, anyway. Unclear as of the reboot. The writers seem to like her a lot and she’s Snikt-Family. I have a feeling she’ll fare better than most young mutants.

Didn't help Jimmy Hudson. Fortunately, Gabby benefits from having an actual personality.

[Grunty]

Didn't help Jimmy Hudson. Fortunately, Gabby benefits from having an actual personality.

To be fair, she is direct 616 snikt family. She was created in relation to and belongs to the 616 universe and that version of Wolverine.

Jimmy Hudson is from a completely alternate universe. Not even an alternate timeline which is directly attached to 616 ala Rachel Grey, Bishop or X-man. Nope, a full blown alternate universe with completely different origins of characters and groups especialy that of mutants.
This stops him from having a true "kinship" to the 616 universe Snikt Family, while being backstory wise utterly dependant on being related to the old man (unlike how Miles Morales can exist genetically independent of Peter Parker).

Not to forget that he is basicly extremely bland as "successor" to Wolverine, being just a male blond angsty teenage version of him with "no need for adamantium" extra power for no beliavable reason.

Finaly. As far as "Offsprings of Wolverine" go, X-23 has basicly stolen the show 20 years ago allready, all new incarnations on screen would need to measure up to her. And while Gabby might be "just" a clone of her, at least she was given an opposite personality in order to be her foil.

[Ambaryerno]

Seeing the "Anniversary Calendar" post on the Upcoming Art thread reminded me that Laura has to share her 20th Birthday with the whole X-line's 60th. Now I wonder if Marvel is actually going to do anything to acknowledge it at all.

[Odd Rödney]

Happy New Year to the coolest Wolverine on Krakoa!

I wonder if Marvel has anything actually planned to celebrate this milestone. 20 years is a LONG time for a character make consistent appearances among the modern Big Two, when most of her peers have long ago been wallpapered in favor of nostalgia and the status quo.

They really should, they'd be crazy not to do something.

[mesjarch]

Looks like OG Laura wants to talk with Resurrected Laura in X-Men #18 as fast as possible.

[CaptainUniverse]

So...which Laura is which? I am a little confused as to who is who. Is Vault Laura the one who became Captain Universe and then was Wolverine for a long time or is that the other one? I've tried following the story but...I am a little lost, I don't know where I got turned around.

[mesjarch]

Vault Laura is the original, Post-Vault Laura is the Resurrected copy. It's a mess, that could have been avoided if they kept OG Laura dead.

[Rift]

So...which Laura is which? I am a little confused as to who is who. Is Vault Laura the one who became Captain Universe and then was Wolverine for a long time or is that the other one? I've tried following the story but...I am a little lost, I don't know where I got turned around.

They both experienced all of that. The split comes from when Laura went into the vault in 2020. Laura was in there for hundreds of years, and she grew old and crusty by the time they found her. She's the original Laura.

At the same time, Krakoa assumed Laura died in the Vault, so she was resurrected, and her save file stopped just before any of the Vault stuff. She's the superior Laura.

[WebLurker]

If someone's entire reason for existing, is to be a "closest thing we could make" immitation of a man famed for being a human killing machine, then it certainly makes sense why they would want to step out of that shadow.

Thing is, I'm not sure she ever had this problem. (The series also depicted her as having inherent anger issues to learn to channel, when her defining struggle was learning to find and process her emotions in general. I'd argue that Bryan Hill at least got her moral compass right, but a few traits seemed a bit off, esp. from how she'd developed in her last series).

Vault Laura is the original, Post-Vault Laura is the Resurrected copy. It's a mess, that could have been avoided if they kept OG Laura dead.

On the other hand, the Resurrected variant does at least let them skip the changes from the Vault story and keep the character as we knew her from before intact. Not the ideal solution, but anything that'll let us forget the Krakoa stuff when thing get back to normal is appreciated.

[CaptainUniverse]

They both experienced all of that. The split comes from when Laura went into the vault in 2020. Laura was in there for hundreds of years, and she grew old and crusty by the time they found her. She's the original Laura.

At the same time, Krakoa assumed Laura died in the Vault, so she was resurrected, and her save file stopped just before any of the Vault stuff. She's the superior Laura.

Oh, I get it now. That's weird.

[Sisterhood Of Mutants]

Current Laura (Resurrected) is either forced by editorial decision to be added to a book (Duggan's X-Men) or used for some small filler stories by authors, who actually like her(?)(X-Terminators and Captain Marvel Brood story). The second idea works much better, than the first, so maybe it would be better to keep Laura away from main X-Men books for now.

Kelly Thompson wanted Logan (because of his relationship to Rogue) and Leah Williams wanted Gambit (X-Terminators started as a germ in an older Williams book where Emma asks the exploding powers gang to try denting her diamond form), but both were told by editorial that the characters “weren’t available” and to use Laura instead. (I could definitely see “booked and busy” as a viable excuse for Logan - not that it’s stopped them before - but Gambit’s been underutilized this era.) I didn’t realize Duggan had been forced by editorial to use her, too. Interesting.

[mesjarch]

We don't really know if Duggan was forced to use Laura, but I sure know that he didn't do anything with her, when she was on the team. She was just there so the X-Men could have a Wolverine on the team. He even gave Laura adamantium skeleton, because he didn't know anything about her.
Since you pointed out that Kelly and Leah wanted to use other characters, but were told to use Laura, I think the same thing happened with Duggan.