Deadpool and Wolverine ruined Logan's ending

Key points

• Deadpool and Wolverine kept their promise not to affect Logan's emotional ending by tarnishing its legacy.
• Bringing Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine into the MCU dilutes the closure that 2017's Logan provided.
• Robert Downey Jr.'s return as Doctor Doom poses a similar risk of repeating the Logan Effect in the MCU.

Before Deadpool and Wolverine released, Ryan Reynolds took to social media to clarify that the film would not affect Logan's end in any way. Unfortunately, he was wrong, not just in a meta-joking way, as his character in the film admitted while digging up his remains in the very first scene.

The film, which marked the entry of Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), got a lot of things right. It pulled in solid numbers at the box office, both fans and critics seemed to mostly like it, and it was the most refreshing addition to the MCU in a while, after quite a few problems. However, the film still ruined one of superhero cinema's most emotional endings, delivered by Logan in 2017.

Deadpool and Wolverine He breaks his promise Logan Fans

Before anyone jumps to Ryan Reynolds or Marvel's defense: yes, the logic is airtight. This is a completely different Logan from an alternate reality, having nothing to do with the hero who dies fighting X-24 in Logan. The argument in favor Deadpool and Wolverine it's that everything is different here: the movie, the franchise, the treatment, the timeline, the universe, etc. But that still undermines the whole point of Logan and alters how fans will perceive that film in the future.

In September 2022, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman confirmed in an announcement video that their next film was a “totally separate thing” from Logan, which takes place in 2029. They reiterated that they would not touch the clawed hero's iconic on-screen death. Fast forward to 2024, where Deadpool and Wolverine intentionally throws away this promise. The film begins with the Mercenary with the Desecrating Mouth Logan's remains unearthed, and before slaughtering the TVA agents with the adamantium-infused bones, he says:

How are we going to do this without dishonoring Logan's memory? And I'll tell you how. We're not.

Logan's Legacy deserves more than a rewrite of the multiverse

Hugh Jackman's return as Wolverine was contingent on the new film having no effect Logan in any way. Marvel's reassurance came through their narrative device of altering the multiversal branches. Logan director James Mangold even gave his nod of approval only after being relieved that the new film would be set before or outside of the events of his film. But the problem is that it's not that simple. The audience remembers faces and emotions, not variations and temporal sequences.

At the risk of upsetting fans of comic book blockbusters, Logan he deserves to be held on a higher cinematic pedestal in discussions, just like Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. And it's not just about taking a darker, grittier approach to the material. The film dealt with complex ideas such as mortality, sacrifice and legacy, borrowing from the Old Logan plots taken from comics and other masterpieces such as that of Alfonso Cuarón Children of men. James Mangold went all-in and showed what really lies beneath the superhero's metal claws and healing powers: a violent human being dealing with death.

Logan's The farewell seems diluted after Wolverine's return

Hugh Jackman should never have returned as Logan after his last stint ensured a perfect farewell to the character. Its revival and addition to the MCU makes sense in terms of the sheer fanfare it created. However, all of the complex themes and feelings of closure discussed above now feel as if they have been flushed down the drain. And it's not like anyone deleted every copy Logan from the face of the planet. The film will remain relevant to new audiences, but it won't have the same impact it had when it seemed like the X-Man's farewell was truly final.

Logic and emotion are two contrasting factors here. Wolverine's return in the new film makes perfect sense, while his farewell has arrived Logan it was hard and emotional. As a collective audience, it's easy to accept why he's back, but individual sensitivities make it difficult to accept Logan's tragic ending now. At first everything seemed fine, ever since Deadpool and Wolverine did a good job creating a meaningful story arc for his “underdog” variant of Logan. However, revisiting the 2017 film, it seems like Marvel let the character down for a few (billion) dollars more.

Robert Downey Jr.'s return could do the same thing again Logan Effect

This raises more concern, considering Robert Downey Jr.'s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom. While Doom will definitely not be a variant of Iron Man, audiences can't help but associate the actor with Tony Stark as soon as they see his face. THE Logan the effect could be repeated here too, and there is an imminent risk of weakening Avengers: Endgame almost perfect ending. Imagine seeing an RDJ again who sacrifices his life to save the universe, knowing full well that there is another RDJ who will try to take down the multiverse in the same film series. Perhaps Deadpool and Wolverine it's a reminder for multiverse movies to play it safe with returning actors or characters.