Trying to make sense of the convoluted X-Men movie timeline is far easier said than done. In some ways, that cinematic universe just doesn’t fit together. But the gist is that there are two distinct timelines in Fox’s X-Men universe. The first consists of everything through 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. The events of DoFP create an alternate timeline that paves the way for 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse, 2019’s Dark Phoenix, and finally, the bleak and depressing endcap that is 2017’s Logan.
So, which timeline is this Wolverine being pulled from? The evidence in the new trailer seems to point to this being a post-Days of Future Past, pre-Logan version of the character. We see him mourning the X-Men in front of a series of massive gravestones, suggesting this flashback scene is after the ailing Professor Xavier accidentally killed his students in a psychic attack. It’s possible Deadpool & Wolverine will do what Logan didn’t and showcase that tragic event rather than simply alluding to it.
Another telltale clue is that Logan is having trouble popping his claws (“Whiskey d*** of the claws,” as Wade sums it up). The version of Wolverine in Logan had similar problems. This Wolverine isn’t quite as haggard and physically broken as he is in Logan, but he’s well on his way. These signs point to the idea that Deadpool recruits Wolverine a few months or years before the events of the Logan movie.
However, another possibility is being floated by some fans. What if this Wolverine is from a third timeline we haven’t seen before? In the original X-Men movie timeline, Logan leaves the team for years after the events of 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, before finally being re-recruited by Xavier and Magneto in the post-credits scene of 2013’s The Wolverine. Wolverine plays an instrumental role in helping the X-Men rewrite history and eliminate the threat of the Sentinels. But what if this Wolverine never agreed to rejoin the X-Men? What if our mutant heroes fail to change the past because of that, leaving a guilt-ridden Wolverine to mourn his fallen comrades?
These latter two options are certainly intriguing possibilities, and both gel with Ryan Reynolds’ previous comments about this Wolverine being “something completely new.” It would also help Deadpool & Wolverine sidestep any concerns about potentially undoing the events of the Logan movie and erasing the character’s noble sacrifice at the end. This incarnation of Wolverine may share similarities with the Logan version, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the same character.
It’s also entirely possible the film will keep things vague. If you want to believe this is Logan’s Wolverine, you can. But if you’d prefer that this is a brand new version of the character, go for it. Either way, the end result is pretty much the same. This is a Wolverine forced to watch as his loved ones die and carry on alone in a world that hates and fears him. He’s a man filled with pain and regret, and that’s where Deadpool and the TVA step in.
