This being my first ACTUAL article in a long time, we are going to rewind a little. On the first weekend of March, we were graced with the piece de resistance of Hugh Jackman's 17 year career of playing Wolverine: Logan.
Logan is without a doubt a cinematic achievement for the entire genre. The film's grit and tone match the character perfectly and the film itself is a fitting end for the longest live action super run as a super hero character. Hugh Jackman, and Sir Patrick Stewart are again at top form as their respective roles. However, the breakout performance of child actress: Dafne Keen as X 23 was probably one of the most impressive. After seventeen years of films, there was no reason to doubt the veterans' ability to perform, but this child star came out of left field and was easily one of the strongest parts of the film. People have been so impressed in fact that her name has been put forward by many fans as the future of the X legacy as Wolverine. However, is that really the best option?
I would first off like to say that in case I weren't clear enough, I loved Logan and I thought Dafne Keen was incredible. That being said, I don't feel the future of the X franchise lies or should lie on her character's shoulders. Dafne Keen plays Laura Kinney, better known to fans of the comics as X 23. X 23 is an amazing character that, similar to DC's Harley Quinn, was first introduced in an animated series: X-Men: Evolution (2000). The origin you see in the film is not far off from her original, however, there are some pretty big differences. Like in the film, Laura is the result of a corporation attempting to replicate Wolverine. However, she is not his literal daughter as she is in the film, but instead a clone. Laura was trained from young to be a weapon, an instrument of assassination, but, she was occasionally allowed to see the outside world and "play" with other kids. Sadly, she had issues connecting with other children and her anger subjected her to frequent outbursts of violence that would result in her being dragged off. This disconnect directly resulted in envy and so she broke out of the facility she was held in, but not before discovering she inherited this anger and was created from the DNA of Logan to be the perfect weapon. Laura hunted down her "father" and tried to take revenge on him for all that she had been robbed of, all she was forced to do. As one can imagine this story raked in a lot of attention and eventually she transcended the show. X 23 has become a staple character of the Marvel comic universe, and even took up the mantle of Wolverine after Logan perished in the Death of Wolverine arc in 2014.
I know what you guys must be thinking right now, "well with X 23 being such a HUGE character, why even question her being the legacy and future of this franchise," and that answer is a bit complicated because as much as I loved Dafne Keen I feel adding to that story the way it is written is the wrong way to go. The tragedy of X 23 is that of a girl robbed of her childhood to serve as a government weapon. While that is still the case the biggest issue of continuing that story line is that it completely cheapens the end of Logan. Logan died giving Laura Kinney, and the other mutant children escaping to safe haven, a chance to not only live, but to enjoy a childhood. I feel that last part is most essential. As much as seeing Dafne Keen kick ass in another film appeals to me, I feel that ultimately making another arc for X 23 as a sequel to Logan would cheapen the excellent finale to the career of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.
It's certainly been a hot minute since I have posted much of anything on Comic Relief! and it's a grand return indeed. I have a lot of stuff I will be posting here in the next few days or so! It's good to be back and I hope everyone will enjoy the new articles I will be posting! See you next time on Comic Relief!
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