Exclusive Marvel Preview Reveals Why The New Wolverine's Past Is Worse Than Logan's
Contains spoilers for "Weapon X-Men" #3 (by Christos Gage, Yildiray Cinar, Nolan Woodard, and VC's Clayton Cowles)
Marvel Comics delves deeper into the origin of the newest Wolverine, as Jane Howlett's tragic past is revealed in a new preview of "Weapon X-Men" #3 — and it's even sadder than Logan's.
In the current miniseries, five Wolverines from across the Multiverse have teamed up to take on the villainous Onslaught, who is trying to take down a Phoenix Force from an alternate Earth. The clawed crew of interdimensional mutants includes "Old Man Logan" from Earth-807128, the mighty Wolverine from the "Age of Apocalypse" timeline of Earth-295, an undead version of Wolverine from the "Marvel Zombies" universe of Earth-9997, and the overweight (yet surprisingly heroic) version of Logan from the world of "Earth X." While those heroes have all previously appeared in comics, the story also features Jane Howlett, a new female variant of Wolverine who made her debut in the recent "Woman of Marvel" one-shot in the story "The Future is Here," by Celeste Bronfman, Leila Luiz, Ceci De La Cruz, and Ariana Maher.
While readers have gotten a small taste of Jane's powers and seen her interact with other versions of Logan to stop Onslaught, Looper's exclusive preview of "Weapon X-Men" #3 showcases her origin story, revealing the deadly circumstances that put her on the path to becoming the Wolverine of her reality.
Jane Howlett's origin is very, very dark
In "Weapon X-Men" #3, Jane Howlett shares her Earth-1281 origin with her fellow Wolverines. While Logan is the son of an abusive drunk, Thomas Logan, who has an affair with his employer's high-status wife, Elizabeth Howlett, Jane's history flips the script. In her world, she's actually the daughter of Elizabeth. Having been taught to be a true lady, Jane developed a friendship with Dog Logan, the son of Thomas; however, she didn't see them becoming more than friends, as their differing lifestyles and social status already complicated the friendship.
Things involving the future Wolverine and Dog take a much more tragic turn than they ever did in the main Marvel Universe. On Earth-616, James kills his father when his claws emerge after the elder Logan tries to abduct his mother, killing the violent man in the process. In the new story, Thomas and Dog attempt to abduct Jane, hoping that sullying her reputation would allow her to marry Dog and make the eldest Logan rich. But when Jane denies the request, Thomas kills her parents in front of her, leading her instincts and mutant powers to kick in. She brutally kills Thomas with her bone claws and injures Dog. While Jane eventually gets the freedom she desperately seeks, it comes at the cost of everyone she's ever loved.
Jane's first kill sent her on the path to becoming Wolverine, but if it were up to her, none of the carnage ensuing from the attempted abduction attempt would have happened. Unfortunately, seeing her parents die in cold blood was more than enough to transform her into an out-of-control killing machine.
Marvel Comics/Yildiray Cinar
Marvel Comics/Yildiray Cinar
Marvel Comics/Yildiray Cinar
Marvel Comics/Yildiray Cinar
Marvel Comics/Yildiray Cinar
The Wolverine team is heading off to take down Onslaught
Being a Wolverine typically involves having a tragic origin, and Jane Howlett is no exception to this unfortunate truth. Loss shapes almost every Wolverine into being among the deadliest heroes (and, in some cases, villains) across numerous universes. They'll need the most powerful and assured versions of each Logan variant, Jane included, as they battle Onslaught as the threat continues to hop across realities, causing chaos and calamity and trying to steal the powers of the Phoenix Force.
Check out Yıldıray Çınar's cover for "Weapon X-Men" #3, followed by the solicitation text for the issue which teases a battle against the undead from the "Marvel Zombies" comic universe.
Marvel Comics/Dike Ruan
THE WOLVERINES TAKE ON A CLASSIC VILLAIN! Onslaught's moved on to another world – and on this one, Selene's got her life-draining talons sunk in deep, with the help of some unexpected allies! Will the Wolverines side with one evil against the other? And how is a figure from Jane Howlett's past involved in all this? With her loyalty tested, one of the Logans refusing to pop his claws and another just as likely to join a zombie army as fight one, the Phoenix's multiversal army is fracturing fast...
Readers can get the full details about Jane Howlett's tragic past when "Weapon X-Men" #3 from Marvel Comics arrives in comic book stores and online retailers on May 1, 2024.