Highlights
- Logan’s return to the MCU in Deadpool & Wolverine raises questions about the impact of bringing back beloved characters after a poignant send-off.
- Director James Mangold’s strong distaste for cinematic universe-building could clash with the interconnected storytelling of the MCU.
- Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 raises concerns about devaluing the significant narrative conclusion of Logan.
The cinematic masterwork Logan has returned to relevance in the wake of Deadpool & Wolverine’s imminent rise to the top of the box office, but the architect behind this fan-favorite final chapter might not be the biggest fan of the franchise causing this rising tide.
Logan was released as the capstone on the Wolverine trilogy of films that started with X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 and was followed up by 2013’s The Wolverine. Based on the highly acclaimed Old Man Logan comics from Marvel, the film brought the saga to a bitter but narratively brilliant end with the death of Hugh Jackman’s Logan and the passing of the torch (within the narrative) to Dafne Keen’s Laura/X-23. This was heralded as the perfect example of a definitive, respectful end to a beloved character, and Jackman seemed more than content to leave it at that. That was until he was confirmed to be returning to the iconic role and making his MCU debut in Deadpool 3, which would take on the name Deadpool & Wolverine to reflect its two lead characters.
In addition to Jackman’s deuteragonist, fans get not just one, but several Wolverine variants in Deadpool 3, including several based on Logan’s version of the character that could potentially have some staying power in the MCU going forward. While this is great news for some, others might not be quite so excited. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone about his Timothée Chalamet-led film A Complete Unknown, director James Mangold would (presumably as a matter of coincidence) serve some strong words concerning the idea of a cinematic universe a la the MCU. “It’s weird that I’ve even worked in the world of IP entertainment because I don’t like multi-movie universe-building,” Mangold would reveal. “I think it’s the enemy of storytelling. The death of storytelling. It’s more interesting to people the way the Legos connect than the way the story works in front of us.” The filmmaker then gave a brief insight into his thought process when facing a project and why it doesn’t lend itself to that style of overly connective storytelling.
For me, the goal becomes, always, “What is unique about this film, and these characters?” Not making you think about some other movie or some Easter egg or something else, which is all an intellectual act, not an emotional act. You want the movie to work on an emotional level.
Mangold had a very interesting response to Jackman’s return to the role for Deadpool 3 on X, which he had to clarify later on with assurances that he was indeed just kidding and didn’t have any objections. In light of these recent comments, it does now seem like the filmmaker might have had a bit more to say on the issue at the time but chose the path of least resistance to keep things pleasant. There’s little doubt that having your most popular and well-appreciated work undercut by a planet-sized machine like the MCU would deepen any misgivings he might have held about the format before, especially with an unavoidable project like Deadpool 3. However, these personal misgivings don’t mean that he doesn’t have a real point to pass across, as Marvel Studios and Disney have discovered firsthand in recent times.
For all the hype and genuine talent that Jackman’s return to the role gifted the MCU at a critical time, the whole thing makes people wonder what the point of a proper send-off like Logan is if the reward for that interment is that the character gets dug up down the line with even more potent fan appeal. While the return of Wolverine is a great thing in the here and now, it remains to be seen what sort of long-term consequences this wrestler-like return from retirement will have on the franchise and on the character.
Logan is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Rolling Stone
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