WARNING: The following article contains SPOILERS for Logan
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They say that comic book superheroes are never really gone, not when there is still a fan base and money to be made. But for a new actor to carry a while. And he's going out on a high note, true to form as always.
It may be less spectacle than usual, less comedic than usual, and less... well, X-Men than usual, but there's no question and Deadpool.
Needless to say there will be SPOILERS in our list, so do yourself a favor and give an in-person sendoff as we say goodbye to Logan: Every Wolverine Easter Egg & X-Men Connection.
20. The Deadpool Teaser
There was plenty of rumor-mongering in the final months of Logan's post-production surrounding a possible Deadpool cameo, or even a post credits scene suggesting a link to the next dose of the Merc With a Mouth. The tone and premise of Logan made it clear why that never came to , but Fox did find a way to give their mutant juggernaut a bump. It comes in the form of a special teaser, following Wade Wilson as he attempts - and fails - to stop a random mugging.
The teaser itself is filled with Easter Eggs, from a reference to Nathan Summers on the phone booth Deadpool changes in, graffiti connected to characters and creators, and even a set of Firefly posters reminding audiences of the other major mistake made by Fox in undervaluing a cult favorite. Some fans have taken those posters as a hint that star Nathan Fillion could be playing Cable, but for now, only repeat viewings will help nail down the amount of secrets hidden for fans (and the full text of that "Old Man and The Sea" text block concluding the teaser).
19. Meaningful Lyrics
The first trailer for Logan proved that there is absolutely nothing that can't elicit tears when set to Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails. Thematically, it all fit: a song about a life coming to an end in unheroic fashion, sung by a legend who ed not long after it was recorded, set to a modern cinematic icon's final chapter. But director James Mangold has explained that he hadn't considered the song until he saw the completed trailer, song included. Which makes this next bit even stranger.
Lauren and Logan never actually compete to see who has the more tragic story - one, a tormented, wild test subject who has lost everything, the other a tortured child born into bondage - but the reason they can be compared is due to the X-23 comic series from Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost. Initially pitched as a five issue miniseries giving her an origin of her own, her path to being Marvel's current Wolverine started there. And when the trailer dropped, Kyle shared the original pitch document from 2003 on Twitter - complete with an excerpt of "Hurt" to indicate the tone and emotion of their story.
18. Caliban
The character played by actor Stephen Merchant isn't given a name until well into the story, but he's a key player in a number of X-Men stories - including those centering around the group's first run-ins with Apocalypse. His name is Caliban, and while the versiion seen in Logan is similar in that he's inherently good, if mistreated, and able to track mutants, there are some key differences. Starting with the fact that the movie version, like the comics, is an albino... but his aversion to sunlight is more about fearing society's views of him than the fear of being burned.
Also, Caliban's ability to track mutants is implied to be an amplification of his sense of smell in the film (also granting him the insight to see that Logan is physically ill). In the original comics, Caliban used his ability to simply sense mutants to track them, using the skill to assemble the underground community known as the Morlocks. A younger version of Caliban also appeared as a mutant recruiter and information broker in X-Men: Apocalypse, but the connection between the two isn't clear (timelines, and all that).
17. The Adamantium Bullet
We arrive at one of the most emotionally powerful, but logistically problematic bits of X-Men fiction, when Caliban notices that Logan has kept an adamantium bullet in his pocket. He reacts poorly to the discovery and the questions that follow, but most are able to put the pieces together before even Laura does. Knowing that his body is slowly being killed through poisoning from the metal coating his bones, and knowing that same metal makes it almost impossible to kill him, he has held onto the one metal strong enough to break his skull, and kill him... and that's where the problems start.
The mention of an adamantium bullet will ring a bell with most fans, since it played a significant role in the plot of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, in which the bullet was fired into Logan's skull, doing enough real damage to his brain to erase his memory of the life before it (why he was so lost in the first X-Men). Unfortunately, the superpower fiction here is so sketchy and contradictory, nobody has even attempted to explain it. For starters, there's no established reason why even an adamantium bullet would be able to pierce the skull, and not ricochet off. But even if it did... why would it kill him?
If you try to explain by saying perhaps his brain tissue doesn't heal, then his selection to travel throug 'time' in Days of Future Past doesn't make sense. It's effectively a literal magic bullet to take out the villain, but... a fun reason to Origins, if nothing else.
16. If Swords Could Talk
It's tricky these days to know exactly how much of the past X-Men and Wolverine movies factor into the future setting of Logan, since it effectively acts as a grim ending to the entire universe. But with director James Mangold picking up on most of the themes and ideas of The Wolverine for this final chapter in Logan's story, it's safe to assume that film, at least, is considered a precursor to this one. And there's another clue that as grim as the present may be, Logan never forgot the more hopeful moments of the past.
In his Mexico home, there isn't much to remind audiences of the world of the X-Men that used to be. But among the many trinkets found throughout the building is a samurai sword hanging from a wall. Clearly a nod to the one Logan received in The Wolverine, or perhaps the one used by his friend and protege Yukio after her presumed death. Or it could be one of the ones seen in his apartment back in Days of Future Past, visible on the wall next tot a print of Mt. Fuji... the whole 'ronin' theme is hard to miss.
15. Donald Pierce
It's hard to know what to make of the movie's villain - or even if he is the movie's villain - when actor Boyd Holbrook slips into Logan's limousine asking him about a mystery woman. His business card reveals that he works security for a company called Alkali Transigen, and is named Donald Pierce. The name is pulled directly from the comics, but his role is quite different. Originally, Donald Pierce appeared as a top-ranking member of the Hellfire Club of Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw (the villains of X-Men: First Class).
In their first encounter with the X-Men, Donald was shown to have had cybernetic enhancements when Wolverine (and later, Colossus) destroyed his arm to expose the robotics beneath it. The movie pays homage to that moment by showing the replacement limb from the very start. As an extra bit of trivia, Pierce was actually based on actor Donald Sutherland, with his first name directly lifted, and his surname that of Sutherland's character in M*A*S*H - Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce. We don't see the resemblance on film.
14. Alkali Transigen
The evil forces working behind the scenes are a case of several comic book groups and storylines being streamlined into one. Fans knew from the beginning that Logan had been forged into the adamantium-covered Wolverine as part of the Weapon X Program - a military experiment to create super soldiers at a facility called Alkali Lake. But the post-credits scene of X-Men: Apocalypse offered some new details beyond the Weapon X breakout that the stars of the film witnessed. Yes, it was still run by William Stryker. But when it came to cleaning up the mess of it all, a new player was revealed: Essex Corp.
It was a major moment for Marvel fans, confirming that Nathaniel Essex was pulling the strings behind the operation - or was called in to take the next step. Fans may know him better as 'Mr. Sinister,' the villain with ties to all corners of Marvel's Universe, including the creation of Cable. It's his men who are collecting Wolverine's blood (used to create X-23 and X-24), and who ultimately move from the military to private sector with Transigen achieving victory over mutantkind through food designed to suppress mutations in all forms.
13. Greenwood Cemetery
The image of Wolverine leaning against a tree and downing a bottle of alcohol in the rain had many fans speculating about the death of an X-Man or X-Woman. In the end, Logan was only there as a limo driver, but it was still an Easter Egg in hiding. The funeral shown is at Greenwood Cemetery, a fairly famous resting site in the Marvel Universe - even if the movie relocated it pretty drastically. In the comics, the cemetery is located in Brooklyn, New York, not the southwestern U.S. setting of most of Logan.
Still, it's a serious nod to fans, as the place holds more than a few key of Marvel's past. In Deadpool: Too Soon, the funeral is the burial site for Forbush Man. In the Ultimates 2 universe, it's also the memorial site for Steve Rogers, with a massive statue erected in his image. And in the realm of the Fantastic Four, Susan Richards had the honor of presiding over her own funeral at Greenwood, burying a version of her who had traveled back from the future to complete one last heroic mission before her time was up.
12. "The Statue of Liberty"
Things aren't going well for Logan when the story begins, but by 2029, things have gotten much, much worse for Charles Xavier. He's introduced rolling himself around inside his confined living space muttering to himself and seeming mostly oblivious to his old friend. Medication helps keep his mental attacks under control, but after regaining his senses, Charles makes mention of something pressing, including a meet-up at the Statue of Liberty. Logan gives half a smirk as he calms him, telling him that the Statue of Liberty was "a long time ago."
Some might take it as a claim of just how much as changed in New York City at that point, but it's - on the surface - a reference to the original film that shouldn't be missed. The line works for several reasons: reminding the audience just how much time has ed since then, and how long it's been since Logan experienced a victory with friends at his side. While sending fans speculating just how much has or hasn't changed between the pre-Days of Future Past timeline and the new one.
Charles still knows his stuff, though, since it turns out to be a reference to the Liberty Motel where Logan actually does meet Laura.
11. Wolverine & Drug Abuse
In that same scene, Charles recalls more significant details from the time when Logan was "found" (even though he wasn't explicitly found, but rather wound up with them thanks to a rogue... Rogue). He mentions Wolverine's career as a cage fighter in the Canadian wilderness, but also his addiction to drugs - specifically barbiturates. It was never shown in any of the films - although Wolverine does love a good drink - so audiences may not know what to make of it. Especially since Wolverine's invulnerability to poisons would make substance abuse seem impossible.
But he's struggled with drug and alcohol abuse in the comics before. And, as oftentimes in life, his teammates and loved ones didn't know how to deal with it. Most turned a blind eye, and others defended him, claiming he used drugs and alcohol to lighten his mood. Whether it interfered with his ability to lead or make sound decisions was a question eventually raised, but in the film, it's treated as a means of dulling the adamantium poisoning that's killing him.
