How Marvel used Wolverine’s real name as the ultimate fakeout

Wolverine debuted with a mysterious past and foggy origin, but the reveal of his real name only added to the confusion of his backstory. 

When Wolverine joined the X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men, he brought with him a surprising twist. Not a lot was known about the character at first, other than he was from Canada and previously worked alongside Alpha Flight.

Much of the ‘80s and ‘90s would follow Wolverine on his quest for the truth, revealing his time with Weapon X and teasing tidbits of his past. The mystery would be a huge component of Wolverine’s popularity. 

Though he finally learned the truth in 2006, fans learned it much earlier. In doing so, though, Marvel also created one of the most infamous twists in comic books. 

How The Origin used Wolverine’s real name for a twist

2001’s Origin (later renamed Wolverine: The Origin in trade) was the big moment where Wolverine’s past was finally detailed.

The story is set on the Howlett estate in 1900s Canada, home of the wealthy John Howlett, his wife Elizabeth, and his son, James Howlett. The early issues are focused on the relationship between James, his childhood friend Rose, and the groundskeeper’s son, Dog. 

The solicits for the issue promised that one of the boys would become Wolverine. Dog Logan’s father, the abusive Thomas Logan, is the spitting image of modern Logan. With Dog’s hesitancy to follow his father’s schemes for revenge after Thomas and Dog are kicked off the Howlett estate, it seemed almost certain that Dog would be revealed to be Wolverine. 

The Origin #2 sees Thomas kill John in front of his family. James attacks in retaliation and sprouts Wolverine’s iconic claws. The rug is immediately pulled out from under the reader with the later reveal that James Howlett is actually Thomas Logan’s bastard son, the result of an affair with Elizabeth.

What is Wolverine’s real name? 

Wolverine’s real name is James Howlett. However, he still uses the name Logan. 

The confusion with the Logan name is the final fallout of James killing Thomas Logan in retaliation for his father’s murder. On the run, Rose chose the name Logan while they were in hiding. Over time, he came to accept the name as his own. 

Origin’s finale saw Logan further traumatized by the accidental murder of Rose, whom he’d recently realized he was in love with. His healing factor worked to hide the traumatic memories as Logan chose to abandon civilization, leaving society to live with wolves in the wilderness. 

The jumbled memories, coupled with Weapon X brainwashing, would result in Logan forgetting his backstory until his memories were restored in the fallout of House of M. Though he knows his true name and backstory, he’s continued to use the Logan name. 

For more Wolverine and Marvel Comics news, keep it locked to Dexerto.