10 Marvel Movie Scenes That Mean More Than You Think

Maybe the single darkest metaphor in Marvel film history exists in the comparison between old mutants and cowboys in the Logan film.

It’s ironic, really, because it sounds almost cool – after all, the concept of Logan riding into a scene on horseback with a revolver has an odd sort of charm to it. But the actual comparison is much less fun. The film that Charles and Laura watch – a famous western called Shane – is key for the monologue that we see in the film, the crux of which is that the life of a cowboy is painful and tiring. The talk Logan gives Laura are pretty much the exact same, if you change the word cowboy for mutant.

Similarly, the endings of the two films have a lot in common – both containing a hero who sacrifices themselves for the good of a larger community. For all the grief Logan gives Laura, her reciting of this monologue at his grave shows us that at least one person still considers him a superhero.