Pain has always been at the core of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. X-Men, the franchise opener, bonded Logan and Anna Paquin’s Rogue as the loneliest of the lonely, she for her inability to physically touch others and he for his reluctance to emotionally connect. This dynamic carried throughout the original trilogy and received a wordless nod in Days of Future Past. Meanwhile, Wolverine recklessly threw his body into nearly every X-Men adventure and a few of his own.
The appeal of Jackman’s character is akin to that of the cinematic boxer. Each endure excruciating pain and keep swinging, their struggles made visceral and primal by their pounding approach. Fitting, then, that Jackman’s swan song as Wolverine will see the character more battered than ever, both emotionally and physically.
The trailer for Logan keeps the particulars a bit hazy, but it appears that Logan and Professor Xavier’s powers are fading. Most of the X-Men are gone, and while Logan seems content to endure his remaining days, Xavier makes him take on yet another kid in need.
Refreshingly, the trailer doesn’t give a clear sign for how Wolverine, or at least Jackman’s version of him, will be written out of the series. Instead, it washes its clips with the melancholy of Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt. This plaintive wail leaves my finger’s crossed that Logan will be one of the better written outings for the beloved bruiser. Jackman has proven time and again that he can dig into the complexities of the character when given the chance. That is what’s made the role so iconic, and what makes it so sad to see him go.
Logan is directed by James Mangold and stars Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Boyd Holbrook. It will be released in the U.K. on March 2nd, 2016 and in the U.S. on March 3rd, 2016. For international release dates, click here.
Do you think Logan will be a fitting swan song for Jackman’s Wolverine? Let us know in the comments!
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