Wolverine

__** Logan / "James Howlett" / "Wolverine" **__



__**History **__

James Howlett was born the second son of wealthy landowners John and Elizabeth Howlett in Alberta, Canada during the late 19th Century. James was a frail boy of poor health. He was largely neglected by his mother, who was institutionalized for a time following the death of her first son, John Jr., in 1897. He spent most of his early years on the estate grounds and had two playmates that lived on the Howlett estate with him: Rose, a red-headed girl who was brought in from town to be a companion to young James, and a boy nicknamed "Dog" who was the son of the groundskeeper, Thomas Logan. Thomas Logan was an alcoholic and was extremely abusive to his son. The children were close friends but as they reached young adulthood, the abuse inflicted upon Dog warped his mind. His actions would lead to a tragic chain of events that started as the three neared their adolescent years when Dog made unwanted advances toward Rose and James reported it to his father. In retaliation Dog killed James's pet dog. This in turn resulted in the expulsion of Thomas Logan and Dog Logan from the estate.

Thomas Logan, in a drunken stupor, invaded the Howlett estate with his son and attempted to take Elizabeth Howlett (implied to be his former lover) with him. John attempted to stop him and Thomas Logan shot him down in cold blood. James had just entered the room when this occurred and for the first time his mutation manifested; his claws extended from the backs of his hands and he attacked the intruders with uncharacteristic ferocity, killing Thomas Logan, and scarring Dog's face with three claw marks. Elizabeth Howlett, who was already an emotionally disturbed woman, took her life immediately afterward with a blast from Thomas's gun. Fearing for their safety, Rose fled the estate with James, who appeared to have been deeply traumatized and had somehow repressed or forgotten most of the memories of life back at the estate. Dog falsely reported to the incident to the police. The eldest Howlett shunned James and, with no family left, took Dog in as his ward. However, Dog was already a burgeoning psychopath and it was too late for his character to evolve down any other path.

In the years that followed, James and Rose took refuge in a British Colombia mining colony under the guise of being cousins. James also assumed the name of "Logan" in order to hide his identity. As the hard work of mining toughened his body, and his mutant powers developed, he grew to be unusually strong and ferocious. He was immune to the elements and even ran with the wolves in the forest, learning to hunt as an animal hunts. "Logan" became a valuable and admirable figure amongst the small community of miners due to his hard work and strong ethics, earning him the respect of his peers, including the foreman Smitty, who became a surrogate father figure to James. During this period, James developed strong feelings for Rose, but could not act on them for the sake of their guise as cousins. Smitty, who had been mentoring James all these years, had also grown close to Rose, and the two eventually fell in love and became engaged, much to the scorn and surprise of James, who later accepted the situation for the sake of Rose's happiness. Meanwhile, the elder John Howlett was in failing health and asked Dog to find Rose and his grandson so he could make peace with them before he died. Dog agreed. However, Dog (who has become a physically formidable man himself) decided to track them down so he can kill James.

Dog hunted James and Rose down so easily that it seemed he had a preternatural skill for tracking. On the night that Smitty was due to leave the mining town with Rose, Dog (looking quite similar to Sabretooth) finally found and confronted James. Dog reminded James of his past, and that faithful night back on the estate that had changed all their lives so. The two fiercely fought in the middle of the street and, despite being the physically stronger of the two, Dog was eventually overpowered by the enraged James. As Dog laid unconscious, James unsheathed his claws for the first time in public, to the shock of everyone watching. He was about to deal a deathblow to Dog until Rose leapt in to stop him. Instead Rose was accidentally impaled by his claws. Horrified, Logan held her in his arms as she died. He then fled into the woods where he lived in self-imposed exile with a pack of wolves, presumably for many years.

Logan’s next memories are spotty. He possesses memories of being a samurai in Japan, a mercenary operative for the Central Intelligence Agency, and a "wild man" in the Canadian wilderness. Due to extensive memory implants given to Logan through the Weapon X program, any or all of these memories are suspect. Logan has at least one memory of meeting Captain America (Steve Rogers) in World War II while he was in the Canadian Army. This memory has been verified as true. Sometime after World War II, Logan was taken by a group of scientists led by Dr. Cornelius as part of the Weapon X program. Cornelius was hired to perfect and use a technique that would bond the indestructible element adamantium to human bone cells. Logan's skeleton was bonded to the adamantium, and he was indoctrinated into the Weapon X assassin program.

Wolverine was conscripted by Department H, and for his first mission was sent against the incredible Hulk. Wolverine was subsequently approached by Professor Charles Xavier, who was looking for mutants to help his students, the X-Men, escape from the island-being known as Krakoa, which had captured them. Wolverine left Alpha Flight to accompany Xavier and rescue the captured X-Men. After Krakoa was defeated, Wolverine decided to stay with the X-Men. One of the reasons he stayed is because he had fallen for Marvel Girl (Jean Grey). Logan remained with the X-Men for quite some time, at one time being their field commander, and encountered adversaries such as Proteus (Kevin MacTaggart), Magneto (Magnus), the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the Brood, the Reavers, demons from the dimension of Limbo, the Marauders, the Morlocks, and even Dracula on one occasion.

After his encounter with the mutant assassin Omega Red, Logan began to question the memories he possessed, but his searches to find his true identity and memories proved fruitless. During an encounter with the mutant Magneto on his space station called Avalon, Wolverine slashed Magneto with his claws. Magneto retaliated, using his powers of the magnetic field to tear the adamantium out of Wolverine's skeleton, causing extensive injuries. These injuries shorted out Wolverine's healing factor for a time, and Logan also discovered that the claws that he believed a result of the Weapon X project were in fact part of his actual bone structure due to his mutation. These bone claws became Wolverine's main weapons until his skeleton later became grafted to adamantium again.

Logan was later kidnapped by the would-be conqueror Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur) and forced to fight the savage assassin Sabretooth for the mantle of the Horseman Death. Knowing that he might be able to resist Apocalypse's programming and that Sabretooth would be a very dangerous villain with the support of Apocalypse, Logan fought and defeated his nemesis. As a result, his skeleton again was laced with adamantium. Under the control of Apocalypse, Wolverine fought the X-Men ferociously in his Death persona. But with the help of his teammates, he eventually broke free from Apocalypse's control.

Finally, while on the Weapon Plus satellite, Logan was able to access detailed files on his past. However, it was a trap, and only Jean's manifestation of the Phoenix was able to save them. Jean died shortly afterward. Wolverine greatly mourned Jean's loss and was not pleased with Cyclops and Emma Frost's relationship. Despite this, he remained a valued member of the X-Men.

It was at this time that Scott decided that the X-Men needed to play a more proactive role in emergency rescue and aid, and thus garner attention on mutants in a more positive light where mutant abilities are used for the good of people. Scott therefore handpicked a team in order to get out into the world more. Scott chose Beast for his intelligence, Emma for her telepathy in the field, Wolverine because of his fighting experience, and Shadowcat as the public face of mutants. The remaining teams, Scott left in the charge of Havok and Storm. The teams' first mission was an alien, named Ord of the Breakworld, during which the team rescued the recently resurrected Colossus and destroyed a cure for mutants.

Not long after, the X-Men's Danger Room became sentient, attacking the X-Men and seeking to kill Professor Xavier. Calling itself "Danger", "she" revealed that Professor Xavier knew she had been self-aware, since the Shi'ar technology was installed in the Danger Room years ago, but chose to ignore her, effectively, inhumanely using her only to train his teams of X-Men. After her defeat on the island of Genosha, the X-Men abandoned Professor Xavier on the island in disgust, and Cyclops stated that he no longer needed Professor Xavier's input at the school or with the team. Shortly after returning to the school, Logan and the rest of the X-Men were teleported away by S.W.O.R.D. to combat Ord on the Breakworld.


 * School’s Out / High School Never Ends **

Logan and the rest of the X-Men return to Xavier’s school to find that the reserve members of the X-Men (Nightcrawler and Angel) were put into a temporal coma by a group called the Travelers. A group of seniors at the school took over and ultimately defeated the Travelers. Scott reveals that the Board of Trustees of Xavier’s school had secretly built a new west coast school, Academy X. Considering the relative success the seniors had in running Xavier’s school, Scott offers them the chance to run Academy X.


 * Welcome to Paradise / Hotel California **

Storm joins the X-Men just before the team’s next mission: an extradimensional trip through a “ghost box” to fight a group intent on invading the X-Men’s reality (“Ghost Boxes”).


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My Generation / Children’s Crusade **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Logan and the X-Men travel to Africa to deal with a mysterious mutagen that is causing mutations among newborn children. They find that this, too, is linked to ghost boxes (“Xenogenesis”).


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Valley of Lost Souls / Empire of the Damned **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After a falling-out with Academy X over their decision not to allow Bobby (“Iceman”) to reclaim half of his mutant powers from the artificially created mutant girl, Agape, Logan helps fight Selene during the Necrosha event. During the battle, Nightcrawler and Iceman face Selene, and Nightcrawler is killed. Many at Xavier’s school blame Academy X staff for Kurt’s death.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Logan forgives the Academy X staff when they alert him to the kidnapping and brainwashing of his adopted daughter, Amiko. The culprits were recently-revealed group Hellfire Club: Tokyo. While freeing the girl, Wolverine is brainwashed by the enigmatic Lady Lotus. He and Amiko (using the codename “Midnight”) infiltrate Academy X and provide a distraction while assassins attempt to kill other targets at the school. Wolverine is eventually knocked out due to exhaustion after being subjected to Medic’s powers several times. He is freed from his brainwashing by Pixie’s souldagger, which disrupts psionics.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bloodlines **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wolverine continues to serve on several mutant teams, including mutant black ops team X-Factor. When Samantha and Matt get married at Academy X, Logan sends X-23 as X-Factor’s envoy.

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Powers and Abilities **__

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Regenerative Healing Factor//: Wolverine's primary mutant power is an accelerated healing process that enables him to regenerate damaged or destroyed tissue with far greater efficiency than an ordinary human. He can regenerate greatly damaged or destroyed tissue in only a few seconds. Wolverine's accelerated healing powers have been commonly referred to as his mutant healing factor. The full extent and speed of Wolverine's healing factor isn't known. He has been shown to fully heal from numerous gunshot wounds, severe burns covering most of his body, and regenerate missing eyes within a matter of seconds. Adamantium plays a crucial role in the speed of Wolverine's healing as well because of the fact that it produces a poison that his immune system fights off regularly. It is said that without the adamantium, his healing rate increases. Wolverine's healing powers force his mind to suppress the memories, sometimes resulting in amnesia. Wolverine calls this his mental scar tissue. Wolverine’s healing factor has cured him from mystical curse of the Werewolf after he had been bitten and turned into a werewolf as well as from vampirism.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Foreign Chemical Immunity//: Wolverine's natural healing also affords him the virtual immunity to poisons and most drugs, except in massive doses. For example, it is extremely difficult for him to become intoxicated from alcohol.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Immunity to Disease//: Wolverine's highly efficient immune system, which is part of his accelerated healing factor, renders him immune against all known diseases and infections.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Superhumanly Acute Senses//: Wolverine possesses superhumanly acute senses that are comparable to those of certain animals. He can see at far greater distances, with perfect clarity, than an ordinary human. He retains this same level of clarity even in near total darkness. His hearing is enhanced in a similar manner, allowing him to detect sounds ordinary humans couldn't hear at a greater distances, enough to hear a teardrop in another room that have thick walls with enough focus. He is able to recognize people and objects by scent, even if they are well hidden. He can track a target by scent, even if the scent has been greatly eroded by time and weather factors, with an extraordinary degree of success.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Superhuman Strength//: Wolverine's mutant healing factor enables him to push his muscles beyond the natural limits of the human body without injury, granting him some degree of superhuman strength. His natural strength is augmented by the demand placed on his musculature due to the presence of over 100 pounds of Adamantium bonded to his skeleton, which also removes the natural limitations of the human skeletal structure by allowing him to lift weights that would damage a human skeleton. Wolverine has been depicted with sufficient strength to break steel chains and support the weight of a dozen men with one arm. Wolverine's strength is enough to allow him to press somewhere in excess of 800 lbs. but no more than 2 tons.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Superhuman Stamina//: Wolverine's mutant healing factor grants him high immunity against lactic acid and other fatigue toxins generated by his muscles during physical activity. Wolverine can sustain himself at peak capacity for several days. His lung capacity is at peak human level, enabling him to hold his breath for 6 minutes under water, making his lungs as healthy as human's lungs can get.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Superhuman Agility and Reflexes//: Wolverine's agility, balance and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels far beyond the natural physical limits and capabilities of the finest human specimen. Wolverine's agility is sufficient to allow him to dodge multiple bullets and Cyclops’ optic blasts at near point blank range. Wolverine's reflexes are similarly enhanced. They are equal to the likes of Captain America’s due to his superhumanly acute senses, although most of the time he relies highly on his regenerative healing factor.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Insulated Weather Adaptation//: Wolverine's body is highly resistant to certain elemental extremes, particularly cold, to the extent that he can sleep nude in subarctic conditions with no apparent injury.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Delayed Aging//: Wolverine's healing factor provides him with an extended lifespan by slowing the effects of the aging process. Wolverine was born sometime during the late 19th Century. Although well over 100 years of age, Wolverine retains the health, appearance and physical vitality of a man in the physical prime of his life.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Bone Claws//: Wolverine's skeleton includes six retractable foot-long bone claws, three in each arm, that are housed beneath the skin and muscle of his forearms. Wolverine can, at will, release these slightly curved claws through his skin beneath the knuckles on each hand. The skin between the knuckles tears and bleeds, but the injury is quickly healed by his healing factor. Wolverine can unsheathe any number of his claws at once, although he must keep his wrists straight at the moment his claws pass from his forearms into his hands. When unsheathed, the claws are entirely within his hands, allowing him to bend his wrists when they are extended. The claws are made of bone, unlike the claws of normal mammals which are made of keratin, and were originally believed to be bionic adamantium implants. Like his son, Daken, the bone claws are sharp and dense enough to slice through substances as durable as most metals, wood, and stone.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Psionic Resistance//: Wolverine’s mind is highly resistant to telepathic probing and assault due to the high level psionic shields implanted in his mind by Professor Charles Xavier.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Master Tactician//: Though seemingly brutish, Wolverine is highly intelligent. When Forge monitored Wolverine's vitals during a Danger Room training session, he reported Logan's physical and mental state as "equivalent to an Olympic-level gymnast performing a Gold-medal-winning routine whilst simultaneously beating four chess computers in his head", which gives something of an idea of the level of sophistication and tactical processing Logan is capable of utilizing while in combat.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Master Martial Artist//: Due to his extensive training as a soldier, a CIA operative, a samurai and a member of the X-Men, Logan is an exceptional martial artist and has mastered all areas of combat including hand-to-hand and various weapons. His extraordinary hand-to-hand combat ability makes him one of the finest combatants on Earth.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Expert Marksman//: Logan is an expert marksman and is skilled in throwing weapons and firearms.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Expert Swordsman//: Logan is proficient in Japanese sword fighting having studied in Japan.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Skilled Acrobat//: Logan is skilled in gymnastics, acrobatics and aerials.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Advanced Covert Ops Expert//: Due to his experience traveling the world and working for various government agencies, Wolverine is also a trained expert in multiple types of weapons, vehicles, computer systems, explosives, and assassination techniques.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Skilled Mechanic//: Along with Kurt Wagner, Wolverine has also been the mechanic of the X-Men's Blackbird jet for a long time.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Multi-lingual//: Wolverine is fluent in a number of languages and well-acquainted in various cultures due to his travels.