1. A Love Triangle That Actually Changes Things (Even If Its Just For This Story)
Yes, Wolverine was already in a love triangle with Cyclops and Jean Grey, but it was Jean who was the object of affection in that, and she got to choose. The mini-series turns that dynamic on its head by letting Logan be the decider. His love for Mariko and his attraction to Yukio isnt the stuff of bed-hopping soap operas either, but a clever metaphor for his internal (yes there it is again) struggle. Yukio accepts him for who he is, savagery included, while Mariko makes him want to be a better man. It sounds a little cheesy, but its a perfect illustration of who he is at that point. Its also the engine that readers slowly come to realize in a pleasant surprise - is really driving the story. This aspect of the mini-series might be the most difficult for the filmmakers to pull off because, in the movie universe, no ones ever heard of Mariko before, but then again before Wolverine #1 hit the shelves, comic book readers had never heard of Yukio before either. Certainly The Wolverine could introduce us to both Mariko and Yukio, develop Logans attractions to both within the film itself, and save the choice-making for the final act. The biggest hurdle would be making sure the audience could understand why Logan is so attracted to Mariko. In the comic she represents the honor and integrity side of Logan and the film would have to capture that in a natural organic way. Unfortunately, one of the trailers features Jean Grey prominently (in yet another unnecessary attempt to connect this film to the X-Men films, as if Wolverine himself is not enough), and if this film still has him pining over Jean I think a lot of viewers myself included are going to come away with a feeling of been there, done that, and, if the now-classic status of the 1982 mini-series is any indication, thats not the feeling that creates a future classic. . Hopefully the filmmakers remembered (cause its too late to change anything now) if theres anything any action film particularly a sequel to a lackluster spin-off must do to achieve real success is to either genuinely surprise us or, failing that, make us feel like were seeing familiar characters doing something we havent seen before, or better yet, behaving
and thinking in ways we havent seen before. If nothing else, the mini-series proved that you could give Wolverine a character arc and it would work. Watching a hero change and grow is the real reason we read comic books and go to the movies in the first place.
