Quick Summary
The article explores the mysterious circumstances surrounding X-23 (Laura Kinney) following the events of Logan. It is confirmed that X-23, seen in Logan, is the same variant involved in the void during Deadpool and Wolverine. The rogue TVA faction led by Paradox, which is separate from the main TVA, plays a key role in pruning dying timelines. Paradox, who has been pulling heroes from these dying timelines, targets X-23 after Wolverine’s death, but instead of saving her, he ends up banishing her to the void when she refuses to cooperate. The timeline discrepancies are explained by the multiverse’s complex nature, allowing Paradox to take X-23 from a later point in her life. Paradox’s motives are questioned, particularly whether he aimed to save or destroy heroes and timelines. The article also delves into the risks of incursions caused by timeline jumping versus dream-walking, suggesting that Paradox’s methods avoided these dangers. The overarching mystery revolves around how many heroes Paradox has saved and how many timelines he has pruned.
X-23’s Connection to the Events of Logan
Recently, it was officially confirmed that the variant of Laura Kinney, otherwise known as X-23, is the very same variant we saw during the events of Logan. But this revelation raises even more questions. Why was this version of X-23 in the void during the events of Deadpool and Wolverine, and how did she ultimately escape? More importantly, what exactly did X-23 do after the events of Logan to get pulled off her timeline and banished into the void? Today, let’s break it all down as we believe we have the answer.
The Rogue TVA Faction Led by Paradox
In the old days of the TVA, the reasons why a person could be removed from a timeline were much more strict, often to the detriment of completely innocent people who never willingly or knowingly did anything wrong. Under the domain of He Who Remains, pruning could result from just about anything. Miss Minutes explains in Loki that something as simple as being late to work or other unintentional actions could splinter a timeline.
We know, however, that this is no longer true. The multiverse is now under the control of Loki, allowing it to live and thrive. Simply branching from a reality is no longer enough to get pruned. Now, we have to examine under what circumstances someone would be removed from their timeline and sent into the void under the new TVA guidelines.
Why X-23 Was Targeted by Paradox
In the new TVA, the biggest crime is the damage to an entire reality—jumping between timelines, conquering foreign timelines, or causing incursions. The TVA is monitoring variants of Kang to ensure they don’t become tyrants, but they didn’t intervene when Doctor Strange jumped into Earth-838 or when Wanda was dream-walking between realities. So, what could have possibly happened with X-23?
The main TVA bureaucracy and its official directive are not the only factions capable of pruning at their discretion. In Deadpool and Wolverine, we learn about Paradox, who leads a rogue faction of TVA agents intent on mercy-killing dying timelines. Even though these timelines might have thousands of years left, Paradox wants to put them out of their misery. This faction is likely responsible for the disproportionate number of prunings seen in the film.
The Timeline Differences and X-23’s Age
When Deadpool and Wolverine meet the rebels, it’s revealed that some, like Blade, tried to save their timeline but were pruned. This indicates that X-23 knew her timeline was dying and rebelled against Paradox’s approach of recruiting heroes to the main MCU. This wasn’t a new idea only related to Deadpool; Paradox might have had a long history of pulling characters off dying timelines before murdering their original timeline.
In the Fox timeline, Logan takes place in 2029. By the time Deadpool takes place, Wolverine should still be alive, and Laura should be much younger. But in the multiverse, the year 2029 in the MCU Earth-616 doesn’t necessarily align perfectly with other universes. Paradox could have pulled X-23 from the mid-2030s on her timeline, allowing her to mature before offering her a difficult choice: escape her timeline before it died or face destruction.
X-23’s Time in the Void and Her Rebellion
After Wolverine’s death, Paradox examined the Fox timeline to see if anyone was worth saving. He targeted X-23, but instead of grabbing her immediately after Logan’s death, he waited until she was more mature. Paradox offered her salvation, just as he did with others like Gambit, Elektra, and Blade. However, X-23 refused and rebelled against Paradox’s faction.
This refusal led to her being pruned and sent to the void. X-23 spent a considerable amount of time there—long enough to learn the inner workings of Cassandra Nova’s operation, join the resistance, and have several adventures. It’s implied that she was in the void for at least several months, possibly arriving there before Deadpool.
Paradox’s Motive: Saving Heroes or Destroying Timelines?
Paradox’s actions raise several questions. If he wanted to save heroes from dying timelines, why did he target X-23, and what was his end goal? It’s possible that Paradox delayed X-23’s pruning for some reason, perhaps to refine his approach or hide his operations from the mainline TVA. But if Paradox was trying to save heroes, why did he cause so many prunings?
There’s also the question of whether Paradox considered Deadpool a backup plan. If he had succeeded in saving X-23, would he have approached Deadpool, or would one survivor from the timeline have been enough?
Dream-Walking vs. Timeline Jumping: The Risks of Incursions
We understand from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that the longer someone stays in a foreign timeline, the more unstable it becomes. This eventually leads to incursions, where the barrier between realities erodes, causing them to collide. Dream-walking, which maintains a constant connection between two realities, is riskier and more likely to cause incursions than simply jumping timelines.
If Paradox was relocating heroes long-term, how did he manage to avoid causing incursions? One theory is that dream-walking, not timeline jumping, is the real threat. If someone jumps into another timeline and closes the door behind them, it causes strain but is otherwise okay. Dream-walking, on the other hand, keeps the door open, eroding the barrier over time.
The Unseen Heroes: Who Else Did Paradox Save?
If Paradox was able to relocate X-23 and Deadpool, who else did he save? There might be other heroes quietly living their lives on neighboring timelines, having accepted Paradox’s offer for salvation. How many realities has Paradox pruned under the TVA’s radar, and how many heroes did he choose to save from each reality?
It’s possible that many heroes took Paradox’s offer and were relocated to new timelines. However, this raises further questions about the true extent of Paradox’s actions and the ultimate fate of the timelines he has pruned.
What do you think? Do you believe X-23 was approached by Paradox and, after Logan’s death, eventually rebelled and was sent to the Void? Did Paradox attempt to save her, leading to her banishment? And what future role do you think X-23 will play in the Multiverse going forward? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this theory.
