The end of an era is almost here. In 2000, Hugh Jackman clawed his way to fame in the United States playing Wolverine in the first X-Men movies. Since then, aside from Deadpool (although we did see his face cut out of a People Magazine), Jackman has reprised the clawed mutant in all of the X-Men franchise's installments, be it one of the main movies or his spinoff adventures. Next yer, his tenure as the character ends with the third Wolverine movie, which is now officially titled Logan and will likely be rated R.
Along with today's title confirmation came some interesting plot tidbits, and with all the casting announcements from earlier in the year, we know which actors will be part of the main cast, even though most of the characters haven't identified yet. Still, there are a lot more questions than answers right now, though with only five months to go until Logan's release, we may get a trailer soon that will provide some answers. In the meantime, here are the six main questions about Logan we've been wracking our brains about.
Where And When Does The Movie Take Place?
Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Logan would be set sometime in the future, but other than that, we have no idea what to expect from the movie's setting. How far into the future are we going? It's obviously sometime after the end of X-Men: Days of Future Past's bright and cheery revised future, which was around 2023 or so. However, we can't go too far forward, as Professor X, unlike Wolverine, ages like a normal human being, and he'll be pushing 100-years-old soon enough. As for where Logan will take place, leaked set photos didn't provide any clues on that front during principal photography. Will it be set entirely in the United States or will it take a cue from its predecessor, The Wolverine, and head to another area of the globe? We'll have to wait and see.
Why Is Professor X Involved?
In the original X-Men trilogy, Professor X brought the amnesiac Wolverine into his School for Gifted Youngsters and guided him on his journey to discover his past. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Wolverine was able to return the favor when he traveled back to 1973 and helped snap the younger Charles out of his funk so he could embrace his destiny of helming his fellow mutants. Needless to say, the two men have built a solid friendship, but that still doesn't explain how Professor will get involved in Wolverine's latest adventure. By 2032, he'll be a century old, so it's not like he's fit to take on the bad guys unless the miracle of modern medicine has made 100 the new 60. Has Logan asked for his help with a particular problem, or is Charles the one who has approached Logan for assistance? Whatever's going on here, don't be surprised if Logan also concludes Patrick Stewart Professor X's story permanently either. Not to worry, we still have James McAvoy.
How Will Mr. Sinister Be Used?
X-Men: Apocalypse's post-credits scene showed a mysterious man retrieving a vial of Wolverine's blood from Weapon X and putting it in a briefcase labeled Essex Corp, which refers to Nathaniel Essex, a.k.a. Mister Sinister. Bryan Singer later stated in the X-Men: Apocalypse audio commentary that Mister Sinister will be Logan's main villain, although director James Mangold has suggested that might not be the case. Here's what we do know. That Essex Corp briefcase has already established that Sinister is a player in this universe with a powerful corporation at his disposal. He also likely shares the same prolonged lifespan as his comic book counterpart does, and maybe a few other abilities. Beyond that, it remains to be seen whether Logan will use Mister Sinister directly or indirectly, although many believe that Richard E. Grant's "mad scientist" character is actually the insane geneticist.
Who Is The Child In The Poster?
The Logan poster that was released today shows a child's hand grabbing Wolverine's as his claws are unsheathed. Interesting imagery, to be sure, but who is this child? Are they someone important. At the moment, we have two main guesses. One, since Logan will reportedly be adapting aspects of the Old Man Logan storyline, perhaps at some point he started a family, and that hand belongs to one of his children. On the other hand, there have been reports about X-23, Wolverine's female clone, appearing in Logan. With Hugh Jackman departing the X-Men universe, the franchise may decide to use her as its new metal-clawed mutant. Perhaps Logan will see the eponymous protagonist discovering X-23 at the Essex Corporation or another facility, and we'll see him guiding or even parenting her as the story progresses.
Why Are Logan's Healing Powers Failing?
According to the latest plot details from a Logan script page that James Mangold posted on Twitter, Wolverine's healing powers are failing, and he now relies on alcohol to dull his consistent pain. What's going on here? Is this a side effect from this ability being tampered with in The Wolverine, or is old age simply responsible? It's worth pointing out that Wolverine isn't immortal; his healing factor merely slows his aging. At the beginning of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, he was approximately 10-years-old in 1845, so Logan will place him at close to 200-years-old, if not older. Perhaps after two centuries, the healing factor has run its course, and pretty soon, Wolverine will die either of natural causes or being killed in battle. At the very least, this healing factor failure lays the groundwork for how Wolverine's cinematic journey could end.
Will Sabretooth Return?
Sabretooth is Wolverine's arch-nemesis in the comics, and so far we've seen these two clash twice in the movies. Tyler Mane's Sabretooth, while ferocious, wasn't that impressive. Liev Schreiber's iteration of the villain, on the other hand, was one of X-Men Origins: Wolverine's few highlights. Schreiber said seven months ago that he's talked with Jackman about reprising the role, but there's been no confirmation yet about whether Sabertooth will participate in Logan. Since this is Hugh Jackman's last time playing Wolverine, it would be a shame if these two didn't fight each other one last time. Obviously Sabretooth is an excellent foil for Wolverine, and their adversarial relationship on the big screen was compelling enough that it deserves to be concluded properly. Maybe Sabertooth is working with Mr. Sinister. Maybe he's drawn into the main events and is forced to work with Wolverine again...for a time. However he's thrown in, you have to admit, seeing them claw at each other again would be amazing to watch.
