Version 3.00, last updated on January 05, 2008

Jim Lee, Wolverine #25

Many facts now known about Wolverine’s background were jaw-dropping revelations when first revealed decades ago. So for consistency and clarity sake, information on each facet of Wolverine’s past will be listed, as much as possible, in the order in which it was revealed giving a sense of how readers pieced together Wolverine’s history over the course of time. We now know, for instance, that several layers of Wolverine’s memories were implanted, altered or erased through the work of several different nefarious organizations. In the case of Logan’s childhood, it is suspected that Logan’s own mind may have created a superficial childhood as a defense against a lack of any actual childhood memories.

Best of Marvel Comics (1987) - “The Hunter”
Writer: Chris Claremont; Artist: Marshall Rogers
Though Wolverine’s Canadian heritage was apparent from his first appearance, this story represents the first time that Wolverine specifically states that he is “…Canadian by birth.”

Iron Fist #15 (Sept, 1977) – “Enter, the X-Men”
Writer: Chris Claremont; Penciler: John Byrne; Inker: Dan Green
Iron Fist notes that Wolverine’s sheer ferocity is reminiscent of Sabretooth and wonders if there is a connection. Apparently, for a while, there was. According to John Byrne, there were plans to reveal Wolverine’s father as a character already appearing in the Marvel Universe.[1] Chris Claremont confirms that character was supposed to be Sabretooth.[2] Claremont further admits that Sabretooth “…always considered Logan ‘sloppy seconds’ to his ‘original.’”[3]

Wolverine #41 (Early July, 1991) – “Down in the Bottoms”
Writer: Larry Hama; Pencils: Marc Silvestri; Inks: Dan Green
In fact, while tracking each other in the New York City sewers, Logan and Sabretooth both experience a memory that Sabretooth is Logan’s father.

Wolverine #42 (Late July, 1991) – “Papa Was a Rolling Stone!”
Writer: Larry Hama; Breakdowns: Marc Silvestri; Finishes: Dan Green
Later, a S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist performs blood analysis to prove that Sabretooth is not Logan’s biological father, proving the previous memory to be an implant.

Wolverine #126 (Jul 1998) – “Blood Wedding”
Creators: Chris Claremont & Leinil Francis Yu; Inker: Edgar Tadeo & Gerry Alanguilan
Sabretooth asks Logan, “Have you ever come to terms with the fact that I’m the original an’ you, you’re just the sloppy seconds?” So while Sabretooth might not be Logan’s father, Chris Claremont recreated the original sentiment within their relationship.

…So if Sabretooth is not Logan’s father, does he know who his father is? Apparently he does…

Wolverine (Limited Series) #1 (Sep 1982) – “I’m Wolverine”
Writer: Chris Claremont; Penciler: Frank Miller; Inker: Josef Rubenstein
Logan notes that he knows his father and that’s as far back as he can trace his lineage.

…As for his mother…

Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown #1 (1988) – “Mexican Standoff”
Writers: Walter Simonson and Louise Simonson; Artist: Jon J. Muth and Kent Williams
In conversation with Alex Summers, Logan readily acknowledges that he doesn’t know who his mother was.

Marvel Comics Presents #72 (1991) – “Weapon-X: Prologue”
Writer/Artist: Barry Windsor-Smith
Logan bitterly claims not to know “…who Ma was.” This moment of reflection takes place just prior to the bonding of adamantium to his skeleton. In other words, he refers to his mother in the past tense in 1960 before the Experiment X memory alterations.

…Logan does seem to have a vague memory of childhood…

Marvel Comics Presents #44 (1990) – “Black Shadow White Shadow Chapter VII : Blood Craze”
Writer: Marv Wolfman; Artist: John Buscema
Wolverine notes that he got in trouble in first grade for not listening to instructions, the teacher apparently not being especially forgiving in his punishment.

Daredevil (Vol. 2) #55 (Feb 2004) – “Echo, Part 5”
Writer/Artist: David Mack
Logan tells Maya Lopez, “When I was young I was the runt. A weakling. A misfit.”

Wolverine #25 (Jun 1990) – “Heir Aid”
Writer: Jo Duffy; Artist: John Buscema
In Madripoor, Logan tells a story to a scared child to calm his nerves. The story is clearly from Logan’s childhood and chronicles the life of a young boy in the frontiers of lush Canada “…cast out by his people because he was small and weak. And so their leader, his father, decided that the boy was a coward and useless and the boy believed his people were right about him.” When the child asks for the boy’s name, Logan ignores him but reveals in his inner monologue that he could have called him Logan. The boy wanders the snow-covered mountains of Canada meeting up with a pack of vicious wolverines. Strangely, the normally solitary wolverines ‘adopt’ the child and, after many years, the child learns happiness. He notices that he is resistant to weather and that his body has a miraculous healing ability. He also has senses as keen as the wolverines’ and hones them by hunting with his adopted family. One day, the child is captured by hunters and caged for transport to a freak show. The wolverines attack the hunters and help to free the boy. Between the wild child and the wolverines, the hunters do not stand a chance. The tale ends with the child and animals feasting on the carrion with the knowledge that the child was not, nor has ever been a coward.

Wolverine: Bloody Choices (Jun 1991)
Writer: Tom DeFalco; Artist: John Buscema
After rescuing a young street kid in Hawaii, Wolverine flashes back to his childhood remembering when he was “…a wild boy who grew up untamed and fearless, relying on his own feral instincts simply because his mutant body contained a healing factor which could cure any injury.”

…So this is the childhood that Logan believes to be true. Disowned by his father, Logan came to live in the wild, raised by the mountains. Does Logan remember seeing his father again? Perhaps…

Wolverine #49 (Dec 1991) – “Dreams of Gore: Phase 2”
Writer: Larry Hama; Penciler: Marc Silvestri; Inker: Dan Green & Barta
When Professor Xavier and Jean Grey mind-probe Logan’s memories to assist him in remembering his past, Logan remembers carving his name into a tree with his father’s knife. The memory suggests that Logan views the knife as a sort of family heirloom. It is possible that he believes he received the knife on at his father’s deathbed or after his death.

Marvel Comics Presents # 40 (Mid-Dec 1989) – “Black Shadow, White Shadow: Hong Kong Inferno”
Writer: Marv Wolfman; Artist: John Buscema
Logan notes he threw away a chance to go home years ago. Perhaps after his father’s death, Logan decided to not take his father’s position as the leader of his people, thereby ending any possibility of ever going home again.

As part of the Marvel Press initiative to publish prose novels, Wolverine: Weapon X by Marc Cerasini, is an exploration of the Weapon X storyline by Barry Windsor-Smith. As Marc Cerasini notes in an interview with UnderGroundOnline, “Marvel also provided a really amazing timeline/bible for the character Logan/Wolverine which I used heavily. There are some real secrets in that document and I revealed a few of them in the novel.” But there are significant problems with the novel’s chronology that cast doubt on the book’s veracity. The story of Logan receiving his adamantium skeleton clearly takes place in present day instead of during the Cold War as originally intended, referencing the recent space shuttle disaster, weapons of mass destruction, North Korea’s nuclear program, not to mention the commonplace nature of extremely modern computer and military technologies. More problematic is that the novel ends quite differently than the Weapon X storyline by Barry Windsor-Smith, killing off several characters who survive Experiment X in the original version. These characters will play a significant role in Wolverine’s life at a later date, so their deaths in the novel are somewhat awkward (and premature). For these reasons, I have deemed that Wolverine: Weapon X by Marc Cerasini does not take place within the traditional Marvel continuity. However, I include new revelations about Logan ’s past from this novel for the sake of completeness, as seen in the next two entries.

Wolverine: Weapon X (Nov 2004) – “Chapter Fourteen: The Hunt”
Novelist: Marc Cerasini
Logan remembers having learned tracking and woodcraft from Blackfoot Indian trackers he knew in his youth.

Wolverine: Weapon X (Nov 2004) – “Chapter One: Prophecy”
Novelist: Marc Cerasini
Logan remembers being a teenager in the mountains of Canada . Every year, Victor Creed, a Blackfoot Indian (!) known by his Blackfoot name Sabretooth, shows up at Logan’s log cabin to give him a beating. This year, Logan’s father is fur-trapping and has left his knife and dog, Husky, behind. When Logan returns from gathering wood, still recovering from his most recent beating, he finds the dog dead, and Sabretooth helping himself to his father’s furs. When Logan attacks, Sabretooth again beats him into unconsciousness. When Logan awakes, he gets his father’s knife and begins tracking the Blackfoot bully. He comes across a huge bear and nearly has to battle it, when he realizes the bear is merely protecting its young. Logan leaves them be and continues his chase.

…The entirety of this chapter of the Wolverine Files, unfortunately, is based on false memories. In 2001, Marvel Comics Publisher Bill Jemas announced that Wolverine’s true history would finally be revealed in a limited series aptly titled, Origin.

John Buscema, Wolverine #25

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[1] “Interview,” The Art of John Byrne , 1980.
[2] “Interview with Chris Claremont,” The X-Men Companion II , 1982.
[3] “General Questions for Chris Claremont.” X-Fan Message Boards, June 16, 2003.