[EARLY ACCESS] Full Length | X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Bone Claws: In the comics, Wolverine was originally introduced with claws that appeared to be part of his gloves or suit, not something coming from his body. This was during his first appearance in The Incredible Hulk #180–181 (1974). However, by the time Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975) introduced the new X-Men team, it was depicted that the claws were actually part of his body. At the time, everyone assumed they were a result of the Weapon X experiment. The "bone claws" retcon came in 1993 during X-Men #25, part of the Fatal Attractions storyline, when Magneto ripped the adamantium out of Wolverine’s body. It was revealed that he still had claws, made of bone. This was the first time readers learned that Wolverine was actually born with claws, and that the Weapon X program had simply coated them in adamantium. Later, Wolverine: The Origin (2001) explored his backstory in greater detail, introducing key elements like his real name, James Howlett, his “father” John Howlett Sr., his mother Elizabeth Hudson, and Thomas Logan, his biological father. This comic inspired the X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) film, which loosely adapted parts of the origin story in its opening sequence. -------------------------------------------- Weapon X & Captain America Connection: In the comics, Wolverine’s Weapon X program is part of a larger Weapon Plus initiative that was inspired by Project Rebirth, the Super Soldier experiment that created Captain America. Steve Rogers is often referred to as Weapon I, while Logan is Weapon X. Fun fact: Cap and Logan canonically fought together during WWII. They even met in Madripoor in 1941 and served on the Western Front. The film’s take on Weapon X differs a lot from the comics. And ther's even a comic from the '90s where Wolvrine, along with Captain America and Black Widow go on a mission to learn more about Wolvrine's past. -------------------------------------------- Weapon X Movie Difference: A major difference is William Stryker, who in the comics is a fanatical preacher, first appearing in God Loves, Man Kills (1982). In the original storyline, it was The Professor (also known as Dr. Thorton) who was responsible for Weapon X, not Stryker. Also, in the comics, Logan didn’t volunteer for the experiment like he does in the film, he was abducted and forcibly experimented on. He remained in the program much longer, taking part in missions alongside other experimental “Weapons” before eventually escaping. He was essentially under their control for years prior to his breakout. --------------------------------------------- Possible Wakanda Connection? The meteorite hunt in Africa early in the film might be a nod to Wakanda and Vibranium. There’s also a deleted scene showing a young Storm (Ororo Munroe) in the village. In the comics, Storm has connections to Egypt and Harlem, but she also later ties into Black Panther’s story since they got married. Fun fact: the diamond operation leader is played by Hakeem Kae-Kazim, who later voiced T’Chaka (T’Challa’s father) in Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. So a fun little Wakanda, Black Panther connection. ----------------------------------------------- Kayla Silver Fox & Sabretooth: Kayla is from the comics and had a romantic history with Logan there too. In the comics, her first death (by Sabretooth) was a memory implant by Weapon X, later, she was actually killed by him for real. The film loosely draws on that. Speaking of Sabretooth. In the comics, Sabretooth (Victor Creed) wasn’t related to Logan in the comics and first appeared in an Iron Fist issue in 1977. Over time, he became a key rival to Wolverine. He was also part of Nick Fury’s black ops team “The Avengers” in 1959 (pre-superhero team). Fought in the Vietnam War, and Later became a regular villain in Wolverine and X-Men comics. --------------------------------------------- Cameo Mutants in Stryker’s Facility: The redhead with her mouth covered may be Banshee (Sean Cassidy), an Irish mutant with a sonic scream. If you recall, back in X2 we saw a young girl who could scream as well, who many believe is Banshee’s daughter, Siryn. The kid with the lizard-like tongue could be a young Toad. The girl with freezing powers is possibly Ice Princess. The kid creating tornadoes might be Riptide. The diamond-skinned girl, who in this film is portrayed as Kayla’s sister, is Emma Frost. In the comics, Emma Frost has a much bigger role, she’s a member of the Hellfire Club and took over as head of Xavier’s School during the 2000s. However, in the comics, she has no connection to Kayla. Finally, the white-haired speedster is heavily implied to be Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff), the twin of Wanda. Though later films contradict this, many fans consider X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). When people say not to put too much thought into the continuity of these films, this is what they mean, so many retcons and contradictions. ---------------------------------------------- Deadpool... Kinda Yeah... that wasn’t Deadpool. The film sets up Wade Wilson well early on, and Ryan Reynolds nails the sarcasm. But once they turn him into “Deadpool” with the sewn mouth and random powers, it’s a totally different character. The idea was to leave the door open with that final scene, but it didn’t land. Thankfully, Deadpool (2016) got it right and brought the character full circle. It also simply ignored this earlier version of the character, something all the future X-Men films did with Origins. So when watching future films, just take the basic plot of this one: Logan fought throughout history, became Weapon X, and eventually escaped, and throw everything else out the window. X-Men: First Class (2011), which comes next, is kind of like a soft reboot and one of my favourite films as well. You’ll notice aspects right away that don’t line up with Origins, so just don’t think about it too much. Most people pretend Origins never happened when moving forward.

LittleGalaxyBoy