In our latest deep-dive into the characters of Marvel Comics, we explore X-23, a.k.a. Laura Kinney. In this piece, we’ll explore whether X-23 is Wolverine’s daughter or his clone. You can check out the full series here.
X-23 is technically Wolverine’s daughter, although you can also call her his clone, and that is not entirely wrong either, as she was created from a DNA sample of his, not through natural means.
Who Is Laura Kinney’s Mother, and What Does She Reveal About X-23?
Mutant geneticist Dr. Sarah Kinney is X-23’s mother. She carried X-23 to term herself. For many years, it was believed that Dr. Sarah Kinney was merely a surrogate mother for X-23, but later tests conducted by Tony Stark revealed she was also her actual mother. That means that despite often being referred to as Wolverine’s clone, she really is the child of Logan and Dr. Sarah Kinney in the Marvel Comics’ world.
X-23’s Clones and Variants
X-23 is a clone in some sense, but she also has clones and variants. The Facility planned on making more clones of Laura, but before she broke out of their labs, Laura destroyed the embryos of X-24 to X-50. In the main 616 timeline, Laura has several clones of herself she’s encountered, though, with the most prominent ones being Gabby, Zelda, and Bellon. Most of the others died, but to this day, she acts like an older sister to Gabby.
In Marvel Comics, there also exists a variant of Laura with the same powers, but this alt-reality version of her is really a different person entirely. Named Kirika Yashida, she’s the daughter of Logan and his Japanese paramour, Mariko Yashida, in an alternate timeline. Once captured by Mister Sinister, he labeled his new specimen X-23.
The Full Story of Marvel’s X-23
If you’d like to learn more about X-23, check out the rest of the pieces in our explainer series, below: