Logan marks the end of an era for the X-Men movie franchise. While the cinematic universe will continue with the likes of Deadpool 2, New Mutants and a sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse, it will do so without Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Maybe the character will show up later down the line played by another actor, but for Jackman, this is it. He's spent 18 years as Wolverine (the first X-Men movie began shooting in 1999), and now he's hanging up the claws. Needless to say, Logan will wrap up the arc of this iteration of Wolverine, and while marketing and promotional material have shown that a lot is being packed in, we're hoping that there's one important loose end that is resolved at some point in the story: Wolverine's relationship with Sabretooth.
The Wolverine/Sabretooth dynamic in the movies has been an odd one. In X-Men, the two had their bitter, animalistic hatred, but there was no deep connection between the two. They merely hated each other because 1, they were on opposing sides, and 2, well, they didn't like each other's scents, I suppose. Nine years later, X-Men Origins: Wolverine wound the clock back and brought back Sabretooth as Wolverine's half-brother, Victor Creed, who spent more than a century by James Howlett's (Wolverine's birth name) side surviving wars and outliving everyone around them. By the end of that movie, Sabretooth departed after helping Wolverine defeat Weapon XI, but beforehand, he had said only he has the right to kill him. While there were continuity issues with this version of Sabretooth, namely why he didn't recognize Wolverine in X-Men and why Liev Schreiber's Sabretooth looks so different from Tyler Mane's, the relationship between the two mutants was one of the prequel's few redeeming elements.
So now we have two primary loose ends with Sabretooth in the X-Men movie universe. From X-Men, we still haven't learned if he survived Cyclops' optic blast; given his healing factor, he probably did, but it would be nice to know for sure. From X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the "sibling" rivalry between Wolverine and Sabretooth hasn't been properly resolved. Since Sabretooth is Wolverine's arch-nemesis, Logan is the last opportunity to address both of these lingering plot threads. Sure, once Wolverine is recast we'll also see a new Sabretooth, but as far as the Hugh Jackman era goes, this is it. If Logan doesn't provide any answers, then it's extremely unlikely we'll ever get them. After all, even though Sabretooth is an overarching X-Men villain, he's at his best when he's directing ferocity at Wolverine. It would be great if Logan could properly conclude the arc between these two characters, preferably by having Liev Schreiber reprise Sabretooth.
Let me clarify that I don't expect Logan to dedicate a lot of time to the Wolverine/Sabrertooth dynamic. With everything going on with X-23, Tranisgen, Professor X's poor health, etc, it's extremely unlikely that we'll see a savage brawl between the two. If Liev Schreiber were to appear in Logan, it would be nothing more than a cameo role. So how likely is it he'll show up? Well, last year when Logan (then unofficially known as Wolverine 3) was in the middle of production, Liev Schreiber jokingly asked Hugh Jackman on social media if he had to appear in the movie. Schreiber later clarified that while Jackman had talked to him about the story, he wasn't sure if he would have a role or not. That doesn't bode well for him appearing, especially considering his Ray Donovan schedule. On the other hand, maybe Jackman, director James Mangold and the crew were able to sneak Schreiber onto the Logan set to shoot a scene or two. It wouldn't be the first time that a blockbuster has kept the appearance of a major actor a secret. Let's put it this way: it's more likely that Sabretooth will show up in Logan than Deadpool.
If a Schreiber reprisal is off the table, at the very least, maybe we could hear a reference or see paperwork that answers what Sabretooth's ultimate fate was, similar to what X-Men: Days of Future Past did with revealing that Banshee, Angel Salvadore, Azazel and Emma Frost had died in the years after X-Men: First Class. Maybe sometime after the battle at Liberty Island, Sabrertooth was captured by Transigen, and the experiments they ran on him either killed him or took away his powers. That's why he never found Wolverine again to settle their score. Whether it's through a direct appearance or exposition, Logan is the last chance for the X-Men movie universe to close the chapter on the Wolverine/Sabretooth story in its current form. Judging by early reviews, Logan sounds like it'll be quite the superhero movie treat, but if the third Wolverine spinoff can provide some kind of closure between its eponymous protagonist and Victor Creed, that would be the proverbial cherry on top.
Logan slashes its way into theaters on March 3. What do you think? Are you also hoping Logan finally concludes the Wolverine/Sabretooth storyline, or is that something to rightfully leave behind after all these years? Let us know in the poll and comments below!
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