Things You Missed In The Logan Trailer
In early 2016, news broke that there would be a third solo Wolverine movie starring Hugh Jackman. It was supposed to be very different from its predecessors—welcome news, because the others weren't exactly cinematic masterpieces. One notable change: this Wolverine would be rated R.
Rumors soon emerged that the movie would take place in 2024, suggesting that it would be based on the Old Man Logan storyline from the comics in which the character is haunted by the past and his powers are greatly diminished. After months went by without much in the way of actual news, in October 2016, Jackman posted a picture revealing the title of the film, Logan—and then weeks later, he tweeted photos that confirmed the movie features an aged and scarred Wolverine. While Logan isn't set to drop until March 3, 2017, now we have a little taste of what's in store thanks to the first trailer. Here's what you might have missed.
Wolverine in the cemetery
When director James Mangold spoke about Logan, he said it would be more somber than the other Wolverine movies. That's definitely the tone the trailer set by using Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt"—which, by the way, describes Logan pretty accurately. He looks like he's in rough physical shape and as he drinks at the cemetery, it's clear that he may be doing even worse emotionally.
Logan was always a reluctant member of the X-Men. He acted like he never wanted to be part of the group, but underneath it all, he may have needed them more than they needed him. That brings us to the shot of Logan drinking alone at the cemetery. Just prior, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) says, "Logan, what did you do?" Then Logan says, "Mutants. They're gone now." This hints that Logan will follow at least one major plot point of the Old Man Logan storyline: the aftermath of an attack in which Logan, believing the X-Mansion is under siege by a group of villains, takes them on himself and kills them all. It's only after they're all dead that he realizes he's been duped and the people he killed weren't villains at all—they were the X-Men. In anguish, he gives up the Wolverine persona and waits to die in a world mostly devoid of superheroes.
It's obviously too soon to tell whether Logan will hew that closely to the comics. But in a rated R movie that promises to be emotional, gritty, and takes death seriously, a scene depicting Wolverine's slaughter of the X-Men would be unlike anything ever seen in a superhero film.
A daughter figure
In the trailer, Logan is introduced to a young girl named Laura (Sienna Novikov) who is described as "very much like" Logan. This is Laura Kinney, a child version of X-23. X-23's powers are very much like Wolverine's; she has retracting claws and she can rapidly regenerate.
Her appearance adds a father-daughter element to the story. The question is, will she be genetically linked to Logan like she is in the comics (she's Logan's cloned daughter)? Or will he just feel a bond with her over their shared abilities?
Laura is also clearly a plot point in the story, because later she's seen being kidnapped, forcing Logan into action. This is a complete departure from the Old Man Logan series, but it should simplify the narrative for a two-hour movie.
One other thing to note about Laura is, closer to the end of the trailer, Logan has to extend his claws to protect himself against a claw-like attack. There are at least two different explanations for this. One is that Laura could be demonstrating her skills to Logan to show him how they are alike. But what if her mind was controlled and she was forced to fight Logan? Like a lot of the other stuff surrounding Logan at present, this is only speculation; the trailer doesn't show the claws' owner.
Donald Pierce's role
The main villain of the film is a cyborg named Donald Pierce, an anti-mutant fanatic with a cybernetic hand. In Logan, he'll be played by Boyd Holbrook from Narcos. In the comics, Pierce has a gang of fellow cyborgs, called Reavers, and they go around hunting down mutants. However, they all have a specific hatred for Wolverine—because the Reavers became cyborgs after he chopped off their limbs.
Reavers have been confirmed for Logan and it looks like all of them will be minor roles. It appears they will act like a private security force that works under Pierce. It also seems like Pierce and the Reavers have some official backing, because they use the Policia Federal (which suggests they're in South America) to go after Logan, Laura, and Charles.
Charles Xavier's role
One big question about the Logan trailer is why would Pierce, who hates Wolverine and wants to wipe out mutants, kidnap Laura and leave Logan alive after having him surrounded and restrained? Why wouldn't Pierce just use the opportunity to kill both of them, if they can, or incapacitate them forever if they can't?
Or if Pierce just needed Laura, again, why would he surround someone like Logan and talk to him? This suggests there could be a much more complex plot at the heart of Logan. What if Pierce's real target was Charles Xavier? In the comics, Pierce captures Charles and tries to harness his power to hunt mutants. It's possible that Pierce may be trying to do the same thing in Logan.
Another clue that this may be part of the plot is a scene showing a gun pointed at Charles' head while he is clearly using his mental powers. Earlier in the trailer, there is a shot of Laura crawling on her belly towards Charles and a second shot in which Caliban's (Stephen Merchant) head is being pushed towards Charles. What if Charles was too hard to kidnap, so they took Laura instead, thus giving Logan the choice of a swap? While it's a convoluted plot, it would add an emotional Sophie's Choice element to a film in which the main character wants to die.
Does someone important die?
Presuming Logan did kill all the X-Men, Charles Xavier was probably able to avoid being killed because of his abilities. Why Charles didn't stop the massacre earlier has yet to be seen. Nevertheless, in Logan, it appears that out of everyone from his old life, the only mutant, or living thing, that Logan cares for is Charles.
This is important to keep in mind because of other clues given in the trailer. At the beginning of the trailer, Logan's hand is twitching, and then it cuts away. Then, at the very end of the trailer, it returns to Logan's hand, still twitching—and Laura walking over and putting her hand in Logan's. Then it pans out and shows Logan, who is covered in blood and looking mournfully at the ground while holding a shovel. Logan has killed a lot of people in his day, but he's rarely taken the time to bury anyone.
Logan doesn't look like a comic book movie
With its desolate setting, Logan feels more like a neo-western like Hell or High Water or No Country for Old Men than a superhero movie. There are no silly costumes, large buildings to destroy, or innocent people to protect. Logan gives off the appearance of a stripped-down story about a troubled man seeking redemption for doing the unforgivable—he just happens to have retractable adamantium claws.
The movie actually shares a lot in common with the Johnny Cash song that plays through the trailer. Before Johnny Cash did the American Recording albums with legendary producer Rick Rubin, Cash hadn't had a Top 40 country record in almost a decade. Rubin convinced Cash to perform cover songs in an unvarnished acoustic setting; by focusing on the essential elements that made his music so unique, he sparked a comeback and launched the American Recording album series, which includes some of the most powerful work of Cash's career. Can we expect the same from Logan? Time will tell, but this first trailer leaves us hopeful.