Let’s talk about whether this is really the last go-round for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, as he’s suggested.
Note: this is hopefully apparent from the title, but this article discusses the fate of Wolverine in the movie Logan, which obviously constitutes a major spoiler. Read on only if you have no intention of seeing it (perhaps because the constant violence is not for you) and want to know what happens.
High Jackman has poured everything into the role of Wolverine in the X-Men movie franchise, returning to the character in both team and solo films time and again. With Logan, however, Jackman insists he is sheathing his claws for good.
(Well, he did leave the door open just a tad, but only if Wolverine could show up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is obviously very unlikely to happen for reasons that won’t be rehashed here.)
With that in mind, did James Mangold and company write Jackman out by killing off Wolverine once and for all?
Final spoiler warning here …
Yep, Wolverine is dead and buried by the end of Logan. In truth, of the movie’s deaths, his is the one that you can most see coming, as it’s established early on that old age has finally caught up with him, reducing the effectiveness of his healing factor and its ability to fight off not just wounds but also the poisonous nature of the adamantium bonded to his bones.
Yet in classic superhero movie fashion, Wolverine dies not slowly but dramatically, cut up and then impaled by a younger clone of himself called X-24. Logan takes a special serum prior to the battle that effectively turns back the clock and has him in peak condition as he slashes his way to Laura/X-23 and her friends, but it’s no longer working when he faces off with the clone.
After the fight, Laura buries Wolverine and recites a movie quite she overhears earlier in the film. It’s not clear whether or not the burial takes place on the U.S. or Canadian side of the border, but it’s close enough to be fitting for everyone’s favorite superhero from the north.
Next: Does Professor X die in Logan?
It’s worth noting that the deaths of other X-Men, including Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, have been undone by movies in the franchise that monkey with the timeline. That option could be on the table here too, but considering that Jackman is getting up there in years, this death feels permanent. So long, Logan, and thanks for the memories.