Deadpool 3’s Tragic Wolverine Backstory Can Finally Justify A Controversial X-Men Movie Death 18 Years Later

Plenty of speculation exists about Wolverine’s backstory in Deadpool & Wolverine, and Marvel could tie Wolverine to a controversial death from the Fox X-Men films. While Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine for the upcoming MCU film, he may not be the same Logan that people know from the Fox universe. Since Deadpool and Wolverine will be hopping around the multiverse, Wolverine could be from a different universe, which could explain why he’s wearing yellow spandex that he has never worn before.

One moment from the second trailer has audiences speculating about its meaning. Matthew Macfadyen’s Paradox, an employee of the TVA, explains that this Wolverine let his universe down. Nobody knows fully what that means yet, but it looks like this will be a down-on-his-luck Wolverine who made a crucial mistake that led to many deaths. A popular theory says this mistake could be linked to a controversial moment from the Fox X-Men universe that could justify its existence 18 years later.

Deadpool & Wolverine’s Logan Could Be From An Alternate Version Of X-Men: The Last Stand

X-Men: The Last Stand is regarded as one of the lesser X-Men movies. It includes many poor storylines, such as the development of a cure for mutants and Jean Grey’s Dark Phoenix storyline. Dark Phoenix is one of Jean’s best stories from the comics, and it was incredibly rushed in this movie, along with being a side plot to the mutant cure. The Phoenix narrative culminates in Jean Grey’s death, who is killed by Wolverine before her uncontrollable power causes unknown destruction. It’s a heartbreaking moment for Wolverine, who loved her.

The botched Phoenix storyline from The Last Stand could get some redemption in Deadpool & Wolverine if a popular theory turns out true. It suggests that Wolverine comes from an alternate world where he couldn’t go through with killing Jean Grey, and she killed millions of people and mutants after her Phoenix powers erupted. Since Wolverine can heal after exposure to Jean’s powers, he’s left alone in this universe with the knowledge that he failed. It would be an interesting way to tie Deadpool 3‘s Wolverine to the Fox universe while still using a variant of the character.

Why Jean Grey’s Death In X-Men: The Last Stand Remains Controversial

Jean Grey’s death is still controversial as it was an unsatisfying conclusion to a botched narrative. The Phoenix story should have been its own movie, and it rushed Jean’s internal struggle with her newfound powers and turned her into a villain. Also, killing her off was a lazy way to deal with the problem, as it removed any potential for Jean to try and control the Phoenix herself to show her independence and strength.

Audiences reacted poorly to the Phoenix narrative, and Fox didn’t like it either, as the studio later retconned it. After the events of Days of Future Past, the timeline change stopped The Last Stand from ever happening, preventing Jean, Cyclops, and Professor X from getting killed off. It would be surprising for Deadpool & Wolverine to remind audiences of Jean’s death, but it could be a way to justify a lackluster moment in the Marvel universe.