5. Yukio Is A Lot More Than Just Another Badass Assassin
What do Han Solo, Hit-Girl, the Fonz, and, yes, Wolverine have in common? Yes, theyre all brunettes, but Hit-Girl wears a wig so Im not counting it. The correct answer is they all were/are the extremely popular, badasses of their respective franchises. In all of these franchises, they, almost always, work best as part of a team. The reasons for this have a lot to do with the badass generally one-dimensional and predictable nature (i.e. the shortest distance between 2 points for the badass is always violence, or the threat of same in Fonzies case), which serve a story much better when they have other more three-dimensional and relatable characters for all that badassery to bounce off of. Hans got Luke, Hit-Girls got Kick-Ass and Wolverine, despite his long-running solo series and innumerable mini-series and spin-offs works best when hes got his X-Men around. If you dont believe me, ask yourself how many classic Wolverine moments you can count off that dont involve the X-Men? Im guessing the majority (if not all) of his classic, legitimately solo, moments come from the original 82 mini-series. So whom do Claremont and Miller give Logan to bounce off of? The series break-out star, wild-hearted assassin Yukio, who cares for nothing but her next adrenaline rush and Logan himself. The irony is that unlike the Luke Skywalkers and Richie Cunninghams of the world, she doesnt provide a balance to Wolverines Bad Cop by being the more relatable and stable Good Cop. On the contrary shes even more dangerous, more prone to relying on pure animal instinct. The contrast she provides, however, might be even more important, as she provides a mirror of what Logan could easily become. Claremont never writes her as evil though; in many ways shes Logans most loyal ally the one who Wolverine realizes wants me the way I am. Even though she too could be described as simply just another badass, her character works on multiple levels. After all, its surely no coincidence that in Japanese Yukio is a boys name suggesting happiness or independence. So, its a great sign that the trailers suggest shes prominently featured in the new film, but if the filmmakers fail to give her all the meaning and subtext she carried in the mini-series itll be a lost opportunity to give a Wolverine film more depth than weve come to expect.