It's been over three years since everyone's favorite clawed mutant took the center stage for his own solo movie, and we've definitely started to go through Wolverine withdrawals. The symptoms of that condition have only been exacerbated by the fact that the character's upcoming film, Logan, will be Hugh Jackman's final outing as the silver screen legend. Well, X-Men fans, your prayers have been answered; a trailer for Logan is on the way, and a sneak peak for the highly anticipated preview hit the web earlier today.
In anticipation of the debut of Logan's first trailer, Hugh Jackman just posted the teaser to his personal Twitter account -- pretty much breaking the Internet in the process. With a release date for the first official Logan trailer confirmed, we think it's a good idea to go back and review the awesome images that have been released over the course of the last few weeks. Some of these images have shed new light onto major characters in the upcoming film, while others have showcased some less than exotic locations. No matter what, all of them have promised a Wolverine adventure unlike anything that we have seen before.
Without further ado, let's get started with the most recent Logan image to hit the web.
The most recent Logan photo to hit the web is arguably the one that most fans have really been dying to see. It's an image that completely invokes the legacy of Old Man Logan, while still feeling firmly rooted in the 20th Century Fox X-Men universe. Here we see a much older and more grizzled version of Wolverine than we have ever seen before; he hasn't taken very good care of himself, and he's definitely let himself go. Perhaps most notably, he has several scars on his face to indicate that his healing powers (while still present) do not function nearly as well as they once did. No matter what happens during the events of this movie, it's clear that Logan will give us a version the clawed hero who is at the end of his rope.
The next photo offers a very intriguing look into the relatively unexplored areas of Logan's supporting cast. Here we get a good glimpse of British comedian Stephen Merchant as the iconic mutant character known as Caliban -- a member of the underground race of mutants known as the Morlocks. The exact way in which Caliban factors into Logan's narrative remains somewhat vague at this point, but we do know that he will be an ally of Wolverine who helps the aging Logan take care of an increasingly unstable Professor X. In terms of abilities, Caliban can sense and detect other mutants at great distances, which will likely help the weakened heroes evade and hide from threats during the course of the film.
Oh yeah, Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier will appear in this film as well. As you can probably already assume from that photo, Professor X has definitely seen better days. Xavier is one of the most powerful mutants in existence, but his powers rely on a functional mind to work. With the character's stability very much in question, he could soon become a liability to those around him. Based upon everything that we have been able to gather from the film's marketing campaign, the relationship between Wolverine and Charles will really represent a major emotional through-line for Logan, and there's a very real possibility that we may finally have to watch these two characters say one last goodbye to each other.
This photo has really become the crux of the entire Logan marketing campaign, and it's an image that has us sold on the underlying pathos of the entire film. This photo showcases the bloody, tired hands of Wolverine gently holding the smaller, more delicate hand of a young mutant. As time has gone by, it's become increasingly obvious that this hand belongs to Wolverine's successor, X-23. Like Logan, X-23 is a clawed mutant with an accelerated healing factor, and it seems that the film will position him as a "father" figure that looks after her and protects her from forces unknown forces that have been hunting her.
Sure, Wolverine will be old during the events of Logan, but it's already very clear that he has kept his adamantium claws sharp in his advanced years. Unlike previous installments in the Wolverine franchise (or even the X-Men series), Logan will be an R-rated affair, and it has earned that label. Based on this photo, we fully expect limbs to be severed and buckets of blood to be spilled every time someone crosses Wolverine's path. However, due to the fact that his healing factor won't work at full capacity during the events of the film, violence committed against our hero throughout this adventure will also have major consequences. It's not going to be pretty.
In this photo we finally get our first good look at Boyd Holbrook as Donald Pierce, and it's truly something to behold. The picture shows the character sitting in the front seat of a truck in the middle of a barren wasteland, seemingly taking a brief break from his usual job of hunting mutants. Although this Logan picture doesn't necessarily show Pierce's comic book abilities in action, most fans of the source material know that he's actually a high tech cyborg and leader of a murderous band of mutant hunters known as The Reavers. Logan appears to be framing Pierce as a gritty, Mad Max-esque gun for hire, but we won't be surprised to learn that he's hiding a few tricks up his sleeve.
Speaking of The Reavers, Donald Pierce definitely won't be working alone when he appears as one of Logan's many bad guys. Reavers will play a major role in the upcoming dystopian adventure, and they don't look like they're messing around at all. Here we see a Reaver decked out in tactical gear waiting to ambush someone (presumably an unsuspecting mutant) from the safety of a bush. At this point, it remains unclear as to who has specifically hired this band of cybernetic mutant killers, but it's clear that they will represent Logan's primary physical threat. Let's hope for some truly epic fight sequences.
From this photo we can likely guess that Wolverine and Professor X will go on an impromptu road trip at some point during the events of Logan. X-Men Origins: Wolverine primarily took place in New York, Canada and New Orleans, and The Wolverine took the action to Japan, but it seems that Logan will set the action squarely in the southwestern portion of the U.S, near the Mexican border. This shouldn't necessarily be a huge surprise to fans of the source material, as Old Man Logan definitely plays out like a western road trip story.
Logan will take place in a seemingly dystopian future where mutants have definitely seen better days. In addition to deaths caused by the murderous Reavers, mutant births will also mysteriously be on the decline for unknown reasons. Based on this photo, it appears that the diminishing number of mutants in the world won't be a secret. This picture -- which shows a grimy, disgusting bathroom -- showcases graffiti etched into a wall demanding to know where all of the mutants have gone. With less and less of their own kind around to lend a helping hand, Logan and Charles Xavier will have to rely on each other to survive the events of the film.
We've already established that Logan will center on a much more lawless world than our own, and few pictures embody that idea more than the above image. In true dystopian fashion, the events of Logan will cause Wolverine to run into more than a few people who are purely looking to indulge themselves and have a good time. Considering the fact that the Wolverine we see during the events of Logan will be a hard-drinking loner looking to dull the pain of his past injuries, it seems highly probable that this unfortunate drunkard will make the mistake of picking a fight with the old man.
If Logan and Charles Xavier hit the road, then they will have to find some reasonable sleeping accommodations. That photo doesn't offer us very many details in terms of narrative or character, but it definitely goes a long way towards establishing the tone that we can expect from Logan. The image of a neon motel sign reflected in the puddle of a wet cement street has a very film noir connotation, and it once again reminds us that Logan will lean headfirst into its more mature, R-rated sensibilities. Get ready, folks; this is not going to be your typical, colorful X-Men adventure.
This photo showcases another one of Logan's locations, which appears to be a burned out smelting plant in the middle of the American southwest. Like so many other pictures we have seen from Logan, there's a palpable sense of deterioration and neglect to this plant -- almost as if the desolate environment mirrors the mentality of our titular hero. Aside from the thematic relevance of the smelting plant, there also exists a very real possibility that this could be the place where Wolverine dies. In the recent Death of Wolverine story arc, Wolverine sacrificed himself by using his claws to dumb a vat of molten adamantium onto his body -- which subsequently hardened and trapped his body forever. There's no guarantee that such a moment will occur during the events of Logan, but it's definitely worth looking for.
Here we get another very good look at the landscape that our characters will inhabit during the events of Logan, and it doesn't look very hospitable. This photo showcases a barbed wire fence covered in Spanish warnings, along with a desolate landscape stretching out into the distance. Whatever this facility is, it's not a place that an average person would want to stumble upon. Arguably the most telling aspect of this particular image is the Spanish language, which means that we may see Wolverine once again deeply immerse himself in another exotic culture -- much like The Wolverine, which saw him embrace traditional Japanese society.
Finally, we have an image that offers a look into one of the film's most important elements: its script. Director James Mangold posted the above photo at the beginning of October, and it offers a very telling taste of what to expect from the upcoming X-Men adventure. In fact, the script makes a very specific point to note that Logan will not be a "City-Block Destroying CG Fuckathon," which is a pretty obvious dig at recent Marvel and DC movies. Instead, Logan will offer fans of Wolverine a very personal, emotional journey that could very likely witness the end of this silver screen legend's life. Only time will tell.
Logan will slash its way into theaters on March 3, 2017. Stay tuned for more details!
