While Logan may have been the first to don the mantle, he certainly wasn’t the last as X-23 proved to fill the role of Wolverine in a way that truly lives up to her predecessor–and that passing of the torch is perfectly honored in jaw-dropping cosplay.
Laura Kinney aka X-23 aka Wolverine is a mutant who was artificially created using Logan’s DNA by the Facility in an effort for the organization to create its own assassins. While her childhood was cold and void of love or care, Laura’s surrogate mother and lead geneticist at the Facility, Sarah Kinney, helped Laura escape at the cost of her own life–at which point X-23 tracked Wolverine to the X-Mansion, all the while utilizing the mutant powers that he unwittingly gave her. After Logan helped Laura fight against the villainous Facility that pursued her, effectively winning Laura her freedom just as he had done against Weapon X, X-23 joined the X-Men and eventually adopted the codename of Wolverine as well as a similar costume that paid tribute the original–and now, that costume has brilliantly been brought to life.
In an Instagram post by thehannahklein with photo credit to jacob.halter, the cosplayer is dressed as Laura Kinney after she escapes from the Facility, joins the X-Men, and fully takes on her new role as Wolverine. Just like X-23’s Marvel Comics depiction, this cosplayer perfectly captured the essences of the original Wolverine suit while adding a few alterations to make it unique to Laura. The classic yellow and blue color scheme is utilized, the iconic cowl is worn, and the claws are drawn, effectively bringing to life the perfect embodiment of the next generation of mutant heroes–something the original poster hopes to see in future live-action films.
Wolverine Cosplayer Hopes X-23 will Don the Suit in the MCU
The written text associated with the image in this post spoke to the astronomical impact Logan’s Wolverine has had on comic book culture, citing the original Marvel Comics and even naming the films in which Wolverine was featured, adamantly praising every iteration. However, there was a hint of criticism with one line of the text, which read, “It’s probably too much to ask for the Laura Kinney version to make the jump from comics to the screen, but for now I’m just excited to wear the mantle in cosplay”. While Laura Kinney did make her live-action debut in the 2017 film Logan, it wasn’t as Wolverine, and it certainly didn’t show her wearing the iconic yellow and blue suit.
With Logan’s Wolverine having yet to become a part of the MCU, it may be a while before fans see another version of Laura Kinney at all, let alone one that takes over for Logan as the series’ main Wolverine–so for now, fans will just have to check out this outstanding cosplay as it is truly what it would look like if/when X-23’s Wolverine is brought into the realm of live-action.
