Wolverine is a name generally associated with Logan, the X-Men's scrappy loner. Logan developed from a feral, animalistic killer into a noble hero. Despite this impressive development, Laura Kinney was still a better Wolverine when she took on Logan's old role. Logan met his demise at the end of The Death of Wolverine by Charles Soule and Steve McNiven. Wolverine's death had a great impact on the Marvel Universe, especially Laura. Originally known as X-23, Laura Kinney was Logan's clone and biological daughter. When Laura enrolled at the Xavier Institute, Logan looked after her, wanting her to be a better person than he was.
Even when Laura was on X-Force, Logan always pushed her to control herself rather than give in to her animal instincts. In All-New Wolverine #1 by Tom Taylor and David Lopez, Laura honored her father's legacy by becoming the next Wolverine. In her first big adventure, Laura discovered that Alchemex had cloned her, producing three sisters. The new Wolverine helped her sisters escape from their captors.
Laura's sisters were dying, leading Wolverine on a hunt to save them but unfortunately, one sister, Zelda, was killed. Afterward, Laura, Belladonna, and Gabby joined forces to destroy the laboratory which created Wolverine's clones. Belladonna went on her own journey, leaving Gabby with Laura. The two sisters lived together, adopting an actual wolverine named Jonathan. Together, Laura and Gabby went on several exciting adventures. Laura, for example, saved Old Man Logan from Fin Fang Foom. Wolverine later fought against this older version of Logan as part of the "Civil War II" storyline. One of Laura's biggest challenges came when Kimura, her old controller, started manipulating her with a trigger scent. This scent drove Wolverine feral, nearly making her a savage killer again.
Yet with the help of Angel, Gambit, a time-displaced Jean Grey, and Gabby, Laura broke free of her conditioning. Wolverine then killed Kimura, freeing herself from the burden of her dark past. Laura and Gabby started a new chapter in their lives, stopping a virus on Manhattan and teaming up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to battle the Brood in space. Another massive challenge that the duo faced was the Orphans of X, who were victims of killers like Wolverine, Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike. The Orphans of X targeted Wolverine and those like her, before Laura worked with Daken, Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike, and Old Man Logan to stop them.
Ultimately, Laura became a better Wolverine than Logan ever was. For one thing, Laura wasn't as violent or ruthless as Logan. Sure, Wolverine killed when she felt necessary, but she never truly lost control. For example, when Laura was infected with the trigger scent, she stabbed herself in the head to prevent herself from killing a small town in California. Laura also talked with the Orphans of X instead of just fighting them. Indeed, Wolverine showed compassion for these victims, telling them how she was a victim as well. With this speech, Laura resolved to help the Orphans of X find the real villains of the story. Logan, on the other hand, would normally just beat the Orphans of X in a fight.
Additionally, Laura was less reluctant to work with others than Logan. Wolverine worked with Doctor Strange, S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain Marvel, and even Daken to save the day. These team-ups demonstrated how much of a team player this new Wolverine was, as opposed to Logan, who generally walked a lonely road. Logan has been on several teams, but he was never as much of a people-person as Laura. Most importantly, Laura was a better influence for Gabby than Logan was for Laura. Logan was emotionally unavailable for Laura, caught up with his own inner demons. Laura, however, was much more well-adjusted, making her an ideal role model for Gabby. Over time, Laura's guidance helped Gabby become the fun young hero known as "Honey Badger."
Even Laura's future looked bright, as shown in the "Old Woman Laura" storyline. This future saw Gabby as the new Wolverine, with Laura as the Queen of Madripoor. Moreover, Laura defeated Doctor Doom, rescuing a large number of Marvel heroes. While Laura was dying in this future, Gabby refused to accept this. The new Wolverine resolved to find a cure for her sister, which Laura gratefully accepted. This is a stark contrast to Logan's death, where he was resigned to his demise. In helping X-23 become her own person, Logan allowed Laura Kinney to become a better Wolverine.
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