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X-23
*** Shopping-Tip: X-23
{{Superherobox|
image=
|caption=Cover to
X-23
|comic_color=background:
|character_name=X-23
|real_name=Laura Kinney
|publisher=
Marvel Comics
|debut=
episode
|creators=
Craig KyleChris Yost
|alliance_color=background:
|status=active
|alliances=
X-Men,
|previous_alliances=
Weapon X
|aliases=Laura Howlett, Laura X
|relatives=
Wolverine (comics) ("father/brother"),
Dr. Sarah Kinney (
Wolverine (comics) ("father/brother"),
Dr. Sarah Kinney (
surrogate mother), Amiko (foster sister)
|powers=Regenerative
healing factorAdamantium laced retractable claws
Superhumanly acute senses, Heightened strength, stamina, agility, and reflexes
|}}
::
For information on the X-plane X-23
, see X-23 PRIME.
X-23 is a .
X-23 was created by
Craig Kyle. The other person who had a prominent role with the character is
Chris Yost. Together, the two wrote the two episodes of
X-Men: Evolution' that X-23 appeared in ('"X-23"' and '"Target X") as well as the comic book miniseries that gives X-23's origin.
X-Men Evolution
X-23 first appeared in episode number 40 (titled
"X-23"), where she was voiced by
Brittney Irvin.
Wolverine discovered through
S.H.I.E.L.D. that Dr. Deborah Risman, working for
Hydra (comics), had created a female clone of him. The clone possessed two retractable claws in each hand (instead of three like Wolverine) and one similarly retractable claw in each foot (something Wolverine lacks). The clone was identified only by the codename X-23 - the first success after 22 failures.
Denied the life of a normal child, X-23 was lonely. She had almost no companions and had been under observation her entire life. She had to spend most of her time training to hone her skills.
Angry, X-23 decided to get revenge on Wolverine. She invaded the X-Men's mansion looking for him, and when she ran into the other
X-Men was able to defeat them with little trouble. When Wolverine confronted her he felt sorry for the girl, so instead of turning her over to S.H.I.E.L.D. like
Nick Fury wanted, he let her go.
Comics
X-23 first appeared in
NYX - 3. She met the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #450. Her origin was detailed in X-23 #1-6.
Dale Rice, a spy in the
Weapon X project was killed by
Wolverine (comics) during his escape. Years later, Rice's son Zander used his father's briefcase full of stolen data, blood and tissue samples to recreate Weapon X. Zander and Dr. Sarah Kinney, a geneticist specializing in mutant genes, attempted to clone Wolverine. Twenty-two times their attempts were unsuccessful; the sample's
Wolverine (comics) during his escape. Years later, Rice's son Zander used his father's briefcase full of stolen data, blood and tissue samples to recreate Weapon X. Zander and Dr. Sarah Kinney, a geneticist specializing in mutant genes, attempted to clone Wolverine. Twenty-two times their attempts were unsuccessful; the sample's
Y chromosome was too severely damaged to create a viable clone, and the embryos perished before reaching the first month of development.
To get around this problem, Kinney simply doubled the
X chromosome, meaning the successful clone would be female. Kinney served as the
surrogate mother to a successful
birth.
Though Dr. Kinney originally viewed the X-23 project as the creation of a simple weapon, the reality of literally giving birth to said weapon stirred maternal feelings that interfered with her ability to objectively participate in X-23's training. Of note, Dr. Kinney's tasks included reading the young clone
Sun Tzu's
The Art of War, but Kinney would sneak in pages of
Pinocchio to read to her instead. In fact it was Kinney's maternal pangs that swayed her to participate in X-23's escape from the Weapon X facility.
After escaping from the Weapon X facility, X-23 eventually came to live on the streets of New York, prostituting herself for a pimp called
Zebra Daddy; she took clients interested in mutilation. Eventually, a regular john killed himself in her presence. She was discovered by teenage precog
Kiden Nixon and her former teacher
Cameron Palmer. The two took her to a restaurant; they soon found that Zebra Daddy was onto them when Cameron's apartment was destroyed.
Finally, Zebra Daddy was revealed to be the man who had murdered Kiden's father several years earlier. (Though dead, he has been appearing to Kiden and guiding her actions throughout the series.) It was through his suggestions that Kiden, X-23 and another teenage mutant named
Tatiana Caban banded together.
Sometime later, X-23 turned up in the in two other X-titles, without her friends. She was accused of the murders of four humans that were investigated by Wolverine and his fellow X-Men. (While she was responsible for the murders, she committed them because the victims were brutally attacking a young woman.) After a brief conflict with the mutant heroes, X-23 came to live with them at the Xavier Institute. She has nearly no social skills, so Wolverine is helping her adjust to her new life, as seen in X-Men
In the Captain Universe/X-23 one-shot comic, X-23 was approached by the spirit entity known as
Captain Universe in hopes of making specific use of her healing ability. Although she initially resisted its attempts to bond with her and she remained reluctant even though it pleaded with her, she ultimately provided assistance to Captain Universe (who left her at the close of the issue).
With the aftermath of the
House of M (and the event known as 'M-Day'), X-23 became one of the revamped New X-Men, at the same time the writing reins were passed on to Chris Yost and Craig Kyle (at issue number 20).
Powers and abilities
:
See also: Healing Factor
Since she is a female clone created from Wolverine's genetic material, X-23's mutant powers are quite similar to his. Noted differences are the number of hand claws (she has two to Wolverine's three) and X-23's foot claws (which he lacks entirely). These claws were forcibly and prematurely extracted by Zander Rice, sharpened and coated with adamantium. She escaped before the procedure to fuse her entire skeleton with adamantium was performed. She possesses an increased
Healing Factor.
X-23 recieved intensive training in ranged weapons, explosives and charges, and both armed and unarmed martial arts. Rice also developed a trigger scent, which, when placed on a target, caused X-23 to immediately and brutally kill that target (and pretty much anyone else in the vicinity).
Claws
In addressing the question of why X-23 has only two claws in her hands and a third in each foot, creator Craig Kyle offered the following:
"In nature we find that evolution has built unique traits into both male and females, each given specific physical attributes to insure that they can properly manage their roles in life. I theorized that Weapon X was not just a mutant but also the first of a new species. If he were born with a female sibling, she would have proven this fact long ago. The males in Weapon X's species are the protectors of the family groups, much in the way male lions protect their prides. Males were not designed to hunt (although they can), but rather kill all predators that threaten the family group and any males who challenge their place as head of the pride. The females in this species are hunters so they need offensive claws on their hands like the males, but they also have an equally important secondary job and that is to insure the survival of their cubs. They must raise the young and always come home after the hunt, to insure this they were given a defensive weapon in their foot. This pedal claw is used when the female's arms are injured or incapacitated, they use it to slash at the belly or the batter of their attackers so that they can escape and return safely to the pride. X23's claws were determined by evolution and Hydra trained her to use her foot claws as offensive weapons in the hopes that she could be twice as deadly as predecessor."
Alternate versions
In 2005, in the miniseries
counterpart, she has three claws on her hands; the metal was grafted on by Magneto.
In Ultimate Marvel, Dr. Cornelius obtains a sample of Wolverine with the intention of creating a clone, making it a possiblity that X23 will make an appearance in the title.
Products
A super-articulated X-23 action figure is available in the Marvel Legends Series 12 toyline, produced by Toy Biz. This figure came in evenly distributed variants of both purple and black, making it extremely difficult to find.
Trivia
While probably a coincidence, "X-23" was the designation of an alien duplicate sent to earth in the 70s sitcom Soap (TV series)|Soap in the form of character Burt Campbell.
External links
- - Marvel Database Project
http://x23.lunar-tears.org/ -fan site
*** Shopping-Tip: X-23
