Wolverine: Origins #5
Wolverine: Origins #5 delivers the capstone revelation of the 'Born in Blood' opening arc: in a flashback sequence set during or just after World War II, readers witness the birth of Daken — Logan's son, cut from the womb of his murdered mother Itsu by the shadowy Romulus — making this issue the character's first appearance in Marvel continuity (as a cameo) and the moment that fundamentally reframed Wolverine as an unwitting father rather than a lone wolf. By closing the arc with Emma Frost psychically confirming to Logan that his son is very much alive and utterly conditioned to hate him, Daniel Way pivoted the entire series away from a straightforward revenge story and toward a generational, father-son tragedy that gave the book its emotional spine for the next several years. Daken would grow into one of Marvel's most complex post-2006 additions — anti-hero, Dark Avenger, Krakoa-era X-Factor member — and the thread that drew him into the Marvel universe was laid down here.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Wolverine: Origins launched in June 2006 as a direct continuation of the House of M event and the 'Origins and Endings' arc in Wolverine vol. 3 #36–40, exploiting the narrative opening that Wolverine had finally recovered his complete memories. Writer Daniel Way and penciler Steve Dillon — who would collaborate on the book through issue #25 — conceived Daken from the outset as a character designed to explore themes of legacy and identity, a dark-mirror figure whose entire existence was shaped by the same conspiratorial machinery that had weaponized Logan. The series was edited by Axel Alonso with Joe Quesada serving as editor-in-chief, and issue #5 shipped on August 9, 2006, with an October 2006 cover date; the main cover was by Quesada (inked by Danny Miki, colored by Richard Isanove) and was distributed in a 50/50 split with a Gary Frank variant, unusual for the period.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Daken (Akihiro), Wolverine's son: he appears in flashback as an infant, with his claws shown and his existence as Logan's child revealed — classified by multiple sources as a cameo first appearance; his first full appearance comes in Wolverine: Origins #10 (January 2007).
- The issue is the conclusion of the five-part 'Born in Blood' story arc (Wolverine: Origins #1–5), which was also collected as the series' first trade paperback.
- Written by Daniel Way with interior art by Steve Dillon (pencils and inks), colors by Dan Kemp, and letters by Randy Gentile; edited by Axel Alonso under editor-in-chief Joe Quesada.
- The issue shipped August 9, 2006, with an October 2006 cover date and carried a Parental Advisory (15+) rating.
- Cover art exists in at least five versions: the main Joe Quesada cover (with Danny Miki inks and Richard Isanove colors), a black-and-white sketch variant of the Quesada cover, a Gary Frank variant (distributed at 50:50 with the Quesada cover), a Joe Quesada Phoenix Comicon/Samurai Comics exclusive sketch variant, and a newsstand edition.
- Key in-story development: Logan entrusts the Muramasa Blade — the one weapon capable of fully killing him — to Cyclops for safekeeping, asking Cyclops to use it on him if he is ever re-brainwashed and turned against his will again.
- The issue establishes that Romulus murdered Itsu and abducted her infant son, conditioning Daken over decades to despise Wolverine — backstory that Marvel's own official history guide (The History of Wolverine) cites specifically at this issue number.
- The 'Born in Blood' arc, and therefore this issue, is explicitly set before the events of Civil War #1, as noted by an in-issue editorial note.
Key issues in Wolverine: Origins
Other variants of Wolverine: Origins #5 (3)
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