Deadpool and Wolverine's tragic new Logan backstory repeats a decades-old X-Men power level problem

Despite the introduction of a new Logan variant in the form of “Worst glutton,” Deadpool and Wolverine reiterates a decades-old background issue and the power levels of the X-Men. Deadpool and Wolverine has broken box office records and proved that the appetite for superhero movies is still strong among modern audiences. The reasons for its success are many, but the fact that Deadpool and Wolverine with numerous cameos that appeal to the nostalgia of older audiences, was a stroke of genius.

Despite it, Deadpool and Wolverine The X-Men themselves were not featured. Although several central characters from Fox's X-Men franchise, such as Patrick Stewart's Professor X and Kelsey Grammer's Beast, have already made their MCU debut, it is notable that none of them appeared alongside the actual main character of the X-Men franchise in their MCU debut. Their conspicuous absence is made even more frustrating by the reasons for it, which suggest that Wolverine was the most powerful among them.

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Deadpool & Wolverine's Logan survival story downplays the X-Men's powers

Wolverine's new X-Men team was killed by humans

The new Wolverine balances Deadpool's irreverence with pathos as he reluctantly tells the backstory that led to his unfortunate “worst” Nickname in Deadpool and WolverineIn it, Wolverine's former team is slaughtered by humans in his absence, only for him to take extreme revenge and hurt innocents in the process. While it certainly gives Wolverine plenty of guilt and a reason to seek redemption, The backstory does not address how a marauding mob of humans could defeat the entire X-Men team before Wolverine defeats them alone.

The story may leave out important details like the mafia's strategies, but that still leaves many questions unanswered. Wolverine states that X-Men like Jean Grey and Storm were among those who insisted he wear his iconic yellow suit, having previously mentioned Charles Xavier. If all of these X-Men were massacred together, it is hard to believe that Wolverine could have fought the attackers himself without this supportTo make matters worse, this isn't the first time the X-Men have been suppressed under the guise of supporting Wolverine's story.

In the film history of the X-Men, the team was already killed for Wolverine's story

“Logan” and “Days of Future Past” killed the X-Men off-screen

The “worst” Wolverine is not even the only variant in Deadpool and Wolverine whose team was massacred. Logan from the original timeline, whose skeleton makes a hilarious dynamic appearance in the opening sequence, was the last Wolverine, whose X-Men were killed off-screen to pave the way for his swan songIn fact, both Wolverine versions of the film are based on the same tragic story from the Marvel comics, in which Wolverine also takes center stage against the backdrop of the downfall of his team.

Previously, Wolverine was chosen from all the X-Men of the original timeline to transport his consciousness into the past in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Meanwhile, his teammates – who are now united with Magento's mutant team – are massacred by Sentinels. While the other Wolverine variants are at least based on comic book models, this MacGuffin seems particularly blatant because in the original comic, Kitty Pryde travels back in time instead.

All this happens in Marvel movies, although Unlike countless other X-Men characters such as Professor X, Magneto, Ice Man and Storm, Wolverine is not considered an Omega mutant.However, he is practically immortal due to his healing factor – like the Deadpool and Wolverine ending sequence. This is one reason why Wolverine continues to outlast his teammates – but the reasons also run much deeper.

Why the X-Men had to die in Deadpool and Wolverine's Logan backstory

Wolverine’s character arc depended on

The new Wolverine was portrayed as a particularly pugnacious variant in Deadpool and Wolverine, and at least more than his main timeline counterpart in Fox's X-Men franchise. Part of what drives the character's story arc in Deadpool and Wolverine so touching – and culminating in his attempt to sacrifice himself to save trillions – is the narrative power of his tragic backstory. As complicated as it may be to have the most powerful members of the X-Men slaughtered by humans, It was necessary to transform this Wolverine into such a convincing companion of Deadpoolwhich, in comparison, seems downright virtuous.

The fact that Wolverine was able to destroy the human attackers with his berserker rage alone also helps to cement his legendary status among fans. On a more practical level, the number of cameos that have already been made in Deadpool and Wolverine was already a point of contention among some critics. Introducing other Fox X-Men characters in the same film would have been a hard sell and would have given them too little screen time for it to make a difference to kill them off-screen anyway.

Deadpool and Wolverine

director

Shawn Levy

Release date

July 26, 2024

Studio(s)

Marvel, Maximum Effort

Pour

Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Matthew Macfadyen, Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, Stefan Kapicic, Lewis Tan, Randal Reeder, Jennifer Garner, Aaron Stanford, Billy Clements, Ollie Palmer , Chris Hemsworth, Rob McElhenney

Duration

127 minutes

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