Wolverine, one of Marvel’s most beloved and complex characters, has a rich history that spans over a century. Before diving into the latest movies featuring Deadpool and Wolverine, understanding Logan’s journey—from his traumatic childhood to his eventual demise—is crucial. This article covers Wolverine’s complete backstory, ensuring you’re well-prepared for the cinematic experience.
Origins and Early Years (1845-1962)
In 1845, young James Howlett’s life changed forever. The trauma of his father’s murder triggered his latent mutant abilities, revealing bone claws that emerged from his hands. In a moment of blind rage, James killed his father’s murderer, only to discover a shocking truth—it was his biological father, Thomas Logan. Branded a freak by his mother, James fled, finding solace and kinship in his half-brother, Victor Creed, another mutant. This marks the beginning of their story where they participate in various wars over the next 128 years, such as the American Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Their mutant genes give them a next-level healing factor, making them almost immortal.
During this time, James becomes more accepting of his biological father and starts using his original surname, Logan. In 1945, Logan is captured by the Japanese army and is present during the Nagasaki bombing. Here, he saves the life of a Japanese army officer, Ichiro Yashida. This event is used in future stories. Twenty years later, in 1962, Logan meets Professor X and Magneto for the first time, where they are forming the first X-Men team in X-Men: First Class. However, before they can discuss anything, Logan ignores them.
Team X and the Birth of Wolverine (1970s)
With each war, Victor becomes more violent. During the Vietnam War in the 1970s, Victor assaults a woman, and when the local officers try to stop him, Logan defends Victor without realizing what Victor was about to do. Many officers are killed, and both Logan and Victor receive the death sentence. Despite being shot multiple times, their healing factors keep them alive. This is noticed by Major William Stryker, who immediately recruits them into his Team X, a special team of mutants mostly involved in undercover and illegal operations. This team features the first appearance of Deadpool. After working with this team for a while, Logan realizes that the team is not only conducting illegal operations but also has no regard for human life, killing civilians for fun on every mission. Logan then leaves the team.
Seven years later, it is revealed that Logan is living a normal life in the outskirts of Canada with his girlfriend, Kayla. However, one day, Victor kills Kayla. Stryker uses this opportunity to bring Logan back and, through the Weapon X program, gives him an adamantium skeleton. This is when Logan becomes Wolverine. When Wolverine realizes that this was all part of Stryker’s plan to bring him to his side, he escapes. Even Victor is still working for Stryker. During this event, Wolverine saves some young mutants, whom Professor X takes to his school. In the end, Wolverine faces Victor, but before they can fight, Deadpool enters. Wolverine fights Deadpool. In the end, when Logan attacks Stryker, Stryker shoots Logan in the head with an adamantium bullet. Although Logan survives, he loses all his memories.
Wolverine’s Time with the X-Men
Years later, we see Logan cage fighting. He remembers nothing about his past, knowing only that his name is Logan and Wolverine, information he got from his dog tag. He meets another mutant, Rogue, and together they face Sabretooth, who is actually Victor. Due to experiments in the Weapon X program, Victor has completely changed and has no memory of the past. Wolverine and Sabretooth fight, but Cyclops saves them, and they all reach Professor X. Here, a team of good mutants and bad mutants is formed, with Wolverine fighting against Magneto for Professor X’s side. Magneto tries to use Rogue’s powers to start a weapon that will turn all humans into mutants because the government has started a Mutant Registration Act, which he sees as racism against mutants. In the end, Magneto is defeated and captured.
The Phoenix Saga and Personal Tragedies
The story continues with Magneto’s people attempting to assassinate the President to increase the tension between humans and mutants. Stryker is sent to investigate Magneto, and we all know what kind of person Stryker is. He tries to learn about Professor X and his machine, Cerebro, from Magneto, because this machine can locate all mutants at once. Wolverine reaches Stryker’s base with the X-Men, where he got his adamantium skeleton, and some of his memories return. Stryker is killed, but in the process, a dam breaks, and Jean Grey saves the X-Men and Wolverine but is swept away by the water herself. Cyclops goes to the expected resting place of Jean Grey, where he finds that she has survived. Jean Grey is possessed by a cosmic power, the Phoenix Force, and is now out of control.
The government finds a cure for mutants, and as expected, Magneto opposes it. Jean Grey, under the control of the Phoenix Force, believes that Professor X suppressed her powers in childhood and kills him. Magneto attacks the lab where the mutant cure is kept, but Jean loses control and starts destroying the city with the Phoenix Force. Wolverine uses his healing powers to reach her and kills Jean. After killing his love interest, Wolverine is completely broken and spends his time in the forests of Canada. He has nightmares about Jean Grey and receives a message from Ichiro Yashida in Japan, the man he saved during the atomic bombing years ago. Yukio brings the message, having seen a vision of Wolverine holding his heart in his hands and dying.
Wolverine’s Journey in Japan
Logan travels to Japan to meet Ichiro, but it is revealed that Ichiro is dying and wants Logan’s immortality and powers to survive. They fight, and Logan kills Ichiro. Two years later, Magneto and Charles Xavier meet Logan again, warning him of a new threat that could wipe out all mutants. Professor X survived by transferring his consciousness to another body just before Jean Grey killed him.
The Apocalypse and Time Travel
The story continues in 2023, an apocalyptic future where mutants are nearly extinct. Sentinels have killed almost all mutants, and Magneto and Professor X are now united. Kitty Pryde uses her powers to send Wolverine’s consciousness back to his body in 1973 to stop the event that started the Sentinel program. Logan successfully prevents the assassination of Bolivar Trask. Logan leaves his past body in 1973 and returns to the present future, where everything has changed, and even Jean Grey is alive. However, changes in the past have led to many other changes in the alternate timeline, beginning with the discovery of Logan’s 1973 body left in the water. Weapon X is restarted on this body, giving Logan adamantium claws again. When the X-Men reach Stryker’s base, they find this version of Wolverine, and Jean Grey restores some of his memories, allowing him to escape from Stryker’s lab again.
Logan’s Final Days (2029)
In 2029, we see an old Logan and Professor X together. Due to adamantium poisoning, Logan is now weak, and his healing factor is declining. Almost all mutants are extinct. While the exact reason is not given, it is mentioned that Professor X lost control of his powers, killing many X-Men members and mutants.
Logan meets Laura aka X-23. This starts their journey where X-23 has to reach a location called Eden, where some young surviving mutants are. Logan learns that X-23 was created using his DNA, and even a next version, X-24, who is a clone of Wolverine, has been created. X-24 kills Charles Xavier, but somehow Logan and X-23 manage to escape. Just before reaching Eden, X-24 and his organization’s army find Logan and the surviving mutant kids. Logan fights X-24 while the kids fight the army. The kids survive, but Logan is killed by X-24. Laura kills X-24, and as Yukio predicted, Logan dies holding his heart in his hands.
Conclusion
This was Wolverine’s complete story so far. It’s confirmed that the MCU won’t touch the story of the Logan movie, so it will be interesting to see which variant of Wolverine they bring from which alternate timeline. Wolverine’s story is one of pain, resilience, and redemption. From his early years in the 19th century to his tragic end in 2029, Logan’s journey is a testament to the complexities of the human (and mutant) condition. As we await Wolverine’s next appearance in the MCU, understanding his past makes his future all the more intriguing. Stay tuned for more updates on your favorite Marvel characters.