8 Things You Need To Know About Wolverine: Old Man Logan

UPDATE: The official trailer for Logan has now been released and can be seen above. With Bryan Singer making 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea his next movie after X-Men: Apocalypse, the future of the X-Men franchise is unclear. 2016 will see the release of spinoffs Deadpool and Gambit, while a third Wolverine movie has been dated for the following year. What's significant about this instalment, however, is that Hugh Jackman has confirmed that it will be his final appearance as the fan-favourite mutant. Based on comments from the actor at this year's Comic-Con, the movie is going to be an adaptation of Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's critically acclaimed Old Man Logan storyline. While rights issues mean it can't possibly be an entirely faithful take on the source material (Patrick Stewart confirming that he'll return as Professor X has made that clear), it still no doubt has the potential to be the best Wolverine movie to date. It's unclear at this point just how close to the comics director James Mangold will be sticking, but with Jackman reaching out to fans on Twitter to get their input on what they want to see, chances are it will be Old Man Logan in more than just name. An epic story full of amazing moments for this movie to borrow from, everyone should be excited about seeing Old Man Logan on the big screen. So, whether you've read the comic and need a refresher or have never heard of it and want to know what all the fuss is about, this is your definitive in-depth guide to the plot and all the huge moments you should be aware of before Jackman hangs up his claws in 2017... 8) It's Set 50 Years In The Future Old Man Logan is set roughly five decades on from the point in history where the Marvel Universe was when the story was released, and things have obviously changed a lot in that time. Brief flashbacks revealed that the new status quo was established when the world's super-villains decided that in order to bring an end to Earth's Mightiest Heroes once and for all, it made sense for them to put their differences aside and team-up to get the job done. As a result, The Avengers and every other superhero out there were outmatched and fell one by one. Logan is one of only a handful of survivors, but is living a very different life as a farmer in California, with his wife Maureen, his son Scotty and daughter Jade. In "Hulkland," he's a tenant of the Hulk, who now has a large family made up of children he had incestuously with his cousin the She-Hulk. Broken and clearly a shell of the man he once was, Logan's problems begin when he realizes he can't pay the rent and an old friend turns up at his door. 7) Wolverine Teams Up With A Blind Hawkeye As it turns out, former Avenger Hawkeye is still very much alive and well. The team of villains that assembled to take over the world decided he wasn't worth killing as he posed no threat to them, and the now blinded archer - who appears to have a radar sense similar to Daredevil - recruits Wolverine to help him transport a mysterious package across America. Desperate to protect his family from the vengeance of the Hulk's offspring, Logan reluctantly agrees and the two set off on a road trip together. It's eventually revealed that Hawkeye is transporting what he believes to be Super Solider Serum, but the whole thing was actually a ruse by S.H.I.E.L.D. to kill the former Avenger once they discovered he was attempting to put together a new team of heroes. It's hard to say who could take Clint Barton's place in the movie as Wolverine's travelling buddy, but with Patrick Stewart rumoured to have a major role, it could be that we end up seeing Logan chatting away with the long dead Xavier on his journey. 6) Logan Refuses To Kill Or Use His Claws Why doesn't Wolverine just kill the Hulks threatening his family? Well, this iteration of the character hasn't popped his claws in over fifty years and even refuses to fight back when one of those Hulks viciously beats him in front of his clearly disappointed son. Logan has given up violence and killing, something which continues even after he's dragged into a number of action-packed escapades with Hawkeye across the course of their journey through the now supervillain controlled America (the country has been split into different sections with certain bad guys in control of each). If the movie were to follow this, we're going to end up with a Wolverine who spends most of his screentime with those iconic claws sheathed. The hero using them in impressive action sequences has become such a major selling point for these films that it's hard to say whether Fox would be willing to do that, but it would certainly be refreshing if they did, as it forces Logan to protect himself in other more interesting and inventive ways. 5) Easter Eggs We'll Never See In The Movie This entire list could be based around the moments from the Old Man Logan comic book we'll never see in the movie due to it prominently featuring characters from The Avengers franchise. The Hulk obviously isn't going to make it in there, while the movie's Easter Eggs will now have to focus more on X-Men heroes and villains than the likes of Daredevil and Spider-Man. Had Fantastic Four not been a flop, there's a chance that we could have seen some references to their existence, but with their own sequel unlikely to be released in 2017, the chances of that happening are slim. The same goes for the gigantic skeleton of Giant-Man that Wolverine and Hawkeye at one point drive through, and there's no chance we'll see a dinosaur from the Savage Land hosting the Venom symbiote. Thor's fallen hammer being worshipped is another which won't make the cut, so it's going to be up to James Mangold to find a way of making up for this by filling in the fifty years which has passed with lots of references to the world of the X-Men. 4) Wolverine Slaughtered The X-Men By now, those of you who haven't read Old Man Logan are no doubt wondering why Wolverine would hide away from the world for all those years. Well, some gruesome flashbacks reveal that a group of villains attacked the X-Mansion on the night they decided to team-up and take out Earth's heroes, with an enraged Logan killing them all. After taking out Bullseye, it's suddenly revealed that the whole thing was an illusion created by Mysterio and the bad guys he slaughtered were in fact his fellow X-Men. Horrified by his actions, a deranged Wolverine runs out into the forest and attempts to kill himself by laying his head across a train track. His Adamantium skeleton obviously protects him, but it's at that moment Logan decides Wolverine is "dead." Whether Fox would have the guts to show Wolverine standing over the X-Men he murdered is hard to say, but it would make for one hell of a visual and a truly powerful moment which effectively sets the stage for the story to unfold as he strives for redemption. 3) President Red Skull The villain responsible for Wolverine being tricked into killing his fellow mutants and the overall plan to end the world's heroes is the Red Skull. The fact that he's a Captain America villain obviously means he won't showing up in this adaptation of Old Man Logan, but someone like Mr. Sinister or even Magneto could end up taking his place if the story was changed in the right way to accommodate them. Regardless, a version of the final battle between these two is something that would be amazing to see on the big screen. Still refusing to pop his claws - even after the death of Hawkeye - Wolverine takes on the Red Skull in his trophy room, which is full of costumes and weapons once held by the word's heroes. The deranged villain - who is now the President of the United States - is dressed in Captain America's costume as he battles Wolverine, and the fight ends when Logan decapitates the Nazi with Steve's old shield. He then makes his escape Iron Man's armour. If only Fox could make some sort of deal with Marvel... 2) The Wolverine Returns Upon returning home with the money needed to pay his rent and keep the Hulk family at bay, Logan is met with a horrifying surprise. As a neighbour explains to him, the gang got "bored" waiting for him to return and pay up, so they decided to just kill his wife and children anyway. For the first time in fifty years, he pops his claws and states, "The name isn't Logan, bub...it's Wolverine." He then sets off to kill each and every one of them, doing so with a mixture of his claws and bombs. While this movie being unable to use the Hulk may seem like a problem, there are really any number of other characters who could take his and this family's place. Sabretooth seems like a decent fit, especially as you can imagine him having a lot of animalistic offspring who would make for good canon fodder for the enraged Wolverine. That moment Logan finally pops his claws in the final act would make the wait worth it and would stand out as a very memorable and powerful scene. 1) The Fall Of The Hulk Old Man Logan concludes with Bruce Banner - who is now totally insane and has the powers of The Hulk even in human form - emerging from his cave to battle Wolverine. When he does transform, it's into almost a giant version of his usual self and he ends up eating Logan, a plan which backfires when the hero bursts out of his stomach and ends him for good. Again, Sabretooth seems like a natural fit to replace the Green Goliath. Second mutations are something which have always factored into the X-Men comics, and who's to say that Sabretooth couldn't have transformed into a hulking beast of some sort as he's let his animal side take over? Regardless, things wrap up with Logan taking the last remaining Hulk (a baby) and setting off for parts unknown, though it's hinted that Bruce Banner Jr. is actually the first member of a team Wolverine has decided to put together. Ending this movie with a similar hint of the X-Men being reborn would be very cool and a nice way to end Jackman's journey...