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Analysis,

We analyse James Mangold's The Wolverine Vine teaser teaser trailer and outline key characters and possible links to The Avengers & what we can expect from The Wolverine

The Wolverine trailer is expected to be unleashed at 1pm today so I thought I would put some thoughts to paper on the bits we have seen so far, that I am sure could be extrapolated into understanding the the full trailer and what can be expected from The Wolverine.
James Mangold released teaser trailer onto Vine a couple of days ago it may only be 6 seconds long but it offers a wealth of information about The Wolverine. All our Wolverine updates can be found here: http://www.theestablishingshot.com/2013/03/on-our-radar-wolverine-all-updates.html including the new The Wolverine Trailer.

The Wolverine International Poster (Click to enlarge)

Before that here is some context to frame The Wolverine that like me you may have missed or werent interested enough to follow. Last October Wolverine Director James Mangold and star Hugh Jackman spoke with Marvel's Agent_M (Ryan Penagos) and let us know the following key points

OVERALL THOUGHTS ON THE WOLVERINE
Hugh Jackman - The Wolverine felt different and fresh from development through to shooting and he knows the fans are going to be surprised and dig it.

I'm guessing that Hugh Jackman is talking about his fans,the afternoon matinee screen idol fans rather than fans of the comic character The Wolverine as he pretty much said the same thing for X-Men Origins: Wolverine as he toured the world promoting the hell out of the worst comic book adaptation in years. In all honesty the team have got a lot of work to do to turnaround the damage caused by X-Men Origins: Wolverine. 

Or do they? X-Men Origins: Wolverine was reportedly made for £99 Million and had takings of around £250 Million 252% Return, placing it financially below Batman Forever (£53 vs £176 Million - 332% Return) but ahead of the far superior X-Men: First Class (£105.5 vs £233 Million - 221% Return). Don't hate me I'm just the messenger.

But things get interesting and promising from here out!

James Mangold - My goal is to try and bring the dramatic integrity you might find in a straight drama, the kind of realism of the acting and of the intentions and the conflict into a movie like The Wolverine where it doesn't feel tongue in cheek, where it feels committed and real.


WHERE DOES THE WOLVERINE SIT WITHIN THE X-MEN TIMELINE?
James Mangold - The Wolverine takes place after the 3 X-Men films. It is a low point in Wolverine's life the X-Men are gone, Jean Grey is gone, every tie he had  to the world is broken or gone.

We wanted to create a film that we didn't have to  answer to the larger X-Men universe before or after.
ON INSPIRATION FOR THE WOLVERINE

Hugh Jackman - From the first X-Men film I have always wanted to shoot this particular arc of the Logan story. It's from a very popular comic book arc - the Samurai story set in Japan. Logan comes into it very much the tragic hero that he is written as. At the beginning of The Wolverine everything that means anything to him is gone a lot of which he blames himself for.
The movie is called The Wolverine and what Jim (James Mangold) and I have discussed is that we want this movie to, better than ever before, capture the character of Wolverine. So forget all other interpretations and what has gone before and after and we want this movie to be the one - that we captured right. That means in every way - I had to go further - physically and mentally. You had to see him lower and more desperate than ever before and more at stake ...
James Mangold - ... and more rage the other thing I wanted to see for us that are fans of the comic I think that one of the major elements of The Wolverine is his rage, his anger. For me there was a lot of research and thinking into how to find that and to tap into that and set up the story.

How much rage can we expect? 

Previously ... Hugh Jackman confirmed on having discussions with director James Mangold about test screening a PG-13 rated cut and an R rated cut, but did not comment on filming sequences for them.

But looking at the images from Entertainment weekly I would be surprised if The Wolverine is geared towards an adult market or comic readers that read the original source material around a similar age to Hugh Jackman. The money is in the 10-17 demographic. Make of that what you will.  

As yet The Wolverine does not have a rating, but its trailer was passed with a 15 certification, as a reference Nolan's Batman trilogy trailers got a 12 as did the films.

The Wolverine Samurai comics that Jackman is referring to is the 1982 4 part mini series Wolverine written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Frank Miller. It was the first time Wolverine featured in his own comic title, this mini series ran for for editions and was followed by the ongoing run of Wolverine which picked up again in 1988. The Story opens with the line:

I'm Wolverine. I am the best there is at what I do. But what I do isn't very nice.

This line and mutations of it have since been used as the marketing tag line for almost every film or book that has a skilled assassin or thief that has a particular set of skills.


In the story, Wolverine returns to Japan to check in on Mariko Yashida an old and dear love that he met on a previous trip to Japan.  On arrival he finds that Marika's father Lord Shingen has resurfaced and reclaimed his title as the head of the Yashida Clan (and crime family), as part of a deal to ensure his return he has married Marika to a vicious gang leader Noburu-Hideki who is nasty piece of work and abuses Marika.
Wolverine immediately tries to put an end to this but between Marika being bound by honour and despite Lord Shingen's age he is a master martial artist who unfairly defeats Logan in combat at the Yashida Compound whilst Logan is still under the effects of a powerful sedative.
Broken in spirit by Marika's acquiescence and physically by Lord Shingen. Logan is at his lowest ebb and left unconscious on the rainy streets of Japan, like a dog, to be killed by assassins but he is rescued by Yukio a skilled warrior.



You can read all 4 comics of Wolverine for free over at Marvel Comics here: http://marvel.com/comics/series/2096/wolverine_1982


Wolverine #1 (1982)
He's the best there is at what he does. But what he does isn't very nice. See Wolverine do lots of not-nice things, like fighting a bear in the Canadian Rockies! Sword-fighting with one of his greatest foes, Lord Shingen! And fighting for the honor of his lady love, Mariko Yashida, against...her husband?!?

Wolverine #2 (1982)
Wolverine's made a new ally in the death-defying, risk-taking Yukio! But isn't she the top assassin for Lord Shingen? Wolverine is determined to win back Mariko, even if an army of Hand assassins and sword-wielding mercenaries stand in his way! Plus: How will Mariko react when witnesses sees Wolverine's berserker rage for the first time?

Wolverine #3 (1982)
The action in Japan just keeps getting bigger! After getting into a bar fight with a drunken Sumo, Wolverine is recruited by the Japanese secret service to take down their underworld! Will Yukio remain loyal to Lord Shingen and kill Wolverine? Or will she side with her new love, even if he only has eyes for Mariko?

Wolverine #4 (1982)
Wolverine, in solo combat with Lord Shingen! Yukio, the captive of her former employer! Lord Shingen, armed with a sword and determined to prove to Mariko once and for all that Wolverine is not a fit mate for her! The Hand, surrounding the grounds and ready to fight to the death! Guest-starring the X-Men!

James Mangold - The Outlaw Josey Wales... Clint sets of on a journey built on loss and rage not just depression and disillusionment but a quest for revenge. That aspect of darkness is something I always felt integral to the Marvel legacy of The Wolverine character.
 ... we have made a concerted effort to make the film feel more real and pulled back a little on Logan's super duper abilities he doesn't bring down any aeroplanes its grounded I wanted the action to feel physical and feel credibly possible for someone with his abilities and part of it is to bring things down to earth a little, that are no less visual or exciting but less dependant on huge CG effects and more.. on real physicality.
Hugh Jackman - if you have ever liked the character of Logan or The Wolverine this is the film for you.

In the 23 minute video chat it seems that Jackman and Mangold address many of the concerns that I as well as many others seem to have and too be honest I had given up on The Wolverine but slowly I am being lured back by the energy of promise.

It is worth reading my brief synopsis of the Wolverine mini series 1-4 above as it pertains to the following breakdown:
Close up of a scarred Logan (right cheek) looking gruff as he does, the lighting and background would allude to this being the same scene where the first look of Wolverine image came from.
Leading straight into the next action where a topless Wolverine ( Hugh Jackman ) is fighting a man armed with a sword in what looks to be the Yashida Compound at night

The Wolverine There is no taming The Wolverine Hugh Jackman (Click to enlarge)

The Yashida are a Yakuza family clan headed up by Lord Shingen Yashida ( Hiroyuki Sanada ) father of Mariko Yashida (Tao Okamoto) and her half brother Kenuichio Harada aka Silver Samurai ( Will Yun Lee ). There was always a power struggle within the family to take over as head of the clan.


00:00 - 00:01
Daytime a formally clothed (in black) Wolverine looks on in disbelief or confusion - this seems to take place at an  ceremony of sorts.  Logan's black formal wear would allude to this possibly being a funeral or mourning service.

In the Teaser trailer we see that this is a funeral for an elderly man.

00:00 - 00:01


An oriental priest possibly a Shinto pulls out a shotgun and ..

00:00 - 00:01
... Logan takes the gun blast straight to his torso, looking at the other ceremony guests they aren't panicked yet so this must be a first strike.


00:01 - 00:02
A vested Logan is held by some sort of high powered hydraulic device, it looks as though there are spikes or needles around his wrist area possibly to try keep his claws from extending or to harvest materials from Wolverine or is there something more nefarious going on to do with weakening his abilities?



Both Hugh Jackman and James Mangold allude to Logan being more human and grounded in their talk so this is more likely.

The Wolverine James Mangold portrait of Svetlana Khodchenkova as Viper (Click to enlarge)

He faces Viper ( Svetlana Khodchenkova ) in a skin tight green outfit as in the comics. This is the role Jessica Biel turned down.

Viper or Madame Hydra is a professional terrorist with criminal connections across the Marvel Universe she is the head of Hydra the same organisation that worked with Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger.

The Wolverine Hydra in Captain America: The First Avenger

The Wolverine Hydra in Captain America: The First Avenger

The Wolverine Hydra in Captain America: The First Avenger

HYDRA is the branch of the Nazi-German Army of World War II under the command of the Red Skull. It was an SS sub-division that created advanced weaponry for the army.

At one time Viper was also a member of Sebastian Shaw's Hellfire club as featured in X-Men: First Class.

"Viper is a superb athlete and adept in martial arts, marksmanship, and the use of a bullwhip. She is proficient in the use of toxins and poisons, often creating her very own poisons for whatever a given situation dictates. Viper herself is immune to most toxins and has always found interesting and different ways for spreading her toxins, such as hollow fangs or poisoned lipstick. She herself has built up an immunity to most forms of venom and toxins." - From Marvel.com

As well as being a skilled warrior, like The Mandarin, Viper has a super powered ring that allows her to teleport. Like Logan she also ages very slowly and is known to use trained doubles called Pit Vipers for safety and to distract enemies.

In the comics Viper is so bad ass that Red Skull ditches her when he finds out she is using their army to wage war without profit
00:01 - 00:02
Logan's claws are now extended and Viper is about to touch them or rather touch through them? Her rings of power are visible.

Is this a hint at a connection between Viper - Hydra and The Mandarin's Ten Rings of Power to be featured in Iron Man 3?