Mariko Yashida
Mariko Yashida is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as Wolverine's romantic interest.
She was portrayed by Tao Okamoto in the 2013 film Wolverine |The Wolverine].
Publication history
Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #118. In an interview published in Back Issue! magazine #4, Byrne claimed that Mariko was based on Lady Toda Mariko, a character in the 1975 novel Shōgun: "I had just read Shogun, which Chris had not read at that point. I just absolutely wanted to steal that character, just shamelessly steal the character. And as you probably know, she was created to die.”Fictional character biography
Mariko Yashida is the daughter of Shingen Yashida, the half-sister of Kenuichio Harada, and cousin of Sunfire and Sunpyre and the aunt of Shingen Harada.Mariko first encounters the X-Men when they return from a sojourn in the Savage Land and are asked to help stop the terrorist Moses Magnum in Japan. She encounters Wolverine in a private moment, which developed into a mutual attraction.
Some time later, Mariko is married by Shingen to yakuza gang leader Noburu-Hideki to solidify her father's connections to the Japanese underworld, and is subjected to domestic abuse by her husband. After realizing her father's intentions, Mariko plans to kill him and then commit seppuku in recompense. Logan, learning the truth about this manipulation and inspired by a personal epiphany about humanity, kills Shingen himself. Upon her father's death, Mariko becomes head of the yakuza crime family Clan Yashida.
Mariko becomes engaged to Wolverine, but their wedding is halted by the supervillain Mastermind, who uses a mind control device to change Mariko's mind. When the control is lifted, Wolverine and Mariko resume their romantic relationship after a period of separation, but have not reconsidered marriage.
Mariko is later poisoned with tetrodotoxin from a blowfish by the assassin Reiko in the employ of her rival Matsu'o Tsurayaba. She asks Wolverine to kill her to avoid a painful death and preserve her honor. Wolverine kills her and vowed to avenge Mariko by severing parts of Matsu'o's body every year on the anniversary of her death.
Old Man Logan, a future version of Wolverine, faces off against the Hand |Hand] during their Regenix operation, facing their latest member called the Scarlet Samurai. Logan later discovers that Scarlet Samurai is Mariko, who has been resurrected by the Hand to serve as their weapon. With help from his past self, Logan uses nanites to free Mariko from the Hand's control.
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
An alternate universe version of Mariko Yashida appears in Age of Apocalypse. This version is a former lover of Wolverine and a member of the Human High Council, a group of humans who oppose Apocalypse's rule.Demon Days
An alternate universe version of Mariko Yashida appears as the protagonist of the miniseries Demon Days and its sequel, Demon Wars. This version is the daughter of an oni and the sister of Ogin, a composite character with elements of Silver Samurai and Ogun, who seeks revenge on her for mysterious reasons.Exiles
An alternate universe version of Mariko Yashida from Earth-2109 appears in the series Exiles. This version is a member of the X-Men and the eponymous Exiles who possesses similar powers to her relatives Sunfire and Sunpyre and uses the codename of the former. Additionally, Mariko is openly homosexual and was in a relationship with one reality's version of Spider-Woman. Mariko is later killed in battle after sacrificing herself to save a group of civilians from Mimic's attack.Reception
Sunfire's open homosexuality has attracted some interest after coming out in Exiles #11. Her death has also garnered some attention. Perry Moore includes her as an example of the poor treatment of gay superheroes, paralleling the earlier trope of women in refrigerators.Judd Winick states he has been accused of pursuing a broader social agenda, despite only writing a few stories with socially-relevant themes, as he explains in an interview with Comic Book Resources:
What If?
In the What If story "If Wolverine Had Married Mariko", Wolverine and Mariko's marriage is not hindered by Mastermind, and Wolverine becomes head of the Shingen clan. During a conflict with the yakuza, Mariko is assassinated by the Silver Samurai, leaving Wolverine to return to the X-Men.Wolverine Noir
An alternate universe version of Mariko Yashida appears in Wolverine Noir. This version is a businesswoman who immigrated to the United States to expand her father's business.Wolverine MAX
An alternate universe version of Mariko Yashida appears in Wolverine MAX. This version is a member of the Yashida clan during the early 1900s who broke up with Logan after he killed her father.In other media
Television
- Mariko Yashida appears in Wolverine and the X-Men, voiced by Gwendoline Yeo. This version is married to Kenuichio Harada.
- Mariko Yashida appears in Marvel Anime: Wolverine, voiced by Fumiko Orikasa in the original Japanese version and again by Gwendoline Yeo in the English dub. This version is arranged by Shingen Yashida to be married to Madripoor's current leader Hideki Kurohagi. Wolverine attempts to rescue Mariko, only for her to be accidentally shot and killed by Kurohagi.
Film