Daken - Fictional Character Biography

Fictional Character Biography

In 1946, as Wolverine is living in Jasmine Falls, Japan with his pregnant wife, Itsu, Romulus sends the Winter Soldier to kill Itsu. After Itsu's death, a mysterious man cuts baby Daken from his mother's womb and leaves her body lying on the floor. Daken survives this incident due to inheriting his father's healing factor. Sometime in the year 1946, Daken is placed at the doorstep of Akihira and Natsumi, a wealthy young and traditional Japanese couple. They take his presence as an answer to their prayers and raise him as their own. Though he is named Akihiro by his father, the servants and other families of the province secretly refer to the boy as Daken (駄犬, "bastard dog" or "mongrel"), a slur on his obvious mixed heritage. As Akihiro grows, he is often teased by the other boys of the village. His harsh treatment over the years causes Akihiro to develop a very cold personality, directed at everyone except his father. One night, Natsumi confesses to Akihira that she does not love their adopted son and that, after long years of trying, she is pregnant. Akihiro overhears the talk and begins plotting. Within a year, after the birth of the baby, Akihiro confronts his mother and tells her that he has killed her son. Upon learning this, Akihira is furious and disowns Akihiro, who angrily responds that "Akihiro" is not his true name anyway. Natsumi suddenly appears and tries to run him through, triggering the unsheathing of his mutant claws. He waves his arm, accidentally slashing Natsumi. Akihira, unable to force himself to harm his son, commits suicide. Romulus then appears to the boy for the first time and tells him that he is what the boy will someday become.

In the present, Daken disguises himself as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and infiltrates a facility where his father is imprisoned. He stabs Dum Dum Dugan and confronts his father for the first time. He slashes Logan across the stomach and leaves him to bleed on the floor, just as his mother was left many years before. Daken is revealed to have "aided" his father's escape, though not for benevolent reasons.

He is next seen in Berlin at the home of a woman with whom he has been cruelly, and romantically, toying. He allowed her to witness him kissing another man on a date, although unbeknownst to her, he later murdered the man to acquire a passport. Knowing that she would drink an entire bottle of burgundy, he secretly poisons it, resulting in her death. He had to end the relationship and her life so that no loose ends could be left to tie him to his crimes.

While still in Germany, Daken is then contacted by an anonymous messenger who reminds him of his displeased master's "ultimate goal". Daken then dispatches the messenger to again make sure no trace of his presence is left. Later he appears on a train to Brussels, watching his father in a nearby stolen car. He then receives a phone call from an unknown "friend" (who is actually the resurrected Cyber), confirming his father's destination.

Shadowing his father into a bank vault in Brussels that contains the carbonadium synthesizer, Daken engages Wolverine in a bloody battle with Daken demonstrating great fighting prowess and similar speed and agility to his father. As Wolverine is hampered in the feud by his lack of desire to kill his son and his fading belief that Daken can be redeemed, he quickly loses the upper hand despite his greater experience and training. Their fight is interrupted when Cyber breaks into the vault and challenges Daken. It is then revealed that Daken trained under Cyber in the past. Cyber mentions that Daken is a better and faster fighter than he is, and was his finest student. However, Cyber's imperviousness and greater strength makes that a moot point, as he later explains to Wolverine. Daken refuses to lead Cyber to his master and flees the fight, leaving his father and his mentor to deal with each other.

Daken is then seen in the presence of Wild Child, and a scarred, expressionless torturer who whips him with a gasoline soaked length of rope. He pleads for mercy, but receives only a warning from his "master" to stay away from his father.

Daken had spent the last couple of months being tortured under observation by Wild Child, who is acting on orders from their mutual master, Romulus.

Daken returns and fights Deadpool and Wolverine, managing to knock Deadpool unconscious after a long fight. Daken is then confronted by Wolverine, only to be shot in the back of the head by Winter Soldier. Wolverine explains that he set up the entire scenario and leaves with the unconscious Daken, later revealed to have amnesia due to the bullet.

During Manifest Destiny, Daken is tracked down by Sebastian Shaw and Mister Sinister to help Daken regain his memories. In the finale of Original Sin, Daken finally learns the truth behind Itsu's death and has joined Wolverine in seeking revenge against Romulus. However, Daken seemingly betrays Wolverine to Cyber afterward. It was later revealed it was all a plan to get to Cyber's secrets. After learning them, Daken apparently kills Cyber, leaving his body to Wolverine. During a conversation between Wolverine and Nick Fury, Fury reveals that he believes Daken is going after the Muramasa Blade that Wolverine left in Cyclops' care. The sword has various mystical properties, including the ability to disable superhuman regenerative powers. Fury believes that Daken intends to take the sword and have the metal bonded to his bone claws after stating that the Tinkerer would know how to do such a thing and had last been spotted in New York City.