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James Mangold Explains Why Wolverine’s Iconic Yellow Suit Didn’t Make It Into Logan

Wolverine's yellow guise may have been referenced in Logan, but here, James Mangold levels on why the costume doesn't work on the big screen.

Old Man Logan, Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s brooding eight-issue comic book, was consistently name-dropped throughout the course of development on James Mangold’s Logan, as the writer-director went about crafting a somber, yet fitting finale for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.

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The result? One of the more nuanced, compelling superhero dramas to claw its way onto the scene in recent memory, according to our own Matt Donato, and the critical consensus reveals that Logan is the moody, R-rated Wolverine vehicle fans have been frothing for since Jackman first unsheathed those adamantium claws more than a decade ago. But soon after Hugh Jackman took to Twitter to tease “The Original” Wolvie back in January, there’s been another moment of potential fan service hot on everyone’s lips: Wolverine slipping into that iconic yellow suit.

It turns out though that the fan-favorite outfit has no place in Logan whatsoever – and that’s even factoring in the post-credits scene that was shoehorned in at the 11th hour – and here, during an interview with Screen Rant, James Mangold explains exactly why Wolverine’s famous outfit doesn’t chime with the dark, dystopian world that he and Hugh Jackman created.

“I always feel a certain contingent of fans who are yearning for it. But the biggest block I’ve had – I’m willing to take the heat for it – is that, I can never get past, being a writer for these movies as well, that Logan is the least narcissistic of all the superheroes, any kind I can think of – Marvel, DC or anywhere else. What I mean by that is, who puts a special branded outfit on when they do good deeds? And why? The only reason you do it is so you can have some sort of trademarked claim and get credit for what you did.

Nothing seems less Wolverine-like than the desire to put on a trademarked outfit, particularly canary yellow, and kind of prance about doing good deeds and have people go, “Oh my God! It’s The Wolverine!” At least the Wolverine, as I see him, that’s a real struggle for me and always has been. I somehow feel that if somehow we ever put Hugh [Jackman] into one of those outfits, people would not be happy. Essentially, it’s something that lives on the page and I’m not sure could live anywhere else.”

Eagle-eyed viewers may be able to spot a reference to Wolverine’s iconic costume, but that yellow suit ultimately has no place in the character’s swan song. Logan will be with us on March 3rd, and it seems Hugh Jackman has saved his best performance for last. As for the future, the Aussie actor admitted recently that it’s all but inevitable that Fox will choose to recast Wolverine/Logan further down the line.