The last time Wolverine graced the big screen, it was during a scene set in the 1980s in X-Men: Apocalypse. The time before that was in the 2023-set X-Men: Days of Future Past. In both films, Wolverine looks identical, as he always has throughout the X-Men films starting with 2000's X-Men. That's what happens when you're a mutant with self-healing powers who doesn't age. In Logan, though, the newest, and perhaps last, big screen outing for Wolverine, our favorite mutant seems a bit worse for wear. That's right, in Logan Wolverine is actually aging and bleeding. Based on his salt-and-pepper hair and his worn face, it looks like Wolverine has aged decades, and when Logan is set adds some context to his changes.
After a dip back into the past in Apocalypse, the X-Men franchise is finally going back to the future with Logan, picking up even later than the end of X-Men: Days of Future Past. Logan takes place in 2029, just six years after the events of Days of Future Past. Fans will remember that Days of Future Past re-set the X-Men timeline, allowing for a new storyline to take place in the prequels as well as future X-Men films. Alas, while the end of Days of Future Past showed Wolverine in a happy present, Logan finds Wolverine living in yet another dystopian future. So the question is, what happened between 2023 and 2029 to make the world so dark?
When Logan picks up in 2029, most mutants have disappeared, and Wolverine himself is ailing, as is the beloved Professor X. As for what might have happened in the six years between films to wipe out mutant kind and, apparently, the X-men is unclear. But, based on the trailers, it's nothing good. If you were hoping the timeline would provide clues as to what happened to the mutants, then you might be out of luck. According to director James Mangold, the choice to set the film in 2029 had less to do with Easter Eggs and more to do with creative freedom. "My goal was real simple: Pick a time when I had enough elbow room that I was clear of existing entanglements," Mangold said, via Inverse. I guess 2029 is as good a year as any.
Don't read too much into Logan being set in 2029, but get excited. All this new timeline means is that Logan will be an X-Men film like no other.
