It’s often said 2016 was the year our heroes died, while 2017 was the year they disappointed us. Meanwhile, on the big and small screen many of our favorite fictional characters were finding themselves confronted by their failures, and that most elusive of foes in comics, mortality. Be warned: there are spoilers follow for all of this year’s major film blockbusters and superhero shows.
Wolverine & Professor X: Before even a frame of Logan has rolled, the X-Men are dead, killed by Charles Xavier’s growing dementia. So it is we find Logan hiding Xavier in Mexico, trying to earn enough money to buy a boat that the professor can live on without endangering the world, despite finally succumbing to his own poisonous adamantium skeleton. With Logan being the somber elegy for the X-Men film series that it is, neither man lives to fulfill their dream, yet they both manage to achieve redemption.
By convincing the apathetic, suicidal Logan to take up his responsibility as Laura’s father and get her across the border, Professor X ensures the survival of the next generation of mutants. Despite that, his helpless death at the hands of X-24, where his admission of guilt is seemingly answered with his murder, still absolutely stings. Logan, however, makes up for being unable to protect his friends by giving his life to protect the child refugees, instead of heading to the “nearest bar” and letting himself be poisoned to death. With this moving, final display of heroism, Logan also earns some forgiveness for the X-Men film series, which has squandered its potential multiple times, before the inevitable Marvel Studios reboot.
Yondu Udonta: To be honest, I wasn’t that keen on Yondu Udonta in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, as hysterical as his “obelele-bole-bole” routine was. It was with trepidation about his expanded role that I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, given Marvel’s tendency to focus on the wrong characters (*cough*Darcy*cough*). Never have I been so wrong: James Gunn wrote an amazing part for his longtime friend Michael Rooker, who imbued the aging alien archer with pathos and humility.
Gunn hit upon something I hadn’t recognized, namely that Yondu raised Star-Lord and is his father, which would’ve remained true even if Ego the Living Planet hadn’t turned out to be an eldritch nightmare. In effect, he was the true start of the Guardians, who are the ultimate make-shift family. It was startling and heartbreaking when Yondu performed the ultimate act of fatherly love, which caused much reflection on the degree we take for granted our parents and idolize others. Yes, Yondu is cool, and Emily Blunt has much to live up to as Mary Poppins.
Steve Trevor: Steve Trevor is already dead at the start of Wonder Woman, given the film is primarily a flashback to 1918, but it was still shocking how he bit the bullet, giving his life to ensure the success of Diana’s mission, instead of passing away peacefully in a flashforward to 1958 or something. His death solidifies Diana’s compassion and heroism, as she spurns Ares’s offer to avenge her first love, because his sacrifice reminds her that if a man as good as Trevor was still complicit in the horrors of war, then perhaps there’s some measure of hope for the worst of humanity too. The shot of Trevor breathing his last, which director Patty Jenkins lingers on for as long as possible, will haunt my memories for a long time.
Caesar: It’s strange to think we first met the chimpanzee protagonist of the Planet of the Apes prequels only six years ago. In that time we witnessed Caesar’s traumatic birth, how he learned to speak, walk upright and lead his people to freedom, survive a coup and two assassination attempts, become a widower, and finally die. Despite his merciful nature, Caesar was never perfect, and in War for the Planet of the Apes, pays the price for his quest to avenge his wife and son with his life. Like Moses, Caesar leads his people to the Promised Land, but is unable to partake in it, dying in a scene straight out of a Renaissance painting. It’s been an honor watching Andy Serkis and Weta Digital portray Caesar’s life story.
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Odin: Despite his limited screentime, Thor: Ragnarok retroactively imbues Odin with more depth by revealing before Thor and Loki, he was the father of Hela, and that the two conquered the Nine Realms together, hence her sobriquet Goddess of Death. But whereas he decided to maintain his empire, her bloodlust could not be sated, and it took the near-extinction of the Valkyries to stop and imprison her. Odin learned a terrible lesson, instructing his sons from then on that a wise king never seeks out war, but in erasing Hela’s memory, he failed to give Thor and Loki to give the example they needed to remember. (Failure is life’s great teacher, as we’ll get to in a moment.) Still, as long as it took Odin, Thor and Loki became the heroes Asgard and the Nine Realms needed, and in doing so, became children the old king could take pride in.
The Warriors Three: Did I mention Marvel movies have a habit of focusing on the wrong characters? I’m not mad that Thor: Ragnarok killed off Fandral the Dashing, Hogun the Grim, and Volstagg the Voluminous, rather that they were so written out so early in Thor: The Dark World to focus on less interesting human characters, or that Marvel didn’t consider giving them a short film. Their deaths at the hands of Hela provided the gravitas the villain needed, and delivered an appropriate gut punch for the audience. (Hogun’s last stand also made up somewhat for his utterly thankless screentime in The Dark World.) Still, it would’ve helped to set up that Volstagg had taken control of the Bifrost, or have Heimdall acknowledge their sacrifice. Rest in peace Warriors Three, we hardly knew ye.
Martin Stein: Professor Martin Stein (aka one half of Firestorm)’s departure on Legends of Tomorrow season three reminds us that it’s not how much time you have in this world that matters, but what you do with it. In his truncated time on this season, Stein became a grandfather, performed at a circus, and donned the Firestorm outfit. Victor Garber also got to put on a mustache and play Stein’s evil British ancestor, as well as Jax in Stein’s body, and say the words “nasty in the past-y.” It’s been an absolute pleasure watching Garber have the time of his life on this show; may we all grow as old gracefully.
Luke Skywalker: After watching The Last Jedi, it was hard not to wonder if Luke had died in Ben Solo’s hut and that Ahch-To was Jedi purgatory. Luke’s inevitable transformation into Episode IX’s resident Force ghost was paved with much pain and regret, backed up with an all-time best performance from Mark Hamill, who must’ve channeled his initial discomfort with how Luke was written into a powerful portrayal of guilt.
Rian Johnson wrote a beautiful part, reminding us Luke was still a human susceptible to fear and doubt, as opposed to the superman from Return of the Jedi. As he insists that he’d rather die than fight the First Order, you can still hear the melodramatic kid from Tatooine that Yoda had to come out of retirement for and force into getting over himself.
It’s hard not to look at Luke as his creator and namesake George Lucas, who faltered recreating the past. As Luke reunites with his sister, pleads for her forgiveness over his past failures, before boldly striding out to save the next generation, he also embodies a staid franchise rejuvenated by new creative minds. For a film that was about letting the past die, it also breathed new life into Luke, giving him a biting, bitter sense of humor (that tickling scene was unforgettable), and now I can’t wait to see Luke provide a running commentary over Episode IX. See you around old man.
Leia Organa: It would be remiss of me to not bring up Leia, who in contrast to her twin, does not die in The Last Jedi, but due to Carrie Fisher’s tragic death last year, will be absent from Episode IX. Leia’s last words on screen echo her Rogue One counterpart, as she reminds the audience to not lose hope, even in the face of great loss and overwhelming darkness. No matter what anyone says, it was awesome to see Leia use the Force, and she will be greatly missed.
The Twelfth Doctor: Doctors tend to only do three series, which is understandable, yet because of the sheer amount of time and money that goes into producing Doctor Who, we’re always left wanting more. The Twelfth Doctor was a cantankerous and aloof man who resented his predecessor’s younger body, and that he had fallen in love with Clara Oswald; with her gone, he became quirkier and kinder, so it is a shame that Capaldi only had a single series where his Doctor was free of that toxic relationship. Perhaps Capaldi’s Doctor was too damaged a reminder of Steven Moffat’s time as showrunner to be truly welcome in Chris Chibnall’s bold new era, something he acknowledged at the end of Series 10 when expressing hope that the future would be female. And thankfully, in the Whoniverse at least, it finally is.
