There are some fans who consider Laura Kinney to be the best Wolverine out there, which is why it was so troubling when Marvel announced its new X-23 series, seemingly reverting Logan's daughter to her previous moniker. However, those worries are unfounded as this “new” codename is not at all what it seems.
Laura made her comics in the 2004 series NYX, though she did appear in a slightly different form as a character on the X-Men: Evolution animated show before that. Laura was first introduced as a clone of Wolverine. The designation of X-23 was given to her by her creator Dr. Martin Sutter, while the name Laura was given to her by her other creator Sarah Kinney. In an attempt to replicate the original Weapon X program, Kinney mixed her own DNA with that of Logan’s and birthed Laura as her daughter. She eventually gave up her life to help Laura escape from the facility that had been her home and prison. After this ordeal Laura tracked down Wolverine, intent on killing him to do away with any weapons like herself, but to her surprise she found Logan to be a sympathetic mentor who accepted her and passed on the codename of Wolverine.
For that reason and more fans were upset when it was announced that Laura would star in her own comic series titled X-23: Deadly Regenesis. Without context, it was first assumed that the series, written by Erica Schultz and with art by Edgar Salazar, would see Laura Kinney revert back to her X-23 codename rather than carry on the Wolverine legacy of her father. However, in an interview with AIPT X-Men senior editor, Jordan D. White revealed that the series will actually take place in the past, meaning that in canon Laura will retain the Wolverine codename for all modern stories.
Laura Kinney Will Still Be Wolverine
Jordan explains:
Yes, this is a book set in the past. I guess that wasn’t said when it was announced, which is fine. But it’s not like that’s a secret you’re not going to know before you start reading it. This is a book set back when she was called X-23. This key detail matters for Laura Kinney and for her fans.
The new Wolverine has been through a lot. Growing up as a test subject, she had a hard life filled with trauma and abuse, and her previous codename reflected that. It was nothing more than a designation, as if she were less than human. Yet, as a member of the X-Men she has grown and blossomed into more than just a lab-created killing machine. She even recently attended the Hellfire Gala, and Laura has become so much more than what she was, and Jordon agrees:
But I think that is a super valid thing to do because Laura has grown a lot. We don’t want her to go back to being X-23 in the present. She’s Wolverine and she’s been through a lot since then and she’s changed a lot since then. So I think it’s totally a smart thing to do to say, if we want to explore that kind of story, let’s jump back into the past and explore that kind of story so that we don’t turn back the clock on her.
Laura Kinney has become widely accepted by readers and her peers as the right person to take up her father's mantle, but it has been a long hard road. Reverting her back to X-23 would be a setback to her and a blow to fans, which is why it is great news that that is not the case with her new solo series. X-23: Deadly Regenesis will be set in Laura Kinney's past and will hopefully bring even more depth and heart to Marvel’s current (and still) Wolverine.
Source: AIPT