Beforethe MCUturned superheroes into Hollywood’s bread and butter, Fox noticed they were sitting on a goldmine whenBryan Singer’s X-Men film franchise broke every box office expectation. After the originalX-Men film trilogy was done, Fox started to plan how to expand the franchise, which led to theX-Men Origins: Wolverinespin-off. Centered onHugh Jackman’s beloved Mutant,X-Men Origins: Wolverinefailed to impress critics but hauled enough money to justify giving the character more solo movies. 2013’sThe Wolverinestill had some obvious flaws, but the movie was elevated byJames Mangold’s formidable direction.
Finally, when Mangold took the helm of the story for 2017’sLogan, we finally saw Jackman realize his full potential as the titular Mutant. However, as good asLoganis, the movie wouldn’t have such a lasting effect on the public if it weren’t for Laura, aka X-23 (Dafne Keen), a beloved character who almost got her own solo movie. With Jackman reprising his Wolverine role for the first time sinceLoganin the MCU’sDeadpool 3,officially titledDeadpool & Wolverine,there is renewed interest in Keen’s X-23, and the spin-off we never got.
In a future where mutants are nearly extinct, an elderly and weary Logan leads a quiet life. But when Laura, a mutant child pursued by scientists, comes to him for help, he must get her to safety.
‘Logan’Turned X-23 Into a Fan-Favorite Character
Set in 2029,Loganimagines a world where Mutants are no longer born. In the movie, the Wolverine’s healing factor is failing due to his old age, which leads to a severe case of intoxication caused by the adamantium in his bones. To make things worse, Logan is in charge of taking care of Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), whose dementia turns his psychic powers into a deadly weapon. The world ofLoganis grim and filled with dark promises for Mutantkind — which is what makes X-23 such a welcome sight.
InLogan, Laura is an 11-year-old Mutant genetically engineered from Wolverine’s DNA. Since Mutants are no longer born, they are instead bred as weapons to be used by people who can afford this expensive process.As Wolverine’s biological daughter, Laura has her father’s healing factor and retractable claws. She was also forced to undergo the painful and soul-tearing process offusing her skeleton with adamantium. Laura also seems to have inherited Logan’s temper, as she’s quick to anger and swift to extreme violence. X-23 is so dangerous that she is marked for disposal by her owners, andLogan’s adventure begins when Wolverine inadvertently helps the young Mutant escape.
Why We Never Got Matthew Vaughn’s Other X-Men Movies
Why didn’t Matthew Vaughn’s follow-ups mutate into finished movies?
For the course of two heavily-emotional hours,Loganinvites fans to question what makes a family and how far we are willing to go to save those we love. In the movie, Wolverine grows attached to the girl and tries to teach her how to be a better person.It’s a touching story of found family and legacy that also serves as a farewell to Wolverine. And by the time the credits roll, Wolverine has sacrificed his life to save Laura’s soul. With his dying breath, Logan asks his daughter not to become a monster like him. In turn, Laura recognizes Wolverine as her father and vows to be a better person. It’s the perfect story about passing the baton to a new generation, which of course got fans excited about Keen returning to the Mutant universe in her own solo movie. Unfortunately,the Disney-Fox mergerprematurely killed the project.
Disney and Fox’s Merger Killed the ‘Logan’ Spinoff
AfterLoganshowed that an R-rated superhero movie could be more critically and financially successful than PG-13 ones, Mangold was given the keys to the kingdom and asked to expand on his beloved story. In October 2017, just a few months afterLoganhit theaters, we learned that the director wasworking on a direct sequel focused on X-23. That seemed the best direction to take theX-Menfranchise. Unfortunately,one month after Mangold signed on for the X-23 solo movie, Disney announced the deal through which it would absorb most of Fox’s assets, including the company’s Marvel characters. Through this deal, Disney would ensure the X-Men and the Fantastic Four would return to Marvel Studios, where they could be used to keep the Marvel Cinematic Universe growing.
The Disney-Fox merger process concluded in 2019. However, in the two years that passed while the deal was being handled,Fox froze multipleX-Menprojects, including the X-23 solo movie. The official cancelation of the project happened in 2019 whenMangold confirmedhe was no longer working on the movie. It’s a sad outcome for such an interesting project, but there’s still time for Marvel Studios to do justice to the character.
X-23 Would Be a Welcome Addition to the MCU
Avengers: Endgameput an end to Marvel Studios’ ambitious “Infinity Saga” and opened the MCU to a new era, officially titled the “Multiverse Saga.” In the “Multiverse Saga,” the barriers between dimensions are falling, which allows characters from different timelines to jump aboard theMCU as seen withThe Marvels’soft introduction of the X-Men. And as is expected withRyan Reynolds’ Jackman’s upcomingDeadpool & Wolverinemovie. The two characters, who previously belonged to Fox, will co-star inDeadpool 3. This exciting project means the first twoDeadpoolmovies will become part of the MCU’s official timeline, similar to howSpider-Man: No Way Homemade the Webslinger movies starringTobey MaguireandAndrew Garfieldcanon. Most importantly, though, is thatJackman’s Wolverine, or at least a version of him, will also become an official part of the MCU.
If Wolverine is crossing the lines of separate franchises and being re-used by Marvel Studios,there’s nothing preventing the MCU from also inviting Keen to reprise X-23. In fact, that would be the best scenario for the future of the MCU. Even though Jackman has agreed to wear his adamantium claws once again forDeadpool 3, it’s unlikely that the star will remain in the MCU for many years to come. So,the most obvious solution is to invest in the spiritual successor of the character, which would be X-23. That would also align with Phase 4 of the MCU, whichintroduced multiple new heroesto replace the cast members who are retiring and the characters that are killed on screen.
Multiverse shenanigans aside, Keen deserves another shot at playing X-23 for her star power alone. Keen had her breakout role withLogan, and even at 11 years old, she proved that she was a force to be reckoned with, capable of crushing our hearts with her poignant performance. Hopefully,Deadpool & Wolverinewill find some clever wayto address the timeline problem and maybe give Keen the opportunity to become X-23 again.
