| X-23 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Real Name: | Laura Howlett (Presumably) |
| Alias: | X-23 |
| Age: | 14+ |
| Species: | Mutant Clone |
| Originally From: | HYDRA Headquarters |
| Relatives: | Logan Howlett (Template/Father) |
| Affiliations: | HYDRA(creators) X-Men(future) S.H.I.E.L.D. |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender: | Female |
| Hair color: | Dark Brown |
| Eye color: | Green |
| Height: | 5'4 |
| Character Information | |
| Powers: | Heightened Senses Accelerated Healing Adamantium Skeleton Adamantium Claws |
| First Appearance: | X23 |
| Voiced by: | Andrea Libman Brittney Irvin |
| GALLERY | |
- "This is your fault! Everything I am is because of you!"
- —X-23 to Logan Howlett in X23
Appearances
- X23 - Debut
- Target X - Final talking appearance
- Ascension II - Cameo, non-speaking, final appearance in the future.
History
X-23 is a clone of Logan Howlett, the mutant known as Wolverine, under her creators, X-23 received a brutal isolation from the moment she was fully created. HYDRA created X-23 in an attempt to create something to surpass Logan. Due to her upbringing of being isolated from children her own age and from being trained by an organisation such as HYDRA, she repressed her emotions leading her to become cold-hearted, calculating and showed no sympathy nor empathy towards people. After years of training, she became the desired operative that HYDRA wanted her to be, due to her upbringing , X-23 is efficient, cunning and lethal on her missions. After finally encountering Logan, she began to blame him for the reason why she was so miserable despite Logan having no prior knowledge of her existence beforehand.
Despite being conditioned to be cold, cruel, heartless and ruthless, X-23 still had some emotions of her own even though they were deeply repressed. The scientist behind her creation, Deborah Risman, once stated that she had to implement a genetic variation and was unable to fully re-create Logan, which resulted in a female clone instead.
Physical Appearance
X-23 is a Caucasian-mix, young, teenaged girl with a tan skin complexion and a healthy stature due to her clone status. She has long, dark, brown hair that slightly falls over her shoulders but loosely falls behind her back and has green eyes. She wears a black leather jacket that is always open, though it can be buttoned, with light grey shoulder pads, an olive green shirt underneath and matching black leggings with a pair of plain black, combat boots with velcro straps.
Prior to finding the Institute, she wore a a black mask that covered her entire face that had red goggles but stopped wearing it after defecting from HYDRA.
Powers and Abilities
As Logan's clone, X-23 possesses the same powers as her template. These include a healing factor which allows her to self heal any injuries bestowed upon her at a faster rate than ordinary humans, her healing factor can kick in within seconds or minutes though depending on the depth of the injury. She is also somewhat immune to poisons and drugs though these can be fatal if administered to her in fatal doses. Due to her healing factor, she is also to a degree, immortal, and will likely live far longer than a human and by extension, most mutants.
X-23 also possesses the ability to survive harsh terrains without much gear due to her training and powers. Just like Logan, she can also track something or someone by mere scent alone, because of her healing factor, she was able to survive the Weapon X program that bonded her skeleton with the Adamantium metal. After the procedure, her skeletal structure became unbreakable, the process also gave her a pair of claws that came through her knuckles and one that came through each foot.
Early life
X-23, as her codename states, is the twenty-third attempt at re-creating the original Weapon X, Logan Howlett, though a genetic change caused the result to come out as a young, female clone rather than an exact identical replica of Logan. The scientist behind the attempts, Deborah Rishman, was finally usefully with X-23. The latter of which grew up in a HYDRA facility where she was forced to endure dangerous amounts of training to become the perfect weapon for the organisation, years of this caused the young mutant to repress her emotions until she became cold-hearted, cruel and heartless as well as a burning hatred she began to have for Logan. HYDRA considered her the perfect, ultimate warrior though they were unable to fully control her.
At the age of twelve, she went through the Weapon X program that bonded her skeleton with Adamantium and gave her Adamantium claws that came from her knuckles and feet.
Looking for Logan
At some point during her training session, X-23 broke out of the facility and fled from HYDRA. She broke was to extract information from a S.H.I.E.L.D base. Upon accessing the files, she found records of the X-Men but became furious and went rogue after reading Logan's file and blaming him for her traumatic upbringing.
Now knowing where her target was, X-23 ventured out to the Institute where she hid in a tree and watched as Hank taught his class, she then spied on the other X-Men before sneaking into the building where she found herself in Jean's room. Once discovered by Sam, X-23 fired a device at him that rendered him unconscious before leaving the room and doing the same to anyone else who got in her way. Knowing that someone would find her, she posed as an innocent and upset child who began crying in one of the rooms where Xavier discovered her, when asked who she was and if she was okay, X-23 revealed herself to be hostile and fired one of the devices at Xavier and fled the room where she targeted anyone else who was onto her. Once she cornered Scott, Rogue and Logan in a room, X-23 collapsed the floor under the former causing him to drop where she then engaged in a fight with the man that was the cause of her existence.
Not wanting to fight, Logan began defending himself from X-23's oncoming attacks with the latter continuously blaming him for her creation with Logan claiming he had no idea she existed until S.H.I.E.L.D made him aware that morning. After being told the truth, X-23 began breaking down and crying no longer being able to hold in her emotions any longer. Now a rogue agent, X-23 claims she's going to be hunted down by HYDRA for her betrayal with Logan offering to take her in but she refuses the offer not wanting the X-Men to be caught in any experiments committed by HYDRA, she instead then runs away from the grounds and her appearance is covered up by Logan claiming that she got away.
Targeting HYDRA
Still on the run from her old faction and bosses, X-23 took it upon herself to go after HYDRA so she could get revenge on the people who experimented on her and raised her as a weapon. However, knowing that X-23 was coming for them, HYDRA sent out Omega Red and Gauntlet, two agents who were ordered to capture Logan and leave him out in the woods as a way to draw out their traitor, X-23 did appear as planned but she was able to take the two HYDRA agents with ease as she was fully healed unlike Logan who was bruised and on the ground.
She then refused Logan's second offer to join the X-Men stating that HYDRA was still on her back, she then told Logan to return home as he would be no use to her since his healing factor was messed with during his fall from the helicopter. During their argument, both are ambushed and captured by HYDRA and taken back to Viper who plans to wipe X-23's memories of her rogue behaviour so that they can make her their perfect assassin again. Upon being placed in containment until she can be brainwashed again, X-23 placed one of her deactivated devices on her forehead to trick her former boss into believing she was unconscious, X-23 then used the method to escape. When confronting Viper, X-23 forced Logan off the airship they were on claiming she'll end HYDRA even if she dies doing so, the ship blew up taking the agents of HYDRA and presumably X-23 with it.
With HYDRA arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D , Nick appeared and questioned Logan about "the girl" to which Logan mentioned she didn't make it out of the explosion, once SHIELD left the scene, Logan picked up X-23's scent where he discovered she lived. X-23 then watched from afar as the agents involved were arrested and taken away now with S.H.I.E.L.D believing her to be dead. X-23 then fled the area so she could be free to be her own person.
Future
Future X-23.
When Charles Xavier was under Apocalypse's control, he was able to see into the mind of Apocalypse. In the Future, Xavier saw an adult version of X-23 that would one day join the X-Men.
Notes
- In addition to her mutant powers and combat training, X-23 has a small cache of tiny electronic devices that can temporarily stun people. Likely a HYDRA construct, are wired to explode if tampered with.
- X-23 was sent by HYDRA to steal information from S.H.I.E.L.D., but she went rogue instead.[1]
- Wolverine helps X-23 take down part of HYDRA.[2]
- X-23 joined the X-Men in the future along with Alex, Colossus and Gambit.[3]
- Gambit, X-23, Wolfsbane and Jubilee all appear in the final shot.[3]
- X-23's outfits.
- S.H.I.E.L.D believes her to be dead as of "Target X" it is unknown if they are away in the future that she is alive but it is a huge possibility In said episode, Logan claims X-23 did not survive the explosion that took out the aircraft she was on with her former boss and Gauntlet but X-23 was able to escape.
Trivia
- X-23 was created by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost for the series, and was introduced as a more youthful version of Logan. Much like DC character, Harley Quinn, X-23 is a canon immigrant, initially introduced in tie-in, non-comics media, and assimilated into the main universe after proving popular.
- She received a self-titled comic series in 2005, where she killed people around the world, the times shown are Craig Kyle's friends' birthdays.
- X-23 makes her first on-screen appearance in the 2017 movie Logan where she was still created using the DNA of the titular character as well as the Alkali-Transigen substance, and returned in Deadpool & Wolverine.
- X-23 was voiced by Andrea Libman in X23 and Brittney Irvin in Target X.
- Deborah Risman, her creator, viewed her as more of a daughter than an experiment.
In Other Media
- X-23 was created for this show as a way for the younger viewers to relate more.
- X-23 appeared in Wolverine and the X-Men.
- X-23 appears in multiple video games, some of which include: X-Men: The Official Game, Marvel: Avengers Alliance and Marvel Strike Force.
- She is later known as Laura Howlett or Laura Kinney.
- She was created in Alkali-Transigen in her 2017 live action debut in Logan.
- She was portrayed by Dafne Keen in Logan and Deadpool & Wolverine.