One of the things that made Wolverine such an alluring character during the early years of the character’s creation was the fact that a lot of his backstory was surrounded with mystery. No one knew what his origin was; even Logan himself had gaps in his memory about his own past. It’s that mystique that made him so captivating to readers. For any new information that is revealed about Logan, even more mysteries showed up. It wasn’t until around the 21st century that Marvel Comics began revealing what was under the curtain for Wolverine’s origin.

In the 2001 comic book miniseries Origin, Marvel Comics finally showcased the secret backstory of Wolverine. In Origin, it is revealed that Logan’s name is not really Logan after all. His real name was James Howlett, and from that point forward a floodgate of new information about Logan’s past is revealed. More data about Logan’s family is exposed, along with all the drama it brings.

It is also around this time period that Marvel starting exploring the many children of Logan. He’s a man who has lived for over a hundred years, so of course he would have plenty of children. In the 2000 X-Men: Evolution cartoon, X-23, Logan’s most famous offspring, is introduced. From there, several more children of Wolverine will introduce themselves, including Daken and Jimmy Hudson. There are a lot of complexities within Logan’s family tree, and that’s mostly due to the convolution within the X-Men comics and the multiverse. Fortunately for you readers, that is why I exist. I will be going over the 22 Ridiculous Things About Wolverine’s Family Only Super Fans Will Know so that you don’t have to do the research yourself.

22 Laura (X-23) Is His Clone

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In Logan, it is stated that Laura was created using Logan’s DNA. However, it also mentioned that children like her were given birth by mothers in Mexico.

This is a slight contrast to Laura’s origin in the comics and the X-Men: Evolution cartoon in which she first appeared, though most of it is the same. She wasn’t just created by using Logan’s DNA; she was a clone. She was created with two X chromosomes, as all the male clones were failures. With that said, one of the doctors chose to act like a surrogate for Laura. That same doctor would then treat Laura as her daughter. Her official name is Laura Kinney in the comics.

21 Laura’s “Sisters”

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Laura Kinney, codenamed “X-23,” wasn’t the only clone of Wolverine. Apparently, evil scientists within the Marvel Universe are obsessed with Wolverine’s genetic makeup and are constantly looking for ways to use his DNA for nefarious purposes.

Laura, during her time as Wolverine, learns that she has clones.

Apparently, the evil organization Alchemax Genetics took a DNA sample of Laura and used it to invent more clones of her. They successfully created ten clones, who were dubbed as the “Sisters.” Six perished under mysterious circumstances while under Alchemax’s care. The remaining four escaped; half of those four would later perish during Laura’s pursuit of them. The youngest of the clones would end up living with Laura.

20 Honey Badger (Laura’s Younger “Sister”)

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Alchemax Genetics created clones of X-23 in hopes of having the perfect replica of Laura, including the healing factor and retractable claws. While they were successful in inventing ten clones of X-23, it appeared that none of them had Laura’s mutant powers.

That is until the youngest clone, who named herself Gabby, revealed to the head scientist that she actually does have powers. She has a single retractable claw on both hands and even has healing powers just like the other Wolverines. After the end of the other clones, Gabby ended up living with Laura. Her “brother” Daken nicknamed her Honey Badger, and it has since been her superhero codename.

19 The Howletts

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Logan isn’t Wolverine’s birth name. He was born as James Howlett, the second son of John and Elizabeth Howlett. John was a wealthy plantation owner, owning a large portion of land in Alberta, Canada.

The couple’s first son, John Howlett Jr., perished under mysterious circumstances.

It is later suggested that John Jr. may have had the same powers as his younger brother James. Elizabeth has large claw scars on her back, implying she has been attacked by an animal with large claws. Though John Howlett Sr. was a kind man, his own father was a stern and mean old man. Elizabeth went mad at some point and was locked away in a chamber in the house.

18 James’ Real Father

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Though young James Howlett believed John Howlett Sr. was his father, it was implied in the comic Origin that he may not actually be his biological father. In Origin, it is heavily suggested that it could be the groundskeeper who was simply called Logan.

Logan the groundskeeper looks identical to modern day Wolverine, further supporting the theory. He hated working for the Howletts and was jealous of John’s marriage with Elizabeth. He would try to take Elizabeth and rob John. He would later be hurt by John. Later stories directly state that Logan the groundskeeper is Wolverine’s biological father.

17 Logan’s Half-Brother, Dog

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James Howlett wasn’t groundskeeper Logan’s only son. He had a legitimate son named Dog. When Dog was young, he used to be friends with James. They used to play together, along with a young girl named Rose.

Rose was an orphan housekeeper for the Howletts.

After Logan shoots John Howlett, James activates his mutant powers and hurts Logan. James and Rose would then leave the Howlett estate, while Dog remained behind to blame them for the crimes. He would then track them down as an adult, and try to end both of them. In a very comic book-y storyline, he ends up being teleported into the present, where he continues to hunt down James, now going by Logan.

16 Daken, The Dark Wolverine

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During the 1940s, Logan was sent to Japan, where he met a woman named Itsu. They would fall in love and quickly get married. She was soon pregnant with his child. Sadly, she was ended by the Winter Soldier while she was still pregnant. Logan would then leave Japan.

The supervillain Romulus took the baby from within Itsu’s womb. The baby survived thanks to his mutant super healing, and he grew up to be a supervillain named Daken. He resents his father because he felt as if he abandoned him. Romulus has also been manipulating him for his own devious purposes. Daken has become a constant foe for Wolverine in recent years, even taking the title as Wolverine in Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers.

15 Kouen, Another Clone

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Remember when I said that evil corporations love to clone Wolverine? Well, X-23 and her sisters aren’t the only known clones of Wolverine running around in the Marvel Universe. In a weird storyline, Wolverine is sent to a deserted planet, where he is being hunted by a young clone of himself.

The clone, named Kouen, instead teams up with Wolverine to escape the planet.

Apparently, the evil organization that sent Wolverine to space wanted to make a perfect race full of nothing but his clones. However, the clone proved to be too unpredictable, and thus their plan failed when the two Wolverines escape. Kouen hasn’t been seen since.

14 Amiko, Logan’s Adoptive Daughter

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Logan’s most prominent love interest in the comics is a Japanese woman named Mariko Yashida. They would get engaged several times within the canon of the comics, though for one reason or another they never officially get married. While they were still engaged, a dragon from a different planet rampaged a town in Japan. A random woman perishes, and she begs Wolverine to take care of her daughter.

Logan and Mariko would then take in orphan Amiko Kobayashi. Logan still lived abroad with the X-Men, but Amiko lived with Mariko. Unfortunately, Mariko would later perish, and Logan decided to leave Amiko in the foster care system. She was hurt by her foster family until Logan came in to save her.

13 The Red Right Hand

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Arguably, the night Wolverine ended the Red Right Hand may actually be the worst day of Logan’s life.

The Red Right Hand is an organization made up of people who felt they were wronged by Logan in the past.

They sent Wolverine to the underworld, but he came back. He then attacks them where they lived, and ended all of their mutant bodyguards. Members of the organization ended it all before Logan could get to them, and they revealed to him through a video that all their bodyguards were his illegitimate children. Overcome with guilt, Logan ran into the forest to wallow in his misery until the X-Men came in to console him.

12 The Hudsons (Logan’s Cousins)

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There was plenty of drama within Logan’s immediate family. He was the son of a groundskeeper and he had two older half-brothers. Outside Logan’s relationship with the Howletts, Wolverine is also related to the Hudsons.

His mother’s maiden name was Hudson. What’s significant with that name is the fact that the Canadian superhero, the Guardian, is a Hudson. The Guardian is essentially Captain America, but for Canada. Logan and the Guardian use to work together as Canadian superheroes before the former became an X-Men. Adding in the convolution and weird coincidences, there have been other Hudsons in the world of the X-Men that range from heroes to villains.

11 Supervillain Runs In The Family

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During an unspecific time period, Logan was captured by the Weapon X program. The program crafted Adamantium on his bones, and the plan was to put him in a secret team called Team X. Other members of Team X included Sabretooth and Silver Fox, Logan’s love.

Weapon X manipulated the memories of Team X, taking away and creating new memories for them.

Wolverine was able to escape. One of the main leaders of Weapon X was a man named The Professor. It is later revealed that The Professor’s real name is Truett Hudson, making him a long lost relative to Logan. The Hudsons are his cousins, so the man that helped craft Adamantium on his claw is also the same man who is related to him.

10 Mariko Yashida, Logan’s Most Enduring Love

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When the X-Men were first visiting Japan, Logan became attractive towards a Japanese woman named Mariko Yashida. In true comic book fashion, Mariko turns out to be the heir of a major criminal organization in Japan. She and Logan would have an on-and-off relationship for many years.

They were even going to get married until an evil supervillain brainwashed Mariko to not go through with the wedding. You know the usual stuff. Sadly, Mariko is poisoned by The Hand and begs Logan to finish her, which he does.

However, since this is the world of comic books, she would be resurrected decades later by The Hand. She was reborn as the super-powered Scarlet Samurai.

9 Viper, Ex-Wife

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Madripoor is a fictional island that resides in Southeast Asia. Logan has known to visit the island many times throughout the decades. The island is usually under the control of the villainous Viper, a former Hydra operative.

Viper and Logan actually have a long history together.

They shared a mutual sensei, who forced Logan to swear allegiance to Viper. When the throne of Madripoor was left vacant, Viper pushed Wolverine to marry her so that they are rulers of Madripoor. While Wolverine complied, Viper wasn’t actually thrilled with the marriage. She despised Logan, and they soon got a divorce when he found another way to pay his debt to her.

8 Logan’s Child In The Savage Land

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The Savage Land is a prehistoric jungle hidden below the Antarctic. Many extinct creatures live within the jungle, along with some prehistoric humans. The Savage Land is often a source of many crazy stories that involve superheroes fighting dinosaurs.

One of these stories involves Wolverine going to the Savage Land, and being challenged by the leader of the Tribe of Fire. He defeats the leader, who turns out to be a woman. Wolverine then becomes the leader of the Tribe of Fire. The former leader, whose name is Gahck, became Logan’s love. Wolverine eventually leaves the Savage Land, not knowing Gahck was with his child. She gave birth to his son, Erista, not long after he left. So far, neither Erista or Gahck have been seen since.

7 Jimmy Hudson, Logan’s Alternate Universe Son

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During the early 2000s, Marvel Comics create a line of comics starring their most popular superheroes, but they take place in a more realistic world. All the characters started over from scratch, allowing new readers to pick them up easily. The universe in which the stories take place in was called the Ultimate Universe.

There was an event comic called Ultimatum, and many major superheroes perished in that story, including Ultimate Wolverine. It is soon revealed that Wolverine had a son, who he gave up to be raised by the Hudsons. Jimmy Hudson then took his father’s place and became the Ultimate Universe Wolverine. Currently, after the brief end of the Multiverse, Jimmy has found himself stranded on the prime Marvel Universe.

6 Wild Thing, Logan’s Alternate Universe Daughter

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Once upon a time, there was a Marvel Comic series called What If? The comic was about the what-if scenarios that could have happened in major Marvel storylines. In the final issue, the character Spider-Girl was introduced. Spider-Girl was the future daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson.

She proved to be so popular that she was given her own comic book, which took place in an alternate future of the main Marvel Universe. Children of other superheroes were recurring characters in this world, including Wolverine’s daughter Wild Thing. Wild Thing is the daughter of Wolverine and Elektra; if that pairing seems random, know that they have a special bond in the main Marvel comics.

5 Raze, Logan’s Alternate Universe Son

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Alternate future timelines, with alternate future children, have been the bread and butter of X-Men comics for decades. The future of the X-Men is always in trouble, and there always needs to be a time traveler who comes to the present to fix everything.

In the case of Raze, almost the exact opposite is true. Raze is the son of Wolverine and Mystique, and he comes from a relatively peaceful future. It isn’t perfect, yet it is still pretty good. However Raze and other mutants with a similar mindset believe the future is ruined, so they decided to travel to the past to prevent. They are also pretty evil, with Raze nearly ending his own father.

4 Wolverine And Red Sonja

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Red Sonja is a character first introduced in Conan the Barbarian comic books. At the time of her introduction, the Conan comics were being published by Marvel. Red Sonja was a very popular character from the Conan series, mostly due to her attractiveness and metal bikini. She would spin off to her own comic series and even had her own movie in the 80s.

Since Marvel was publishing the Conan comics at the time, there were several crossovers between the Marvel Universe and the Conan Universe. One such crossover had Wolverine teleported to Red Sonja’s world, where they teamed up. They eventually fell in love and married. The pairing actually makes a lot of sense, considering they are both hardened warriors.

3 Jonathan, Laura’s Pet Wolverine

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There was a time when Logan perished and Laura took his place as the All-New Wolverine. She had her own supporting cast, which includes her younger clone Gabby, and their pet wolverine name Jonathan. Yes, Laura had a literal pet wolverine. I don’t know what’s more hilarious. That she has a pet wolverine, or the fact that the wolverine’s name is Jonathan.

Laura was given the wolverine by Squirrel Girl, who believed Laura had the power to talk to wolverines. Apparently, that is not the case. Gabby took a liking to the wolverine and was the one that named it Jonathan. It is such a silly story that only comic books can make it work.