What ‘Logan’ Has To Say About Persecution, Profiling, And Prejudice In The Age Of Trump
As Always, The X-Men Are Allegorical And Right On Time
Early on in Logan, there’s a group of white guys partying their asses off in the back of this stretch limo as Wolverine drives them around town in his incredibly monotonous job as an Uber or Lyft driver. They’re screaming “U.S.A.” at the top of their lungs, seemingly for no reason. But then the camera goes into a wide shot and we see them all giving the middle finger salute to a group of people. The camera pulls out again and it’s clear the limo is driving across the border from Mexico to the U.S. and the people they’re being ever so kind to are those attempting to get in our country but don’t have it as easy as they do. While Logan is about a guy at the end of his rope looking for any reason to keep going, it also examines the end results of persecution, prejudice, and privilege in a very profound way.
It’s not a spoiler to say in the timeline of Logan, Wolverine and Professor X believe there are no more mutants left. A line of dialogue informs us the last mutant was born 25 years ago and later on we find out what caused this and who’s behind it. Without turning into Comic Book Guy and getting into all the nerdy particulars, it goes all the way back to a central plot point from X2 and The Last Stand: Eradication. Human beings are so afraid of what’s different, so afraid of the “other,” we put our trust in men and institutions to study the “mutant problem” with the expressed purpose of getting rid of it. We claimed rounding them up, poking, and prodding was to help us understand them better as part of the whole dog and pony show. But the problem with dog and pony shows is they’re just that; shows. Hamilton doesn’t star actual historical figures; the cast isn’t made up of zombies or ghosts. It’s just a show.
Logan tells us unchecked, irrational fears can have very real consequences. For mutants, that fear led to genocide, and the reason a corporation and a government was able to wipe them out is because they found ways to fan the flames of intolerance and hatred to carryout an agenda steeped in bigotry but all under the guise of “understanding.” That’s one hell of a show.
Of course, as with any form of tyrannical behavior, human beings find a way to weaponize this thing or person they’ve demonized, this time in the form of children. The children aren’t natural born mutants but rather genetically altered with DNA of past mutants. It’s one thing that the children are tortured by white men with guns, but it takes on a different meaning when most of the children are minorities, specifically Spanish speaking ones. The mutant allegory has always worked best when the characters can’t hide their mutation, like Beast or Nightcrawler, but Logan says you don’t need to be a mutant to be a threat; just be different in any way and people will come after you.
In 2017 where many people feel threatened due to things completely out of their control, feel ostracized because of their religious choices, and leaders are using those differences to pit us against each other, there’s something incredibly jarring in seeing these things play out on the screen. It adds to the pain and loss our main characters feel and may open up wounds of our own.
It’s telling the one bit of respite for our main characters comes when they meet a black family. They get a home cooked meal, a place to lay their heads, and some actual human interaction for the first time in God knows how long. That good time is broken up by who? If you guessed “more white men with guns” you win a prize. These particular types believe this family is infringing on land that isn’t theirs (it is) and are doing any and everything to get them to sell it or just vacate. The outcome of the drama isn’t as important as the visual itself: A truck full of white men with guns surrounding a black man and a mutant doing their best to intimidate, antagonize, and disrupt. They believe the land is theirs simply because and they’re shocked at the audacity this guy has by not caving to them.
Logan not only asks you to understand the plight of mutants, but the plight of all minorities in a world where they’ve been pushed to the fringes. In fact, the only people seemingly attempting to do any good in the movie — minus Wolverine and Professor X obviously — are minorities.
In what may be the most on the nose metaphor in the entire franchise, guys with guns are seen chasing the mutant kids before they can reach the border, rounding them up using handcuffs, hogties, and even lethal force. It’s something we could see on the news today and be horrified by, but the film remembers these kids are powerful. Them being “different” isn’t a crutch, but an enhancement. They use their powers to fight back in the best way possible and hold nothing back. You get the feeling this is their “we’re not going to take it anymore” moment, unleashing years of aggression and not apologizing for any of it.
These kids pose no threat to the world — even if several characters tell you they do — they just want to be a part of it and contribute to make it better. Just like the black family who extended a helping hand and just like mutants throughout the entirety of the X-Men franchise. And that’s a whole hell of a lot more American than yelling “U.S.A.” out the back of a sunroof, brandishing privilege like a loaded gun.
Logan is a great movie. All of the hyperbole you’ve heard about it is true. Part of its greatness is taking a firm stand by saying there is no “problem” with minorities but there is a problem with those who’d have you believe that there is.
Marcus Benjamin is a danger to the public, an alum of American University, St. John’s University, and has an intense relationship with words. Witness his tomfoolery on Twitter, @AbstractPo3tic.
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