How exactly Logan fits into the confusing continuity of the X-Men Universe is something fans have been trying to figure out ever since the movie was released earlier this month, and now, we have a new revelation from director James Mangold about a deleted scene which is both fascinating and headache-inducing.
During a recent interview about Logan‘s eventual Blu-ray release, the filmmaker touched on the moments which failed to make the final cut, and among them is a scene about Wolverine’s former flame, Jean Grey. In X-Men: The Last Stand, the clawed mutant killed her to save the world from her out of control powers, but once X-Men: Days of Future Past fixed the timeline, she was shown to be back among the living alongside Cyclops.
According to Mangold, there was a conversation during Logan‘s dinner scene (which he cut) that muddies the waters of where exactly the movie fits into the X-Men Universe, but does shed some light on the Jean Grey situation.
“I sketched out different conversations for that scene and one of them went to a much darker place,” said Mangold. “Mrs. Munson asks Logan if he’s married, and Charles says he was, but he killed her. Of course, he wasn’t really married. But what that then spawns is Charles waxing poetic about Jean Grey. The problem was, it created an incredibly powerful lead brick in the middle of the only moment in the movie where there was a breather. Even I, with my taste for the dark, felt that it was one too many. I think [the deleted scene] will make it to the Blu-ray.”
So, were those the ramblings of a confused old man, or does Logan somehow take place in the X-Men: The Last Stand continuity? Was Wolverine forced to kill the X-Men when Charles lost control of his powers? Thanks to the long list of unanswered questions this movie delivers, we may never know.
Jean’s death was a big part of The Wolverine and Mangold has made it clear that he went into this movie unconcerned about continuity, so it’s probably best just to not give this too much thought. Whatever the answer may be, it’s fair to say that this is one Logan deleted scene we’ll be waiting impatiently for.