X-24 Gave 'Logan' the Symbolic Ending Needed for Hugh Jackman's Farewell

(WARNING: This article contains major spoilers from Logan. Proceed with caution!)

No one ever would have thought that an R-rated superhero film, shown only in 2D, would be as successful as #Logan is proving to be. Yet this film is defying every expectation, from smashing it at the box office to featuring a female character who stands against every stereotype. Fans can't get enough, and it's easy to see why. As #HughJackman's final outing as #Wolverine, this film is incredibly emotional. And the ending, while heartbreaking, was the perfect goodbye if not to the character itself, then definitely to Jackman.

About halfway through the film, we're introduced to the character X-24. He is created after Dr. Rice realizes that you cannot nurture rage, which is why the children are not willing to kill, to be the weapons they intended. X-24 is created with no soul, no joy, only anger — and he just happens to be a clone of Wolverine.

This is no coincidence. His power and ability to heal himself makes him the perfect choice, but the symbolism behind it is far more powerful than anything else. Logan has always wrestled with himself, with just how great an evil he is capable of. X-24 represents this evil — and in many ways each #XMen film has led up to Logan finally coming face to face to himself — in the most literal way.

Logan has always been his own worst enemy.

Logan has always been one of the more violent X-Men characters, and with his "bad boy" edge, he often feels like the outcast. However, what makes Wolverine so interesting is that he has never intentionally been the villain, unlike someone like Magneto, who thirsts for mutant domination. Logan is not power-hungry or greedy. He does not lust for blood or seek out to kill. His evil is primal, animalistic in so many ways, but above all else, it is instinctual.

"He is forced to look at the most evil version of himself."

This has always haunted Logan because it's something that is often out of his control. In the first X-Men film, Rogue hears him tossing and turning in his sleep and tries to calmly wake him. When he does awaken, he is automatically in what can only be described as a defensive state. His claws come out and he stabs Rogue through the chest without thinking, without even realizing it's her.

In Logan, he admits to Laura that his greatest nightmare is that he hurts other people. So when he sees X-24, although he knows it's not really him, all he can see are the worst parts of himself. He is forced to look at the most evil version of himself. He sees what he easily could have become, and it brings up his worst memories.

Logan has never forgiven himself.

Logan is a character oddly easy to relate to. It's commonly said that we're our own worst enemies, or that we are hardest on ourselves, and Logan is a classic example of this. In this film, while Charles, Laura and he are staying with the Munson family, Charles tries to convince him that it isn't too late.

"This is what life looks like." — Professor Charles Xavier, 'Logan'

By this, he means a group of people who love and support each other, a true home. It's a vulnerable, intimate moment, made all the more so by the sadness in both Charles and Logan. Charles wants this life for Logan, but he knows that Logan will try and avoid it, because he doesn't think he deserves it.

Logan can't help but look to the past. He looks at everyone he's cared about and all he sees is death and destruction. After the Westchester incident, nearly all fellow mutants and X-Men are gone. And while thanks to Days of Future Past, Logan never actually killed Jean, he would still remember it. Knowing Logan, the guilt would still be there, at least fractionally. But the final push takes place in this film when Logan returns to the Munson house and hears the gunshot.

Logan runs into the house and sees the family all killed, with X-24 walking down the stairs carrying Laura. When he runs up and finds Charles stabbed through the chest, he nearly breaks down. "It wasn't me, it wasn't me," he whispers to Charles. It's heartbreaking because there's so much guilt in Logan's voice, and there's the question that hangs in the air: Did Charles think, even if only for a second, that it was Logan who killed him? Many of us would say no. However, a part of Logan almost definitely believes that he did. He carries so much guilt with him, and X-24 is the embodiment of that guilt. This is why X-24, in the end, was the only one who could really kill Logan.

A Sense of Justice

When watching the trailers for this film, it was easy to assume that Donald Pierce would be the main villain, but the actuality was so much more satisfying. While comic fans may have seen it coming, many in theaters were shocked when they saw X-24. With this character's introduction came a sense of relief. It was like a light went on, and everything made sense. This is, after all, Hugh Jackman's final performance as Wolverine, and likely the last we'll see of the character for at least a few years. Whatever the ending and main villainous force was, it had to be something bigger than we've seen before. X-24 is exactly that.

Logan's death scene was a balancing act, a scene that would make or break the film. If anyone else had killed him, it would have felt unfair and wrong, but with X-24 the symmetry just felt right. The two balanced each other out. Every inch of hatred we had for X-24, we had just as much love for Logan. This film does not try to create a villain bigger than any we've ever seen before. Instead, they build it around Wolverine himself, a quiet but far more powerful choice.

In a way, X-24 brings Logan and Laura closer. It frees him, not only from the pain but from the guilt. Seeing X-24 die lets Logan finally release everything he has held himself responsible for. Grasping Laura's hand, there's peace in him that we never saw before.

"So, this is what it feels like."

These are Logan's words with his last breath, finally understanding and allowing himself to have a home — and a family.

The film's ending is heartbreaking but it felt right all the same. After all that Logan has lived through, it felt just that he should finally be allowed peace. And while we would have loved for him to live a long and happy life with Laura, we know it isn't in their nature. Truthfully, the only way to give Logan peace is to kill him, and by having his own clone as Logan's villain, this lifts his conscience in a way no one else could have.

This film was bold, taking a risk that no superhero film has taken, that many outside of the genre have not even taken. But there's no question that it paid off, giving both the character and the audience the ending that was deserved. The cast and crew outdid themselves with Logan, and while we would all love to see Jackman continue to portray the character, it feels right that this is goodbye. At least, for now.