Even with the mind-numbingly silly antics of the merc with the mouth bogging the narrative down, Logan’s arc in Deadpool and Wolverine was notably tragic and dark. Even though it wasn’t something unique, as viewers are at this point quite accustomed to seeing his guilt and trauma building the foundation of his arc in almost every X-Men cinematic venture, Logan’s journey at least added a depth to the plotline as a tale of his redemption—unlike Deadpool’s bland self-worth blabbering, which doesn’t contribute much anyway. Let us take a brief look at the tragic past of Logan, which he tried to change desperately, and how it fits in perfectly with his existing lore and characterization.
Spoilers Ahead
Logan’s Place Among The X-Men
Marvel’s most beloved anti-hero, Logan, is the quintessential loner whose careless machismo-bravado posture makes him seem closer to the protagonists of sphaghetti westerns than spandex-wearing crimefighters in the funny pages. As a perfect match for his subjective worldview and moral relativity, Logan has the power of accelerated healing to such a point that he is functionally immortal—he always stands on the periphery of time while everything close to him inevitably withers away. Like a lonesome ronin, Logan can never afford to get too emotionally attached to anyone, knowing he will outlive and outlast everything—standing like a relic unaffected by the brunt of history. Additionally, fate’s cruel hand has made him a mutant since birth, a group who are so despised, feared, and ostracized by their fellow human beings that they don’t even have the right to live freely. With Logan’s feral, animalistic temper, which earned him the name Wolverine, it is understandable why he has hardly ever formed a stable connection with anyone and has never found a place where he belongs. He has been hunted down by fellow humans and mutants alike, tortured, and experimented upon—and all the tragic events of his life, accompanied by loneliness, have compounded to make a good person, cruel, and apathetic. Surviving several centuries as God’s lonely man, it is no wonder Logan’s had a bloody, violent past, making him feel irredeemable in his own eyes.
However, Charles’ presence changed the trajectory of Logan’s life; as an ever-supportive friend, he helped Logan’s broken soul to heal by allowing him the chance to forgive himself. Charles put faith in Logan’s inherent goodness—something Logan himself had forgotten he possessed—and offered him a chance to find his place among Xavier’s students, the X-Men. It was obviously not easy to convince the wild, wandering spirit of Logan to settle down, but for the first time since forever, Logan had made true friends as Charles introduced him to Scott, Jean, Beast. Kitty, and the rest of the mutants. Logan came to a safe haven for tormented souls like him, and even though he didn’t strongly share Charles’ belief about the possibility of coexistence of humans and mutants, he genuinely began to appreciate the humanistic worldview of Charles Xavier. In turn, Charles had wanted to share Logan’s experience with his students to see his dream of human-mutant coexistence realized in the near future.
In Deadpool and Wolverine, the version of Logan we meet hadn’t accepted Charles’ proposal of joining his fellow mutants, similar to how Logan in X-Men: First Class rebuffed Erik and Charles’ attempt to convince him to join the X-Men. But despite not being a part of the team, this version of Logan had formed a similar connection with Charles and his other mutant students. Logan is built in a way that didn’t let him acknowledge how much he needed Charles and his X-Men in his life, but a strong bond existed among them nevertheless.
What Was The Past Logan Wanted To Change?
By Logan’s own admission, his unwillingness to join the X-Men caused a severe blowback when, in his absence, humans came mutant hunting and butchered every last member of Xavier’s institute. Not only had the humans snatched the chance at a good life destiny had given him, but their actions triggered a feeling of remorse so heavy that Logan forever remained afflicted by survivor’s guilt. He donned the costume his X-Men comrades had pleaded for him to wear—the comrades whom he had failed in life—and in an uncontrollable, vengeful, feral fury, he began a bloodbath that claimed the lives of many evil and also innocent human beings. His action made mutants a target worldwide, kicking off a vicious cycle of violence. In this version of Logan’s world, Charles’ dream was murdered by Logan himself, and in absolute shame Logan had resorted to drunkenness to forget this harrowing past. His predicament is similar to that of Charles in Logan, whose sudden psychic power outburst had taken the lives of most of the mutants, turning him guilt-ridden, suicidal, and miserable in his last days.Â
In his conversation with Laura/X-23, Logan’s guilt is reflected through his words; he has given up on himself completely, telling them he’s not the right guy they can depend upon. Laura still chooses to trust her father figure, even if they are from different worlds, and proclaims he never was in any universe until he was. Cassandra pries into Logan’s mind and learns the dark truth of Logan—whose actions tainted the X-Men in his universe forever—and she tries to use his guilt to turn Logan to her side—to turn him into a mindless killing machine. But this time, Logan truly honors Charles’ memory by believing in himself—that there is a good man behind the emotionally unavailable, feral beast that the world perceives—and shows mercy to Cassandra even while having every motive and chance to end her life. Logan helps Deadpool to save his universe, most importantly his family, and even though it does not provide him with absolution, at least it allows him to turn to a path of redemption at the end.
