4 - The Superhero Blockbuster as Fan Management

Summary

James Mangold's Logan (2017), the tenth entry in Fox's X-Men series and the final installment of a trilogy about the mutant Wolverine, is a film about exhaustion –of bodies, lives, and the ability to tell an innovative story about a superhero who can overcome virtually every obstacle. Set in a dystopian near future in which most mutants have been killed by a genetically engineered plague, Mangold's film has Wolverine (also known as Logan, played by Hugh Jackman) caring for a senile and frail Professor X (Patrick Stewart). To make ends meet, the protagonist has picked up work as a limousine driver, ferrying unpleasant strangers along and across the Texas/Mexico border. This joyless occupation is made more burdensome by the fact that he is slowly dying from Adamantium poisoning, since his self-healing powers have lost their former potency. As result, the 197-year- old Logan is now a mere shadow of himself, constantly tired and self-medicating with cheap alcohol. Underscoring this depiction of the superhero as a burn-out, Mangold's film repeatedly shows its protagonist getting hurt, struggling to regain his posture despite injury, falling asleep, or drifting in and out of consciousness. The camera repeatedly lingers on close-ups of his face, its deep wrinkles, graying beard, and prominent battle scars. The theme of exhaustion resonates with the struggle against the conventions of superhero blockbuster cinema that more generally informs Mangold's film. Where other superhero movies tell family-friendly stories about hyper-competent protagonists, including action scenes that are violent but rarely graphic and culminate in spectacular displays of world-saving heroism, Logan features a liberal use of profane language, numerous displays of graphic violence, and a showdown that is decidedly small-scale. The film also takes aim at the conceit of the super-powered hero itself. One hour into the film, the protagonist discovers two issues of the X-Men comic book owned by mutant girl Laura (Dafne Keen) and breaks out into an annoyed rant: “You do know they’re all bullshit, right? … In the real world, people die and no self-promoting asshole in a fucking leotard can stop it!” (Logan 0:56:21–57: 03; see Figure 4.1). In a final divergence from generic conventions, the film ends with the hero succumbing to his injuries, dying, and being buried somewhere in the Canadian wilderness.