Talon/Laura Howlett

Talon
Real Name	Laura Howlett
Alias	X-23, Half-Pint
Race	Mutant
Gender	Female
Affiliation	X-Men, Weapon X, Weapon XI, Resistance Against Apocalypse
Powers	Accelerated healing, and six bone claws, two on each hand and one on each foot.
Equipment	Adamantium skeleton

X-23 (Renamed Laura Howlett and given the codename Talon) was an experiment by Hydra (Weapon X in Wolverine and the X-Men) to create a copy of Wolverine. She is often portrayed as something close to a daughter to Wolverine and a sister to Liger.

Portrayal

In X-Men Evolution, she adjusts to living in the Xavier Mansion ridiculously easily, and she has a little sister, big brother relationship with Wolverine.

Powers

As Wolverine's clone, X-23 has all of Wolverine's powers, but instead of three claws for each hand, she just has two, and one in each foot.

Weaknesses

Laura has a very short temper like her father and brother, which can lead to rash decisions.

Equipment

Laura had Adamantium bonded to her skeleton at an early age.

Affiliation

While originally created by Hydra or Weapon X, Laura is a primary member of the X-Men.

History

Justice Evolution

Proteges and the Return of Captain America

X-23 charges at Liger.

After destroying the Hydra base, X-23 hid in its ruins, using air freshener to hide her scent. Shortly after the defeat of Apocalypse, Wolverine and his son Jim arrived to recruit her into the X-Men, and she took the name Laura. Some time after this, Laura told Xavier and Superman that the news showed that Kelly had been kidnapped by Red Skull. Laura then asked what happened to Captain America. X-23 went with the others to stop Zod and Slade's plan to use a chronotron detonator, but it proved to be a dud, and the Titans ended up getting shot by lasers but apparently nothing happened. After Superboy and Liger went missing, X-23 looked for them, and commented on how Blackfire was a regular ray of sunshine when she suggested that they were killed. X-23 and the others then went to Powers Technologies to confront two robbers and found Superboy and Liger worked for Zod and Magneto now. After they escaped, X-23 fought them again at Wayne Enterprises, but Liger tossed her into Iceman when she charged at him. Soon afterwords, she was attacked by probes until Superboy and Liger attacked Raven and Rogue. X-23 then got the probes removed by Raven and went to Zod, Slade, and Magneto's hideout to witness Zod's capture and Magneto pulling the Adamantium out of Liger. She then escaped with everyone else when Slade caused the building collapse.

Only a Dream

X-23's nightmare.

During a mass break-out from Stryker's that involved several supervillains, X-23 went with Wonder Woman, Terra, Starfire, Blackfire, Jean, and Shadowcat to stop Mystique. When Mystique separated into seven separate supervillains, X-23 fought Slade after getting blasted down by Brainiac. X-23 stated she had what it took to take a life as she kicked Slade in the groin before she was knocked back as Slade repaired himself due to a healing factor. X-23's then helped by Liger and Wolverine, who forces Slade to retreat back into Mystique. X-23 then called the finishing move nice. After all the villains were apprehended, Laura returned to the Mansion and goes to sleep.

Laura dreams of being in Canada and being the actual daughter of Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike, when Hydra arrives and kills Wolverine and Deathstrike, capturing Laura and putting the Adamantium in her skeleton. In her cell, she hears Liger, Wolverine, and Xavier's voices from a wall, and she can't take it in until Jim shouts at her for not knowing fear, this snaps Laura out of it as she shouts at Jim, freeing herself from her illusion. Laura then goes with them into Jean, Scott, Remy, Kurt, and Storm's minds before regrouping with the League and the Titans in Flash's mind. There, she holds of Dr. Destiny until Batman defeats Dee.

Spectacular Spider-Man

Spider-Man and Weapon X

X-23 gets left behind.

X-23 wanted to help save Spider-Man, but Wolverine didn't let her since she hadn't finished her homework. X-23 protested that she fought with everyone else when they fought Apocalypse, but she was still turned down, though she managed to get Liger to take her turn watching their baby siblings.

X-Men Evolution

Father-Son Outing

Wolverine shows up and asks X-23 to join the X-Men.

After destroying the Hydra base, X-23 hid in its ruins, using air freshener to hide her scent. Shortly after the defeat of Apocalypse, Wolverine and his son Jim arrived to try and recruit her into the X-Men when Wolverine ended up in a trap she set up that held him up by his ankle. When X-23 saw it was him, she released him. Sabertooth then appears to recruit her into the Brotherhood, but Wolverine stops him and orders her and Jim to get to the Blackbird and leave, they go to the Blackbird, but they then save Wolverine with a blast from the lasers and brings X-23 to the Mansion. She then joins the X-Men and takes the name of Laura, after it's suggested by Jim.

Prelude to Horror

X-23 participated in the fight against Sabertooth, but she didn't get the opportunity to do much.

Darkest Day

X-23 as she breaks Xavier out.

X-23 participated in a Danger Room simulation battle against the Brotherhood and did well until she ended up captured by a hologram of Sabertooth. She then joined the X-Men on their mission to save the White House. During the trip, she heard Liger call Jean Mary Poppins and asked what he was talking about, but Cyclops says that they'll explain later. Once they arrive at the White House, it blows sky high and several Sentinels attack. X-23 ended up captured by the Sentinels and displayed by Gyrich along with the other captured X-Men as terrorists.

X-23 is then released when Nick Fury clears the X-Men. She then goes with everyone else to save Jim and the Professor. Once they arrive at the Professor's cell, X-23 cuts the door open with her claws and brings the Professor out. They then escape just as easily. Once that's done, they relax at the pool. Laura then joins in with encouraging Rogue to jump in. When she does, and Jim sees through her sweater, Laura begins teasing him, and he gives chase and accidentally pops Kitty's floater, and she ends up chasing both Jim and Laura.

Sibling Rivalry

Laura shouts at Jim for being a jerk.

On the following Sunday, Laura shouted at Jim for taken so long in the bathroom and later yelled at him for leaving the skin from his foot in the bathtub. After that, Laura takes a Sunday Science class with Hank and ends up having to change her clothes after a stink bomb went off. Jim and Kurt then leave the girls' stink bomb clothes in Laura's room, which she shares with Rogue and Kitty. The next Monday, when Kurt makes a wager on who can climb the rope fastest, Laura wins at 30 seconds. Jim then makes fun at that time, but she gets her own back when she spoils a tender moment for Rogue and Jim when they practice for drama class. When she wants to watch The Clone Wars and Jim wants to watch a news report about the Hulk, Laura snaps and shouts that she wanted a big brother, but all Jim's acting like is a jerk, and this makes Jim realize how he should act towards Laura, so he lets her watch The Clone Wars, and she agrees to watch the Hulk story next. When Kurt joins in, she hands him the popcorn.

Dark Future

X-23 determines to help save Timewarp.

Soon after this, Kurt pulls a prank on Laura where she's woken up at 5:30am by the rock version of "Defying Gravity". She then chases after Kurt when they end up in a wormhole that takes them twenty-four years in the future. They then learn from future versions of Magneto and Rogue that an old enemy of the X-Men's named Apocalypse will return in one year, Laura and Kurt's time, and he'll kill most of the X-Men and the Brotherhood and turn Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean, and Angel into Horsemen. Soon afterwards, Jean kidnaps Timewarp, who's the only one who can return Kurt and Laura back to their time, so they join in saving him with Rogue showing them where battered versions of their uniforms are. Rogue's daughter, Marie, becomes reluctant to attack, and when X-23 tries to help, she's knocked into a pole, and when Marie knocks Wolverine out, Kurt and Laura manage to rescue Timewarp and return to their own time. They then explain what will happen and are told to do their best and live their lives until the time comes. When Rogue asks what her daughter is like, Laura responds by saying she was like Rogue without her highlight, which she immediately finds out is natural.

Future

When Apocalypse returns, Laura's one of the X-Men who gets killed by him and his Horsemen.

Have Yourself a Very Merry X-Mas

When Jim was nervous about his death date being in plain sight, Laura tried to comfort him by saying that he might have died just before they showed up. She also indirectly agreed with Jim about Rogue acting like she was already pregnant ever since she found out about Marie. As Christmas drew nearer, Laura became withdrawn and moody as it was during Christmas that she received her adamantium. Kurt felt sorry for her and gave her a Christmas present which turned out to be a picture of Dr. Riesman with a note. She then thanked Kurt.

The Greatest Adventure

When Jim and Rogue returned to the Mansion seriously injured, Laura almost cried.

Old Wounds

Laura was playing Duel Monsters with Rogue against Remy and Kurt the day Jim left.

Return of Weapon XI

Laura yells for Logan to come with her.

A few weeks later, Laura arrived to head out with Jim and Rogue, but Jim refuses due to numbers and needing someone to watch Howler. She reluctantly agrees and lets them leave again. She then plays fetch with Howler until Weapon XI arrives. She's then saved from them when Gambit slams his staff down on one of the soldiers. She then ends up one of the only X-Men left fighting with Logan, and he yells for her to escape as she takes Howler. When Logan is confronted by a colonel, Laura triggers a trick wall to come down and begs for Logan to come with her, which he does, but they're both still in the mansion when the colonel blows it up.

Laura is shielded by Wolverine, and when he passed out, Laura called Jim on an X-Link. When Jim and Rogue returned, Laura told how the colonel attacked, and when she learned that the colonel, named John Wraith, was in charge of Weapon XI, she swore, which earned her a reprimand from Wolverine. Laura then explained the situation to the Brotherhood. She then confirmed that Kitty was caught to Lance. Laura then went with Rogue and Jim to find the Weapon XI base. Two weeks later, they found it at the Canada-US border. After infiltrating the base, X-23 was given files on Wolverine and Deathstrike by Liger to keep safe. On the way to free the Professor, X-23 and Rogue were confronted by Deadpool and Sabertooth. X-23 was then beaten up by Sabertooth and taken to the other X-Men.

X-23 is saved by Wolverine and the Brotherhood. X-23 then calls Deadpool a disturbing man when she hears how he was willing to kill Jim when he was a baby. She ends up stopped by a monstrous version of Liger, but he remembers who he is and helps the X-Men escape. The next day, Laura meets her new vice principal, Yuriko Oyama-Howlett.

Return of Captain America

X-23 states that Kelly's doomed.

Laura is present during the news report of Mayor Robert Kelly's abduction by Red Skull. After learning that only Captain America could stop the Red Skull, Laura commented that Magneto was doomed until she was introduced to Captain America. X-23 then went with Captain America and the X-Men to Red Skull's castle to rescue Kelly and defeat Red Skull.

Betrayal

At school shortly afterwards, Laura and Kurt were whispering something to each other.

Generation X

Remembering Deathstrike

Laura at the time of Generation X.

During Yuriko's funeral, Talon spoke about Yuriko and how she was one of the first to forgive her after she returned from the Brotherhood, after a short spanking.

New X-Kids

When Rogue became pregnant again, Laura's son, Kyle asked her where babies came from, so she and Kurt took Kyle inside to tell him.

Symbiote War

Spider-Venom

Talon later goes to fight Venom after he captures a Hellicarrier.

Final Battle

Talon managed to hold the SHIELD Symbiotes until the kids destroyed the scanners in the ship, but when Symbiote Venom arrived, Talon retreated with the other X-Men and celebrated once Spider-Girl, Scarlet Spider, Wild Thing, and Venom had stopped him.

Wolverine and the X-Men

Emma Dilemma

Future

X-23 during the war against Apocalypse.

X-23 is still loyal to Xavier and Logan in this time stream, and she fought against Cyclops with her clones until a change in the time stream caused Cyclops not to be involved in the battle. Instead, she assisted Logan in fighting off the swarm of servants they were fighting.

Return to Weapon X

X-23 about to be subjected to the serum.

X-23 is still forced to be part of Weapon X, and when it's made a subsidiary of the MRD, Stryker subjects her to a mind control serum that allows Thorton to clone her. She then shows up with a controlled Jim to fight Logan. At Stryker's command, X-23 joins Jim in stabbing Logan repeatedly before he's released to see if the two are worthy of participating in the new Weapon X subdivision, Weapon XI.

The two then fought Logan, who completely stayed on the defensive. Once Rogue arrived and used her abilities to siphon the serum out of Jim, she did the same to X-23 while Jim held her back. She then attacked Logan, who easily stopped her, and, seeing his calm face, she broke down and hugged him, forgiving him. She then helped Logan, Jim, and Rogue find where Thorton kept the four clone babies. They were then blocked by Sabertooth and Deadpool. X-23 was going to attack Deadpool, but Jim had her go with Rogue to save the babies as she was the only one who knew how to open the door. They went in and were then confronted by Thorton. X-23 then cut off Thorton's other hand and helped Rogue release the four baby clones. When Logan, Jim, and Kurt arrived, Kurt teleported them to a jet the X-Men commandeered and left, with X-23 joining the X-Men.