LOGAN: Breaking Down The Emotional First Trailer For The Final WOLVERINE Movie
The first trailer for James Mangold's Logan debuted earlier today to a very positive response. Here, we take a look at some of the key moments and speculate on what they could mean for the film's plot...
After a lot of buildup, the first trailer for James Mangold's Logan was released earlier today. Set to the powerful strains of Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt", we were presented with a bleak vision of the future in which mutants are scarce, and Wolverine has definitely seen better days.
It's pretty grim stuff overall, but there are also glimmers of hope, as the former X-Man takes on the role of protector to a very special young girl.
Below, you'll find a breakdown of 8 of the major talking points raised in the teaser, along with a healthy dose of speculation. Have a read through, and be sure to share your own thoughts and theories in the usual place.
1. Old Man Logan
There was a lot of speculation and some rumors that this final Wolverine film would be based on Mark Millar's Old Man Logan, and while it clearly won't be anything close to a direct adaptation, there's definitely some shades of that melancholy tale in the trailer.
The first few shots establish that Jackman is playing an older, broken down take on the iconic mutant; alone in the world with only an even more debilitated/infirm old friend for company. Sound familiar?
This story will most likely only use a few elements of the comic book, but it's probably safe to assume it did at least serve as an inspiration.
2. No More Mutants
As Logan himself confirms at the beginning of the trailer, it seems those rumors about the earth's mutant population disappearing were on the money. Were they hunted down and exterminated? Wiped out by disease? Or, did the race just die out naturally for some reason?
In the Old Man Logan comic it's actually a mind-controlled Wolverine himself that's responsible for the death of his teammates, and because of Xavier's "what have you done" line, there's been speculation that something similar may go down in the movie. But, this sounds like it's devastation on a much larger scale than just The X-Men - could Logan, Xavier, Caliban and a handful of others really be the only remaining children of the atom in the world?
3. Professor X
If Logan looks to be in bad shape, poor Charlie Xavier (Sir Patrick Stewart) is truly a shadow of his former self. We had heard that this much older take on the Professor was going to have lost full control of his powers, and there are a couple of moments in the trailer that seem to confirm as much.
Xavier is (or was) arguably the most powerful mutant in the world, so if his considerable telepathic abilities are unstable, he could be just as big a danger to his allies as he is to his enemies. Is it possible Logan might be forced to end his old friend's suffering? It's not a pleasant thought, but again, there are some shots in the trailer that definitely allude to it.
4. X-23?
It actually still hasn't been officially confirmed that the young actress (Dafne Keane) from the trailer is playing X-23, but at this point it's almost certain that her character is at least based on Laura Kinney. Whoever the young girl is, it seems apparent that she's going to be integral to the plot.
In the comics X-23 is a clone of Wolverine, and although Mr. Sinister's involvement in this movie was seemingly debunked, we do know that Essex Corp collected some of Logan's DNA in the post credits scene of X-Men: Apocalypse - so there's a decent chance this movie will follow suit.
Of course, whether she'll actually take over as Wolverine after Hugh Jackman hangs up the claws remains to be seen.
5. Donald Piece And The Reavers
We knew these relatively obscure Marvel baddies were going to play a role in the film, but the trailer confirms that they will indeed act as the main physical threat (at least, initially) for Wolverine and his pals.
The team's leader, Donald Pierece (Boyd Holbrook) is sporting one robotic arm as a nod to his cyborg counterpart from the comics, and Mangold and co. have no doubt come up a suitably grisly way to tie that missing limb to Logan... or maybe even X-23, who The Reavers seem to be attempting to recapture.
Either way, you can expect Piece and Wolvie to have at least one brutal battle before the credits role.
6. Caliban
Stephen Merchant's mutant bloodhound is glimpsed a couple of times here, once wrapped in that Darkman-esque attire from this picture the actor shared the other day, and the other in a much more stressful looking situation.
It's still unclear which side Caliban will be on in the movie, but all signs point to him being an ally of Logan and Xavier's, and the shot above could well be from a scene in which he's being forced to use his powers to track our heroes down. Then again, this character has also been a villain in the comics, so it's difficult to know for sure.
7. Who Do Those Claws Belong To?
It's just one very brief shot, but it's probably the most talked about moment from the trailer as it confirms that Logan is going to throw down with another clawed opponent at some point in the film.
The most obvious guess might seem to be X-23 (Kinney has a trigger in the comics which puts her in an uncontrollable kill-frenzy), but that character is typically only depicted with 2 claws on each hand, and this mysterious foe appears to have more. Another possibility is Lady Deathstrike, who was a Reaver in the comics, but isn't present anywhere else in the trailer. Could it be an adult clone of Wolverine, perhaps? Maybe even an incarnation of Daken?
8. The Shovel
There's no getting away from this - the final shot of the trailer really makes it look like Logan has just buried someone, and let's face it, that someone is more than likely Professor X. If this is indeed a loose adaptation of Old Man Logan then it follows that Xavier would take on the role Hawkeye played in the comic, and that role basically amounted to being awesome and then dying tragically.
Xavier will probably (or at least, hopefully) receive a more dignified sendoff, but fans should definitely prepare to shed a few tears when Logan hits theaters next year.