Deadpool & Wolverinestands as a revival of and answer to the 20th Century Fox era ofX-Menmovies. In the wake of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, nostalgia for previous superhero movements is at an all-time high. Fans saw this concept applied toSpider-Manin Marvel’s recentNo Way Home.Deadpool & Wolverinecould reawaken the love for characters and concepts from the originalX-Mentrilogy. It could also correct some of their mistakes, including their treatment of one Yuriko Oyama, AKA Lady Deathstrike.
Deadpool & Wolverinewill seemingly serve as a beautiful conclusion for the two title characters, but it also intends todredge up several smaller names. Aaron Stanford’s take on Pyro fromX2andX-Men: The Last Standwill return as some sort ofMad Max-esque wasteland rider. The weirdest returning name is probably Jennifer Garner’s Elektra Natchios, a role she endured in two of the worst-received superhero movies ever made. Some characters, including Lady Deathstrike, may not return with their original portrayers.
Dennis O’Neil and William Johnson
Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema
August 1983
April 1986
Yuriko Oyama is best known as Wolverine’s classic nemesis. She appears in severalX-Menproperties to oppose the heroic mutants, but Wolverine is her go-to moral enemy. Despite her usual direction, Yuriko emerged in aDaredevilcomicdepicting Matt Murdock’s journeyto Japan. Yuriko Oyama is the first and only daughter of Kenji Oyama, a war hero who suffered severe facial disfigurement after a failed kamikaze attack on an American battleship. Kenji lost his mind after the war, believing that his survival was a disgrace to the country he loved. He took the name Lord Dark Wind, bought an island off the coast of Hokkaido, and recruited a private army of cult-like followers. He also scarred his children, giving them matching wounds so that they’d also bear his shame. Lord Dark Wind’s madness led to the deaths of Yuriko’s brothers, leading Yuriko to turn against him.She led Daredevil tothe island and let him defeat her father. Unfortunately, her lover, an assassin named Kira, killed himself after her father’s death.
Yuriko suffered a breakdown after Kira’s death. She developed a fascination with her father’s secret scientific techniques, including the hiddenmethod to bond Adamantiumto a human skeleton. Lord Dark Wind used that technique to give the assassin Bullseye his mobility after Daredevil crippled him, but the killer left Japan without repaying the Oyama family. Yuriko tracked Bullseye to Canada, but her Adamantium tracker led her to Wolverine, who experienced the Adamantium bonding process after someone stole it from her dad. She dons a samurai uniform and promptly loses a fight with Heather Hudson, sending her back to Japan. Yuriko, now going by Lady Deathstrike, entreats the six-armed sorceress Spiral to turn her into a cyborg. Spiral fixes her facial scars, empowers her body with machinery, fuses Adamantium to her skeleton, and turns her fingers into one-foot-long Adamantium claws. She spent the next several decades hunting, fighting,and losing to Wolverinein a blood feud that would last a lifetime. Her most recent appearances are inDeadpoolcomics, which depict her as an unlikely ally to the Merc' with a Mouth.
How didX2depict Lady Deathstrike?
Kelly Hu portrays Yuriko inX2: X-Men United. She’s in the film for less than ten minutes, during which no one ever calls her Deathstrike, and she has almost no dialogue. The film treats her as a glorified henchwoman. She sits around menacingly, pretending to be William Stryker’s secretary in an early scene. She enjoys one brief exchange with Cyclops. She exists almostentirely to provide Wolverinewith a physical challenger in her primary fight scene. That duel also led to her stunningly graphic death.X2had enough villains, but they truly did nothing with Lady Deathstrike. Her backstory, personality, motivations, and character traits never reached the screen.
WillDeadpool & Wolverineresurrect Lady Deathstrike?
The most recentDeadpool & Wolverinetrailer briefly depicts a few familiar X-Men characters at a great distance. The one immediately to theleft of Ant-Man’s giant deadbody appears to be the Lady Deathstrike Kelly Hu brought to life inX2. However, the film has a massive supply of callback characters, suggesting limited portrayals for each returning talent. This will almost certainly lead to another short, half-formed spotlight on Deathstrike’s powers without any acknowledgment of her character. Expect a fight scene or two, but this version of the character isn’t likely to break much new ground. It could, however, launch Deathstrike back into the public consciousness.
Lady Deathstrike is a fascinating character with a wild backstory. Her early life and initial place inDaredevilwould be a fun note for the upcomingDaredevil: Born Again. Lady Deathstrike fell into her role as Wolverine’s nemesis. He has several to choose from, but Deathstrikeremains on that roster. Future Marvel outings could allow Deathstrike to explore her personal stakes and find a new direction. Yuriko deserves another chance.
