Jean Grey’s X-MEN RED team officially has a full roster. An exciting set of characters such as Namor and X-Men veteran Nightcrawler are included, with some newcomers as well. Among these newbies is Laura Kinney’s young clone, Gabby, who has appeared in ALL-NEW WOLVERINE as a recurring character.

Her presence as a new member of Jean’s X-MEN RED team has left many to wonder what exactly her Marvel origins are.

Who Exactly is Gabby?

Gabrielle Kinney is a genetic clone of Laura Kinney, the mutant commonly known as X-23 and currently known as the All-New Wolverine. Her first appearance is in ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #2 where we get a detailed look at her origins. Gabby was one of 10 clones created by Alchemax Genetics in order to work as dangerous bodyguards. During an escape, several of Gabby’s sisters were killed and others died due to the nanites implanted in their bodies.

Gabby and her few sisters that survived managed to get out of the Alchemax facility. After that, they sought revenge on the Alchemax employees that experimented on them. Guided by vengeance, her sisters went through intense measures to make things right. Gabby did not agree, which lead her to seek help from X-23.

Sisters at Arms

Upon getting dire assistance from Laura, Gabby’s remaining sister Bellona was able to get vengeance on their Alchemax handler, Captain Mooney. Mooney was then killed, but not in the presence of Gabby. This was because Bellona believed it would taint Gabby’s innocence. Her sisters shielded her from many of the experiments at Alchemax, which in turn made her keep the innocence of a regular child. She has never killed and Bellona wanted things to stay that way. There was a purity she saw in Gabby that wasn’t present in the other clones.

After the events involving Alchemax, she went on to live with her sister, Laura (ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #11). Their relationship struggled because Laura believed that Gabby would never have a normal life if she stayed with her. All Gabby wanted though was to be a family.

Soon Laura realized that being together was the best option for Gabby. She did not want to push away this child like Logan has pushed her away. By keeping Gabby close, Laura believes she will be better than any one of the Wolverine clan. As it stands, Laura has remained Gabby’s mentor in the still running ALL-NEW WOLVERINE series. This is vastly different from the relationship Laura had with Logan. She never had a chance to grow closer to him and therefore ended up resenting him for pushing her away. By keeping her new sister close, Laura has a chance of making her sister into a much better heroine.

What Makes Gabby Stand Out

A major difference between Gabby and her siblings is her positive outlook on life. Compared to Laura and Daken, Gabby seems to be more put together emotionally. Her sisters from the Alchemax experimentations ensured that Gabby was the least afflicted from their time in the facility, most likely due to her age.

In the comics, Gabby is currently 13 years old. This makes her the youngest person on the X-MEN RED team. We are sure to see how her age will impact her dynamic with the overall group. As the baby of the posse, I’m sure she will struggle to show them her true value. Perhaps her innocence will make her a more understanding hero. For example, being the youngest on the X-Men made Kitty Pryde an overall better team member. She had plenty of mature role models to help guide her growth as an X-Men. Maybe Gabby will have a similar path.

What makes Gabby different from Laura definitely is her innocence and positivity, but that’s not the only thing. Like Laura, Gabby has the good ol’ Wolverine healing factor as well as claws. She only has one claw on each hand, at the very center of her knuckles. Though this seems like a disadvantage when comparing her to Daken and Laura, it seems fitting with her age.

Invulnerability

Due to the nanites in her body, Gabby does not feel pain. This is perhaps the most overpowered ability anyone in the Wolverine family has ever had. She can withstand an onslaught of enemy fire and slice foes. Her invulnerability is a ridiculous ability to face off against.

Gabby’s training as an elite bodyguard and killer will pose a threat. All of the training she underwent makes her a dangerous threat on and off the battlefield.

What to Expect in X-MEN RED

Joining the X-MEN RED team is a huge deal for a character like Gabby. She hasn’t been around for a long time in the Marvel Universe. I’m sure she’ll present a fun aspect to the group that only a child can. As the youngest member, Marvel will likely give some solid moments for Gabby to hold her own and to grow.

The student-teacher relationship will probably have a big presence in X-MEN RED. All-New Wolverine has also signed up for Jean’s squad. Gabby is still a child in need of guidance so I’m positive her membership is solely based on Laura’s need to keep her close. Writer Tom Taylor is sure to give us plenty of situations for Laura to teach her how to be a better hero.

Having the two interact heavily is a given since they already have a strong bond in the comics. What’ll be interesting is seeing Gabby interact with other members of the team. She hasn’t had the chance to interact with the other team members like Namor or even Jean herself. The most developed relationship in this team is that of Nightcrawler and Jean Grey, which is simply because they have worked together for such a long time.

Possible Role in the Team

Because she doesn’t feel pain, Gabby brings a dangerously strong trait to the team. Physical pain is a big issue when it comes to being a hero, so by skipping the middleman Gabby can really put in work. It’s possible that her greatest weakness would be emotional pain. Being young and innocent means that she can experience plenty of emotional trauma, especially if her foes are smart enough to manipulate it.

My assumption is that Gabby will be one of the more brutish members of the groups. Gabby has the potential to be an unstoppable fighter. To be honest, she’ll probably do more damage than Wolverine can. Seeing a significantly smaller tank would be interesting for this group dynamic.

Though she has this unique ability, Gabby is still just a kid. With that comes plenty of possible setbacks. First off, since she is so small she can be overpowered by bigger enemies. Secondly, her mentality could be an issue since her age may make her super prideful and easily distracted. It’s possible that Gabby could be the weakest member of the team and may get the Red squad into some problems.

Because she is so close with Laura, it’s likely the two will work as a tag team as well. I’m sure the two will combo moves together. They’ll stick together whenever the team is split or having synergy issues. It’s also quite likely that we’ll see Laura’s training tactics develop. Having this mentor role with Gabby will surely make her a better leader. This could lead to plenty of new directions for Laura in the Marvel Universe.

New Kid on the Block

Regardless of what her role is, Gabby is a phenomenal addition to the team. As the newest member of Wolverine relatives, she brings a younger side we rarely get to see in a team up. Her unique abilities and positive personality are sure to bring a plethora of benefits to X-MEN RED.

Taylor has announced that Gabby will eventually get her own code name in the X-MEN RED series. There’s a lot to look out for with this character and her future in the X-Men universe. Will she be a valuable member of the team or a nuisance? Is her code name going to be the next staple X-Men member? Or will she just be a tool for light-hearted relief?

Not much has been released about X-MEN RED yet. If you’re eager to learn more as it comes out, make sure to come back to ComicsVerse to find out the latest news on this new series!