JOHN
HOWLETT
Real Name: John Howlett
Identity/Class: Normal Human
Occupation: Millionaire
Group Affiliation: None
Affiliations: Kenneth, Rose
Enemies: Dog, Thomas Logan
Known Relatives: Elizabeth (wife), James (son), John II (son), Unnamed father
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Alberta, Canada
First Appearance: Wolverine: The Origin#1 (November, 2001)
Powers/Abilities: None, unless you include wealth
History: (Wolverine: The Origin#1) - John Howlett's father was a self-made millionaire in the late 1800's, and gave John half his money at some point in John's adulthood. John was a very kind and caring man, and at one point married a woman named Elizabeth and had a son, also named John. John, Sr, had a huge estate built on a hill above a small poor village in Alberta, Canada. Unfortunately, soon after the house was built, John's son died at the age of 12. According to a rumor in the town, John's wife went to the madhouse after that, and was never the same when she returned (However, this rumor is not been proven or anything). Eventually, they had another son, whom they named James (who would one day grow up to become Wolverine). John always argued with his father over everything. His father was as cold as John was kind, and wanted John to be as cold as he was. John wouldn't change his kind ways though. John hired a groundskeeper for his estate named Thomas Logan. Thomas was a heavy drinker and very hateful of John for being so rich while he was so poor.
Later on, John wanted a companion for James, who was always sickly, and had an orphan named Rose brought to his estate. He welcomed Rose very kindly, as he did everything. One Christmas, Rose was sad because she missed her parents, and John cheered her up by giving her a new dress, just like her mother used to do on Christmas. Also, he caught Thomas's son, Dog, at the window, and gave him a toy for Christmas. He also gave his son James a puppy. About all of the above mentioned things, he was arguing with his dad about either money or how to raise kids, or how to treat poor folk.
(Wolverine: The Origin#2) - After Thomas's son killed James' pet dog and sexually assaulted Rose, John fired Thomas. Thomas, who had always hated John, came into the estate with his son at night, snuck into Elizabeth's room, and asked for some of John's money and for her to come with them. However, John walked into the room and saw them, and Thomas killed John with a rifle.
Comments: Created by Paul Jenkins and Andy Kubert
Seeing his father being killed was what caused
James/Wolverine's initial manifestation of his powers.
--That seen was awesome! Up until that point, I--probably
along with a lot of people--totally believed that Dog was the
young Wolverine.
It seems to me like something was going on
between Elizabeth Howlett and Thomas Logan, possibly an affair,
because when both Thomas and John lay dead, she grieved that
Thomas had died, while not even acknowledging her dead husband.
That seems unlikely because she was a high-class woman and he was
a drunk, but it's the only explanation I can think of.
--You are correct. They were having an
affair--Snood.
When I read ORIGIN, I had assumed that, not only were the writers implying that Thomas Logan and Elizabeth Howlett had an affair, but also that James Howlett was the result of that affair. C'mon, look at that picture of Thomas Logan -- quite a striking family resemblance, no? And that would make Wolverine and Sabretooth half-brothers (if Dog does actually turn out to be Victor Creed, that is). Sabretooth was originally created to be Wolverine's father after all, wasn't he?And that would also mean that "Logan" is Wolverine's proper name (even though he might not be aware of it) rather than just an alias he adopted to escape detection--Skullogeist.
I'd buy all of that, except for one peripheral comment. Sabretooth didn't initially have anything to do with Wolverine. He started out as an Iron Fist foe. It wasn't until the "Mutant Massacre" that he got invovled with the X-Men and Wolvie in particular, and then the rest of their shared history was all ret-conned in--Snood.
I very highly recommend this story.
PROFILE BY STUNNER
CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with:
JOHN HOWLETT'S FATHER
John Howlett's father was a self-made millionaire after making a fortune in copper ore. He gave half his money to his only son, John, who built a huge estate with it. However, he argued with John over everything, and was completely dissatisfied with him. Everything from raising his child, to the way he treated the poor, to the way he handled his money, John Howlett's father fought with John. After Thomas killed John, John's father was told by Dog that it was Rose that committed the murder. He found Rose and James wandering in the woods, gave them some money, and told them never to return, that he had no grandson, and he never wanted to see them again.
However, years later, on his deathbed, he realized he made a mistake and asked Dog to go and find James for him and bring him there before he died. He never did see his grandson again, and presumably died soon after
--Wolverine: The Origin#1,2,3,5
ELIZABETH
Nothing is known of Elizabeth before she married John. After they were married, she had a son who died at the age of 12. According to a rumor in the town, she went insane after that, and went to the madhouse, and after she got out, she was never quite the same. She had another son, James, whom she never saw, and was completely withdrawn from. She had an affair with Thomas Logan, the groundskeeper of the estate, at one time or another. After Thomas killed John, and was himself killed by James, Elizabeth went ape, yelled at James and disowned him, calling him a monster after seeing his claws. She then killed herself.
--Wolverine: The Origin#1,2,3
Last updated: 11/01/03
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