We all thought X-Men: Days of Future Past represented the worst possible future for the mutants, but apparently it can get much, much worse. With Hugh Jackman's final outing as Wolverine on the horizon in 2017's Logan, things are about to get pretty ugly. Not only will Wolverine have seriously slowed down in his old age, Earth's mutant population will also face a series of obstacles that will only make Wolverine's mission even harder. It's never easy for this guy, is it?
A new report from The Wrap indicates that the events of Logan will take place in a future where the world's mutant community has seen better days. For unknown reasons, the birth rate of mankind's more evolved brethren has started to decline, leading to an overall drop in the mutant population. Beyond that, the film will also focus on a mysterious government program called "Transigen," which has started turning young mutants into weapons. If we know one thing about Logan, it's that he's not particularly fond of shady government operatives turning mutants into killing machines, so things are about to get personal.
As for Logan himself, its sounds like he won't be doing so well either. Leaked plot details denote a much older, slower, and weaker version of The Wolverine in this film. He has taken to drinking a bit more than he probably should, and his healing powers barely work anymore; in fact, sometimes they don't work at all. The story will find Logan as a shell of his former self, left looking after an increasingly unstable Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) as well as a young girl with two retractable claws that come out of her hands.
Did you perk up at the prospect of a clawed, female mutant in Wolverine 3? If you did, that means that you have done your homework. That description perfectly fits the characterization of iconic X-Men character, X-23, which means that the Wolverine franchise may in fact be grooming another clawed mutant to take Hugh Jackman's place as the face of the Wolverine franchise. It makes plenty of sense; Jackman has become so inextricable from Logan that replacing Wolverine with his female counterpart seems like a much smarter option than recasting with another male actor.
Only time will tell if this is the direction that the Wolverine franchise is headed, but it seems to be the case. One thing is certain: mutants won't have it easy when Wolverine 3 rolls around. Stay tuned for more updates related to Hugh Jackman's final outing as Wolverine. Logan will hit theaters on March 3, 2017.
