Wolverine is back and with a new costume. Laura Kinney aka the All-New Wolverine has been featured in the cast of Dawn of X spinoff Fallen Angels carrying on the X-23 moniker. However, in preview images for the upcoming X-Men #5, Kinney is back and is seemingly assuming the role of Wolverine once again.
Laura Kinney first debuted in NYX #3 as a clone of Wolverine who's designed to be a killing machine for an organization called the Facility. She took on the name X-23 and had the same powers as Wolverine, including a healing factor, retractable adamantium claws, and superhuman reflexes and strength. In Tom Taylor and David Lopez's excellent All-New Wolverine, Laura assumes the mantle of Wolverine from Logan. Since that arc concluded, Kinney has been in the role of both X-23 and Wolverine, but in the X-Men spinoff Fallen Angels, she's reassumed the role of X-23.
In a preview image for X-Men #5 by Jonathan Hickman and R.B. Silva, Kinney can be seen in a new Wolverine costume on Krakoa alongside fellow mutants Synch and Darwin. By the look of things, the trios costumes suggest they are some kind of team. Regardless, it's nice to see Laura wearing a Wolverine costume as she's the worthy successor for the mantle. There's nothing wrong with having two Wolverines in the comics. Laura deserves the title.
The costume looks great. There's nothing better than the classic yellow and black color scheme. Kinney wearing the Wolverine costume might seem contradictory for those who have been keeping up with Fallen Angels. In the first issue, Laura bizarrely tells Psylocke that she deserves to have a "life without Logan's shadow." So, why would someone who wants to stay out of Wolverine's shadow wear a Wolverine costume? Well, Fallen Angels writer Bryan Edward Hill admitted the line was "dumb" since he didn't think of the overall implications. Hill said the moment was "not a theme," and that Laura wasn't regressing after the progress she made in gaining the identity in All-New Wolverine. It was a refreshing take from a writer who knew he made a mistake.
Still, where does this leave Kinney in the grand scheme of things? It's a welcome sight to see her as Wolverine again because the character was never better than she was in that role. As much as Logan is Wolverine, Kinney is too. The bigger question is, where is Gabby? Wolverine needs her trusted sidekick. Although, let's take things one step at a time and appreciate Kinney is back in costume.
X-Men #5 will be released at comic shops on January, 29th.