Let's be real; origin stories can be complicated. Most heroes have had changes, updates, erases, redos, and all sorts of disruption from the norm. These complications happen to deepen a character's appeal, fix missing plot holes, and perhaps make their origin more fitting for the modern times. That is part of the wonder of comic books, along with part of the annoyance...anything can change at any time. It leaves the world of possibilities open which can be good for speculation, however it leaves the world of possibilities open which can be bad for speculation. Wait, what? See, it is super complicated.
The X-men is one of Marvel's most recognizable character groups as well as having had quite the storied history. The original group was formed in the 1960's and had a successful comic series run until 1970 when they began reprinting old X-men issues. With the 1974 release of Giant-Size X-men #1, we were treated to a revamp of the team and a continuation of the original series that would change comic and pop culture history. The new team took the X-men out of the background and made them one of Marvel's most viable properties along with the ultimate key to Marvel movie success.
Most people are familiar with the new-age team that consists of Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, and the crew most of us recognize from popular culture and our youth. Of all the X-men, Wolverine became the breakout star. Eventually you could not have Wolverine without Sabretooth, together they are the perfect fit. A Yin and Yang for the Marvel fans to enjoy. A funny fact that most people may not know is that these two characters, whom are highly associated with X-men, made their entry into Marvel far and away from the X-men brand. Wolverine made his first appearance in Incredible Hulk #181 in 1974 and Sabretooth made his first appearance in Iron Fist #14 in 1977. It would not be until 1986, in the pages of X-men #212, that the rivals would have their first published battle. While Incredible Hulk #181 remains one of the most collectible comics available in any grade, Iron Fist #14 has seen some recent market strides. 9.8 grades copies of Iron Fist #14 saw a price-point around $1500 in mid 2018 and are now topping the $2000 mark.
The comic history of Wolverine and Sabretooth would evolve even more throughout the years. Their history would be retold back to them being brothers in Canada in the 1800's and their twisting yet often parallel lives running intertwined through out history. They both ended up being assigned to the Weapon X project and enhanced as lethal weapons and we all know how that worked out.
All told, these characters were retooled and developed further to make better use of them within the Marvel universe. No character has a perfect origin story, and you definitely cannot get the full story of any character's origin in a single book. Development takes time and over that time the world around a character can change.
Do you like characters getting fresh updates to their origins and back stories? Is there another example of rehashing of characters that makes you happy or crazy? Drop you comments and join in the speculation!
