Content Warning: Contains mentions of human-trafficking and prostitution

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Laura Kinney: Wolverine #1

Long before her heroic career as X-23 or the Wolverine, Laura Kinney’s story started in a heart-breakingly dark place. Now, over twenty years later, Laura is on a new path with a chance to save others in situations similar to the one she once found herself in. As harsh and depressing as it is, Laura’s horrific backstory must be ed as it continues to define her ongoing heroic journey.

Laura Kinney: Wolverine - by Erica Schultz and GIada Belviso - is a new series that follows the daughter of Wolverine as she claws her way through the most vile places in the Marvel Universe. Since the fall of Krakoa, the X-Men have been scattered and mutantkind have been deprived of their protectors.

When Laura discovers the existence of a black market child-trafficking operation, she hones her rage and brandishes her blades as memories of her traumatic past echo the horrors of her present. Wolverine, once a juvenile victim of trafficking and prostitution, won’t rest until every victimized child is free and safe.

Laura Kinney Must Save Others From Living Her Own Traumatic Past

Laura Kinney: Wolverine #1 - Written by Erica Schultz; Art by Giada Belviso; Color by Rachelle Rosenberg; Lettering by VC’s Cory Petit; Cover Art by Elena Casagrande & Edgar Delgado

When Laura Kinney was first Weapon X.” Instead, she was merely a mutant teen and a victim of sex-trafficking. The series did not shy away from graphic imagery, creating a deeply unsettling tone that matched the contents of the story. Fortunately, a fellow teen runaway saved Laura from that life, but the scars of that kind of trauma will never fade away. While Marvel could have easily buried this plot point over time, Laura’s brand of heroism has been defined by her past.

Laura came into this world as a product. Her life was conceived so that she could become an asset to be used. When she was freed from one prison, she was only released into another. Since, Laura has become a paragon of justice and a lethal protector for victims of trafficking crimes. She stands up for victims who nobody knows exists. She fights for those too young and too frail to fight for themselves. As the Wolverine, she doesn’t just fight for mutantkind, she fights for everyone. When faced with crimes as despicable as these, one’s species is an unimportant detail.

Laura Kinney: Wolverine Successfully Embraces Laura’s Past to Build a Stronger Future

Expect More Lethal Justice From the Wolverine

As harsh as Laura’s past is, Erica Schultz and Giada Belviso are doing phenomenal jobs at embracing it earnestly. Unfortunately, victimization never ends and there are far darker pits for the Wolverine to find new prey.

Today, the X-Man successfully tracks down the child and the leader of the operation. Naturally, Laura prevails and the child is saved. But along the way, this series, so far, has made her emotions feel dynamic and complex.

While there is spectacle, Laura isn’t just a raging beast; she’s realistic. Her sternness is motivated by the fear of her past and the greater fear that some other child will experience it too. She’s unafraid of a tender moment, expressing her relief openly. She even shows mercy to the head trafficker so as not to scare the child any further. As harsh as Laura’s past is, Erica Schultz and Giada Belviso are doing phenomenal jobs at embracing it earnestly. Unfortunately, victimization never ends and there are far darker pits for the Wolverine to find new prey.

Laura Kinney: Wolverine #1 is available now from Marvel Comics