Twenty-five years after pulling back the curtain on James Howlett’s secret childhood in 2001’s Origin, writer Paul Jenkins is returning to tell another chapter in the early years of the best there is at what he does.
Marvel Comics has officially announced Wolverine: Origin III – The Dark Age, a five-issue limited series launching on December 16. Joining Jenkins on the project is artist CAFU (Venom, Captain America), alongside cover artist Wes Burt, to explore a long-forgotten, psychological chapter in Logan’s mid-century history.
The Premise: Uncovering the 1950s Shift
Set in the 1950s following the trauma of back-to-back combat tours across two World Wars, The Dark Age finds Logan attempting to build a life defined by peace rather than violence.
Leaving his berserker rage behind, Logan embarks on a mission of service, forging new friendships and working alongside an impassioned young doctor to understand his own mind and memories. However, the miniseries digs into the sinister forces behind this brief period of tranquility, revealing the harrowing psychological experience that ultimately set Logan on the path toward the Weapon X program.
“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,” explained Jenkins. “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.”
“I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say this is the most important project I’ve worked on in my entire career,” added artist CAFU. “Origin is one of my all-time favorite Wolverine stories… 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.”
