Why James Mangold Had No Problem Killing Wolverine In 'Logan'

Watching Wolverine die in the movie “Logan” was one of the most heartbreaking on-screen moments for fans. After being one of the most-loved characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Wolverine’s death would have surely been the hardest thing to do for a filmmaker. But it turns out that it was pretty easy for James Mangold to kill Hugh Jackman’s character in the movie.

Speaking in an interview with Comicbook.com, the “Logan” helmer admitted that he did not struggle with the decision to kill Jackman’s character in the film. Mangold further explained that he and the acclaimed star thought that killing the character was the perfect ending.

Mangold also shared that the story needed a sense of “closure.” Hence, killing the character seemed to be “logical” to him and the “Greatest Showman” star.

“It was really Hugh and me at first. It seemed logical, that if it were going to be his last film, that he's either going to ride off onto the horizon or die, that you need to have some kind of curtain on his story. That's a logical assumption, right?” Mangold said.

The “Ford v Ferrari” director also noted that the ending should have done justice to Jackman’s legacy. Mangold wanted to set this performance apart from Jackman’s other performances.

“You either have the 'Shane' ending where he rides off on the mountain to parts unknown, which had largely been the way his character was resolved in every proceeding movie or you'd kill him. You needed some sense of an ending if you were going to end, if you were dealing with the legacy of Hugh's many performances and many films, and trying to set this part in some definitive way,” Mangold said.

Jackman first played Wolverine in Bryan Singer’s “X-Men” (2000). Since then, he has reprised the role of Weapon X in nine more movies. His last movie as Wolverine, “Logan,” came in 2017 and became a gigantic hit.

The movie garnered universal acclaim and earned more than $619 million globally. It was also included in the top 10 films of the year by the National Board of Review (NBR).

The film was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 90th Academy Awards and became the first live-action superhero movie to be nominated for screenwriting.

“Logan” currently holds a score of 93% on review site Rotten Tomatoes.