Most comic-aficionados know Mariko as one of Wolverines most famous love interests, arguably second only to Jean Grey. Meeting Wolverine after the X-Men enlisted the help of her cousin Sunfire, the two of them fell in love, although she was forced by her crime-lord father Shingen to marry another man who beat her on multiple occasions At first Mariko respected her fathers wishes and stayed with the man, and she slowly grew disgusted by Logan after she saw him go into berserker mode several times. However, after Shingen had manipulated Wolverine into killing a rival boss, Mariko realized what her father truly was. After her husband had been killed by one of Shingens operatives and Wolverine killed Shingen in an honorable duel, Mariko and Logan reunited and got engaged. The couple unfortunately did not live happily ever after. The mutant Mastermind manipulated Mariko into calling off the wedding and strengthening Clan Yahsidas criminal ties. Once she regained control, Mariko felt ashamed and vowed to destroy her fathers criminal legacy so that she could feel right in marrying Wolverine. Although she became a force to be reckoned with in Japan, she was poisoned by an assassin sent by the rival leader of the Hand, a ninja clan. Not want to suffer painfully, Mariko asked Wolverine to give her a swift death and he complied. Mariko and Wolverine never got the happy ending they deserved. After everything she went through, from fighting her father to disassembling his criminal legacy, she was killed simply for her efforts to clean up her familys name. The worse part was Logan being forced to kill her to end her suffering. I know he wouldnt have wanted anyone else to do it, but no one in a loving relationship should be forced to do what he did.
Adam Holmes is a writer who loves a good story whether it's fact or fiction. When he's not day-dreaming about time travel, he's usually immersing himself in all things film, television and comic books. He hopes to one day break into the entertainment journalism industry. Yes, he is aware of his resemblance to Clark Kent and McLovin. Keep up on the latest geek news by following his articles at Unleash The Fanboy: http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/author/adam-holmes
