First Logan trailer sets the scene for Wolverine's swan song

20th Century Fox released the sombre first trailer for ‘Logan’, and it’s a doozy.

Watch it above.

Featuring Hugh Jackman as an aged Wolverine and Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier, ‘Logan’ is set to be the third and final solo outing for Wolverine, so it’s fitting that the first trailer has been scored with Johnny Cash’s cover of ‘Hurt’, one of the iconic musician’s last hits.

One of the first official descriptions of the film came from producer Simon Kinberg who told Collider: “It takes place in the future, and as you and others have reported, it is an R-rated movie. It’s violent, it’s kind of like a western in its tone. It’s just a very cool, different film” and this first trailer seems to back up every aspect of that account.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s going down in the impressive first teaser.

‘Logan’ is set in the apocalyptic future. As Logan explains in a voiceover, “the world is not the same as it was. Mutants… they’re gone now” and here we see the razor-clawed hero at a funeral, presumably for one of the former X-Men. It’s not yet clear which one.

Wolverine is also not the same as he once was either. In a page from the script shared by director James Mangold recently, we learned “he’s older now and it’s clear his abilities aren’t what they once were. He’s fading on the inside and his diminished healing factor keeps him in a constant state of chronic pain – hence booze as a painkiller.” The scars that criss-cross his back are a roadmap for his pain.

Someone else who’s seen better days too is Charles Xavier. Sir Patrick Stewart is back as Professor X who’s clearly nearing the end of his life. Xavier calls out to Logan for help, and his former X-Men teammate is more than happy to oblige.

This is newcomer Dafne Keen who’s rumoured to be playing X-23, a female clone of Wolverine. “She’s like you,” explains Xavier, “very much like you. She needs our help.” She seems to play a pivotal part in the plot, and it looks like she’s the reason that Logan comes out of hiding to help Charles.

And here’s why she needs help. ‘Narcos’ star Boyd Holbrook plays Donald Pierce, the head of security for a global firm, who seems to have taken an interest in the young girl. He commands a team of soldiers known as the Reavers who – in the comics – are criminal cyborgs.

This masked fellow is Caliban, as played by UK comic Stephen Merchant. He’s an albino mutant and it’s believed that he’s on the side of Wolverine, Xavier, and the young girl, but how he fits into the plot is anyone’s guess.

Here we see Logan helping Xavier escape and we’re guessing it’s a raid by the Reavers that prompts their flight.

Here’s the mean looking Reavers. Pierce’s metal arm is the only sign that they might be cyborgs, so that may not play a part in the plot of the movie.

Here we see the young girl – X23? – in chains. The Reavers seem to have caught their prey, but what are they planning to do with her?

It looks like the Reavers have captured Merchant’s Caliban here, so maybe he tips them off to the location of the young girl.

Any suspicions that ‘Logan’ wouldn’t be R-rated, like Fox had promised, are laid to rest in this one violent moment. Wolverine kills someone with a snikt to the chin. You didn’t see that in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’.

Looks like Logan has been busy killing folks here, but who and why, we don’t know.

‘Logan’ is coming to cinemas in 2017.