Stephen Merchant’s a Freak in a Cage as Caliban in New ‘Logan’ Photo

With buzz reaching fever-pitch levels a full three months before the March 3 release date, James Mangold’s Logan could very well be the first true Event Film of the year. His sparse, dystopian, Western-tinged reinterpretation of the X-Men mythos has fans tittering with great expectations, and the Johnny Cash-scored trailer teased a performance of unprecedented toughness from Hugh Jackman as a battle-scarred Wolverine. A new batch of supporting characters also goosed the expectations of comics diehards, learning that they could expect to see the young X-23, Reaver leader Donald Pierce, and Morlock member Caliban. Today brings an eye-opening first look at Stephen Merchant as Caliban, and fittingly so, those eyes are mutated and inhuman.

In a new photo from an upcoming feature in Empire on the film, the deadpan Brit comic known for The Office, Extras, and Hello Ladies appears as the sewer-dwelling abomination. Things aren’t looking so hot for the creepy but harmless Caliban; he’s been trapped in a cage, and the expression on his face doesn’t suggest that it’s at the hands of a friend. Blessed with the power to sense and track fellow carriers of the X-gene, Caliban assists old man Logan in caring for the crumbling Professor Charles Xavier in the film. How his collusion with Logan lands him in trouble has yet to be seen, but what’s known now is that the design of the much-beloved character is spot-on. Mangold has previously stated that he capitalized on Merchant’s uncommonly tall stature for added effect in the film, tapping into the height difference between Merchant and Jackman to emphasize Caliban’s unusual nature. We could be looking at another fan-favorite in the making.