Numerous superhero movies have flooded the cinemas ever since the critical and commercial success of Superman (1978). Logan (2017) is possibly the most unique among these. Its very title stands out, Logan being the name that the superhero goes by in everyday life. This is in direct contrast to the way most superhero movies are entitled using the hero’s code name, such as Superman or Spiderman, as well as X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine, previous movies that feature this character. As this title indicates, this film deals with the hero’s humane side; he dons no costume and bears a personal mission. In Superman terms, this movie emphasizes the life and concerns of Clark Kent, and not Superman.
Superman depicted, in a bright and optimistic manner, the origin of a superhero and his journey to creating a better world, as well as rescuing the person he loves. Logan, by contrast, is extremely bleak. The X-Men are all dead, his superpowers are deteriorating, and his mentor Professor Xavier is critically ill. Unlike the way Superman makes light work of every situation with his prodigious abilities, Logan and his daughter Laura narrowly avoid death many times during their flight. [Watch] Scenes where a child’s body is impaled by a harpoon, or of soldiers being mutilated and gored by Wolverine’s claw are shown without reserve. These brutal but vivid action scenes, rare in other superhero movies, reveal the gravity of their predicament.
Another aspect differentiating Logan from other films of its genre is the fact that it deals with the demise of a hero. Logan, although he manages to rescue Laura against a powerful adversary, sustains a fatal injury in the process. When a sobbing Laura calls him “Daddy,” he muses, “So this is what it feels like.” [Watch] This single comment carries in it all the weight of Logan’s happiness at gaining a family, relief that he has succeeded in protecting her, and remorse about his centuries-long life. The movie ends with Laura fixing the cross on Logan’s grave into an X shape. It is a majestic finale worthy of a hero who has at last gained rest after sacrificing himself for innocent children. For the past forty years since Superman, every movie of its type has struggled to break free of the genre’s conventions. Logan, with its farewell to one of the most representative superheroes ever, exemplifies an outstanding result of such efforts.
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