Back in 2001, Marvel Comics publishing did the unthinkable when it decided to provide the definitive backstory once and for all for arguably the most popular member of the X-Men, Wolverine. In the aptly titled miniseries Origin from the creative team of writers Bill Jemas, Joe Quesada and Paul Jenkins, and artist Andy Kubert, the tragic past of the man simply known as Logan was finally revealed to readers as well as his real name, James Howlett. With this year marking the 25th anniversary of the original Origin miniseries, Marvel has announced details for Wolverine: Origin III – The Dark Age , a five-issue limited arriving this December from writer Paul Jenkins, involved in the original miniseries, with art by Cafu.
This isn’t the first time Marvel has gone back to the Wolverine: Origin well. In fact, back in 2013 Marvel published Origin II that explored the character’s first encounter with his archnemesis Sabretooth.
Set in the 1950s, here’s how Marvel described the the upcoming miniseries:
Enter the Dark Age! After years of trauma and back-to-back tours of duty fighting in the first two World Wars, Logan has found his new mission…peace! With his berserker rage and violent tendencies somehow behind him, Logan enjoys a new life of tranquility and service. Logan will meet new friends and allies, and with the help of an impassioned young doctor, discover what makes him tick. But what is the cause of this newfound happiness…and how long can it last?
Having recently returned to writing for Marvel after being away from the publisher for a number of years, Jenkins teased the following:
“Wolverine: Origin was foundational. It did not simply tell us how, why, and where a young, frail Canadian named James Howlett became the super hero we know as Wolverine, it also showed his loss of innocence and his understanding of a cruel and difficult world. Now, after 25 years, I’m privileged to present this story I have waited over a quarter of a century to tell. Where did Logan go? Which parts of his story were lost to history? What led to the events of Weapon X? The answers are not going to be what you expect.”
Artist Cafu expressed immense excitement:
“I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say this is the most important project I’ve worked on in my entire career. Origin is one of my all-time favorite Wolverine stories, and I’ve loved Paul Jenkins’ work since I was a teenager, so becoming a part of the continuation of that story and being able to tell a little more about Logan’s past is a dream come true.”
Wolverine: Origin III – The Dark Age #1 will feature a main cover by Wes Burt and a variant cover by Josemaria Casanovas and arrive in comic shops Wenesday December 16, 2026.
