Warning: contains major spoilers for Demon Days: Mariko #1!
Mariko Yashida - Wolverine's former fiancée, and the love of his life - leads Marvel's latest issue of the Demon Days series. Demon Days: Mariko #1 doesn't simply feature the titular character in a prominent role, it also gives her a shocking new origin. A quarterly series telling a new story by imagining Marvel's heroes and villains in a folkloric setting, Demon Days gives Mariko a rare central role, taking someone often treated as a Wolverine side character and developing them into the star of their own story. It's always been a strength of Marvel Comics to revisit established characters with new ideas, and the overhaul Mariko experiences in this issue is one that will likely be a huge part of how the character is understood in future, even if it doesn't take place in Marvel's mainstream continuity.
First appearing in 1979's Uncanny X-Men #118, Mariko Yashida is typically depicted as the daughter of crime lord Lord Shingen. She is the cousin of Japanese superhero Sunfire and at one point was engaged to Wolverine. Though their wedding was called off and Mariko later died, she would have future interactions with Wolverine in Hell and in life after she returned as the Scarlet Samurai. She has been depicted as a leader and master swordswoman, but for the most part she tends to be confined to the background of Marvel stories involving Wolverine. With Demon Days, that has changed.
Demon Days: Mariko #1 - created by Zack Davisson, Peach Momoko, and VC's Ariana Maher - imagines a new story reliant on a different family dynamic. It also momentarily removes Wolverine from her life, allowing her to develop on her own. Instead of being the daughter of a crime boss, she is the daughter of an Oni - a demon within Japanese folktales typically depicted with horns. Mariko is also revealed to be an Oni herself. This is a major difference from her previous origins, and it places her on a brand new path of self-discovery and danger motivated by her own hidden power.
Mariko is not raised by her mother, but instead an elderly jushi - a person who fights evil spirits. She has begun regaining memories of her former life and finds herself being sought by Ogin. This is another Oni who wants Mariko for her blood. Although Wolverine is not yet present in this comic (existing in the wider series as a faithful hound), another Avenger is: Black Widow. The spy has been undercover for years, taking care of Mariko, with the end goal of turning her over to Ogin. Generally, Black Widow does not have significant connections to Mariko in other comics. This is largely due to Mariko being kept X-Men adjacent since her creation. All of these shifts result in a dramatic origin change and fresh new links to surprising figures.
This angle on Mariko as a character gives her a narrative of her own rather than simply making her an element of Wolverine's. It explores a new heritage that diverges from her being simply a foreign criminal heir to being a powerful entity in her own right. Keeping her closer to Japanese folklore and centering the story fully on her is refreshing. She has her own abilities, even if they haven't been seen in full just yet. This gives her much more room to be a stronger character with a fantastically rich background. This is a big improvement from mainly being a side character whose main purpose is to have some kind of effect on Wolverine - for better or worse. Marvel's Demon Days: Mariko #1 finally gives Mariko the opportunity to shine as a powerful hero, telling a worthwhile story and giving her an origin and mission of her own outside of Wolverine - no small thing in a comic multiverse where no character is ever truly forgotten or off limits to the writers of the future.