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10 things to know before watching Wolverine

This weekend, Hugh Jackman‘s back to fighting form in The Wolverine. But before watching his latest adventure, take notes. Here are 10 things you should really know about the film.

1

Source material

The Wolverine is based on one of the most popular comic book arcs in history. It was originally published in 1982 and appeared in the limited Wolverine series from Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. It centers on Logan’s time in Japan and his clashes with the natives.

2

Dark tone

The Wolverine isn’t a lighthearted story. On more than one occasion star Hugh Jackman has teased its morbid tone. The film is rated PG-13 but treads the line of R-rated material. It isn’t the most family friendly.

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3

Not a prequel

Contrary to popular belief, The Wolverine isn’t a prequel. Unlike X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which was set in the ’70s, this film is more current. The story follows Logan after the events of the original X-Men trilogy, which ended in 2006. At this point, he’s already been part of and eventually left the superhero team.

4

The dead will rise

It was revealed that Famke Janssen will reprise her role as Jean Grey in The Wolverine. You might be asking yourself, “How is that possible?” Grey was killed in X-Men: The Last Stand by Logan himself. The actress revealed that she’ll appear as a conscience figure for the hero.

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5

The Silver Samurai

The villain in this film is Kenuichio Harada, aka The Silver Samurai. Like Logan, he has a very unique power. He can charge inanimate objects with mutant energy. His weapon of choice is a katana, which allows him to slice and dice through any object — except adamantium.

6

Viper

Silver Samurai isn’t the only mutant up to no good. Prepare yourself for Viper! She also has it out for Logan. She’s immune to toxins and in the comics is a skilled martial artist, swordswoman and markswoman. Calling Viper dangerous would be an understatement.

7

Powerless mutant

Wolverine is known for his super-healing ability and indestructible skeleton. In this film, that’s taken away. For the first time, he’ll be stripped of his immortality, and death becomes a real possibility.

8

Not so flashy

The Wolverine is a summer action movie, but it’s no Man of Steel. There’s not a lot of destruction or moving parts. In an interview with Collider, director James Mangold said, “We deliver intense action to the fans with Wolverine, but also deliver drama, deliver character work, deliver an actual movie.”

9

Post-credits scene

When the film ends, stay for the credits! We can’t stress this enough. There’s a rumored mid-credits scene that teases Wolverine’s next adventure. And by that, we mean X-Men: Days of Future Past.

10

Days of Future Past

The Wolverine will set the stage for Logan to return to the X-Men in a big way. He’s one of the major players in next year’s Days of Future Past. It’s a sequel to X-Men: First Class, which will include time travel and alternate dimensions. You won’t want to miss it.

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The Wolverine opens in theaters July 26.

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