Finally. Wolverine in an MCU film.
Hugh Jackman had hung up his claws after an amazing send off in 2017 with Logan, but Ryan Reynolds couldn’t leave well enough alone. He may not have stopped there either (and we’re not talking about all the cameos.)
It appears the comic book that inspired the movie in which Jackman last portrayed Wolverine may play a role in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Looking back at Logan
This is considered one of the greatest comic book movies of all time. Jackman was outstanding. Patrick Stewart crushed it in what was also thought to be his goodbye as Professor Charles Xavier. Dafne Keen burst on the scene and elevated Wolverine’s clone, X-23, to new heights.
However, there were some changes from the original tale, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. Both Xavier and X-23 weren’t in the 2008-09 source material. Wolverine does have a family, but they’re not a band of heroes. They’re farmers. In fact, Logan’s youngest child didn’t know anything about him being a superhero until hearing it around town.
The one major Marvel character featured alongside Wolverine in the original story is actually Hawkeye. Of course, those two characters have yet to appear on the big screen together, as well.
There’s a similar difference when it comes to the villains. Logan features David Pierce, who leads Transigen on the hunt for X-23 throughout the movie. In Wolverine: Old Man Logan, there’s a mix of Marvel characters, but Bruce Banner is the biggest bad of them all. However, it’s another character’s meddling that may play into Deadpool & Wolverine.
How Deadpool & Wolverine has teased Old Man Logan’s story
One of the things we’ve seen quite a bit in early trailers is Giant-Man’s mask. There’s been no indication as to whether or not Scott Lang or Hank Pym will appear in this movie, but that’s not the point. There was a similar portrayal of the Giant-Man mask in the Wolverine: Old Man Logan story.
Then there’s the setting we’ve seen in a good chunk of the trailers. While a lot of focus has initially been on the destroyed 20th Century Fox sign, the rest of the area surrounding the sign also feels post-apocalyptic, much like Wolverine: Old Man Logan’s Wastelands.
Those small details add further credibility to the suspicion behind another detail shared in the trailers: “This Wolverine let down his entire world.” Wolverine absolutely did that Wolverine: Old Man Logan.
[If you’re concerned about knowing what might happen in Deadpool & Wolverine, proceed with caution.]
In the comic, it is revealed that Wolverine killed the X-Men on the day the world went sideways. With Marvel’s villains finally banding together, Mysterio was sent after the X-Men. Unlike the MCU’s version, portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, Mysterio in the comics is far more potent. He used his abilities to make Wolverine believe the X-Mansion was under attack by all its villains. Logan managed to cut through 40 of them like a hot knife through butter, only to find out at the end that all the individuals he believed to be villains were actually his friends.
That would be a grim way to introduce MCU fans to the X-Men. But if Marvel is looking to put the Fox era to bed and make some noise in the process, this is a great thread to pull from the comics.
