Wolverine is one of the most recognizable mutants in the Marvel Universe. He appeared in every mutant show and most movies about mutants. His popularity is huge thanks to the X-Men: The Animated Series and Hugh Jackman’s live-action adaptation of the character. With Deadpool & Wolverine now in theaters, and the huge comeback of Jackman to the role, let’s do a little retrospective of his character over the decades.
[Warning: Spoilers from X-Men, Wolverine, and Logan movies are below!]
Early 2000s and Hugh Jackman’s casting as Wolverine (X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand)
Hugh Jackman was cast as Wolverine in the year 2000. At that time, the internet wasn’t as developed as it is now, and all huge news like this was either small parts of magazines or TV news. Back then, people couldn’t predict how important and huge Wolverine’s and X-Men’s cultural impact would be. Not only in the superhero genre but worldwide in general.
Before he was cast, Jackman was a relatively unknown actor with a background primarily in theater and Australian TV series. He was thrown into the spotlight in the first X-Men movie, as his role in the film was vital. His appearances helped kickstart the popularity of making quality live-action superhero movies from Marvel, and changed the landscape of superhero films which helped skyrocket his career.
Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of Wolverine in the first X-Men movie is still iconic. As a mutant with regenerative healing abilities, claws coming out of the knuckles of his fists, and a skeleton made from adamantium, he immediately became a fan favorite. His look as a drunken lonely loser, combined with his intense physicality and muscularity, perfectly adapts Logan’s look from the comics.
The first X-men film introduced people to the world of mutants and as a soft origin story for Wolverine and the X-Men. The actors in this movie brought emotional depth and complexity to their characters to resonate better with the audience, and it worked. Despite initial skepticism about doing the live-action project, due to the popularity and the end of X-Men: The Animated Series, after the premiere, critics and fans were amazed by the high quality of the movie.
Even Jackman who was critiqued as a choice for Wolverine, because of his limited filmography, and the unexpected stepping down of Dougray Scott who had previously been cast, received high praise. In a way, it’s thanks to Russell Crowe, who called Bryan Singer and told him to cast Jackman as Wolverine, after Dougray Scott resigned. Jackman’s Wolverine was a mix of a brutal and vulgar, but vulnerable and caring person. This performance alone perfectly showed the internal struggles of a man who is both a beast and a hero.
We can see how Logan starts to become a hero, as soon as he lets Rogue (Anna Paquin) get in a truck with him. This was that one small moment that put him on a path to join the X-Men. When he arrived at Xavier’s Mansion, he was lost, and Professor Charles Xavier (Sir Patrick Stewart) promised to help him find out more about his past. At the end of the movie, we’ve got a tease for a sequel, when Logan goes on a journey to discover his past.
This Wolverine didn’t care about being a team player or saving people, he just cared about himself. He wasn’t very friendly towards Scott (James Marsden), but he was nice enough (for him) to not have a conflict with anyone. In the end, he learns that having friends/family is not that bad, and he starts to show that he cares about Rogue’s fate. This is seen clearly when in the end, he sacrifices himself, to let her absorb his healing powers, just so she can live. This moment was the perfect visible example that Logan has a heart, and is human, and he cares about people, even though he doesn’t like to show it or become attached to them. That’s why he decided to stay around and keep an eye on her. But first, he went to Canada to find a place where he was experimented on.
The success of the first X-Men movie paved the way for X2: X-Men United, where the background story of Jackman’s Wolverine was further explored, and we’ve got hints about his involvement in the mysterious Weapon X program. We learned that he was just a normal mutant, who was given an adamantium skeleton as part of the Weapon X program from William Stryker (Brian Cox). Jackman perfectly played a torn and confused Logan, who makes hard choices between helping his friends or finding out who he really is.
His performance was praised for its intensity, and the film itself was praised for its darker tone and sophisticated narrative. Thanks to showing Wolverine’s past, we learned how tragic his backstory is, and how broken he is. But some of the most devastating moments for Logan came with X-Men: The Last Stand. In X-2, Jean (Famke Janssen) died and it broke both Scott and Logan. In the third movie, she returned as the Dark Phoenix, and it fell on him to take the life of a woman he loved to save everyone.
Despite mixed reviews for the film, Jackman’s Wolverine remained a highlight of the story. We continue to explore his character’s inner demons and his deepening loyalty for his friends and fellow mutants. Due to the re-appearance of Jean, he became blinded by love and wanted to do everything to save her. In such a short time, he lost Professor X with whom he started to become good friends, and had to kill Jean, which crushed him.
The first X-Men movie is my favorite out of that trilogy. It was a perfect introduction to the mutant world for me, and it flawlessly introduced the amazing characters we know from the comic books. X-2 was more serious and ambitious, which wasn’t a bad thing, but they certainly could have done more with Wolverine and explored even more of his past. He was having flashbacks from way before he lost his memory, so we could have seen something more. And The Last Stand, well, let’s say that when I was a kid I liked it, but now I think that the only thing they did well, was Wolverine’s story arc.
Wolverine solo films (X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine)
The next significant phase in Hugh Jackman’s journey as Wolverine came with the character’s solo movies, beginning with X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009. The film was initially meant to be a darker, brutal, and serious R-rated story that was meant to delve into Wolverine’s complex backstory. Exploring his tragic origins and the shocking, serious events that led to his involvement with the X-Men.
Unfortunately, despite Jackman’s committed and as always amazing performance, the film wasn’t exactly that. Instead of a serious story, we’ve got a movie that didn’t even know what it wanted to show to the viewers. Of course, we’ve got the “origins” of Wolverine, but it was executed poorly. Thankfully, the beginning, where we see when Logan/Jimmy got his powers and what he was doing throughout the years, slightly explains his mysterious past.
Even though Jackman’s portrayal of Wolverine showed us another raw, and tragic side of Wolverine, the emotion and unrelenting determination of the character were more visible closer to the end of the movie. The confusion after losing his memories and escaping with Gambit (Taylor Kitsch), made it understandable for people why he was so broken in the X-Men trilogy, and what led to it. Although I still believe it’s an alternate universe, the first of the movie should have been in the X-Men universe, but the second one should have been rewritten.
In contrast to the Origins movie, 2013’s The Wolverine became a significant improvement in developing Wolverine’s live-action adaptation. Directed by James Mangold, the film took a more focused and character-driven approach. Set in Japan, it explored Wolverine’s struggle with immortality and his search for meaning after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand. After killing his love, Wolverine is depressed and is living in Canada’s forests.
This Wolverine has evolved into someone who we feel sorry for and no matter what, we want him to be happy and make peace with his demons. After all, he is a person who lived through many horrible events and moments in human history, and he lost many people he cared about. And even when an offer comes for him to give up his powers and die, he refuses. He sees his powers as a curse, but still won’t give them up.
But when he loses them, he still acts like a warrior who, no matter what, will still fight. In the end, he finally said goodbye to Jean, and let her go. Accepting his fate, and getting rid of his past, he chose to keep living, instead of surrendering and dying. Hugh Jackman delivered one of his most nuanced performances in this movie, before Logan even came out. In it, he portrayed Wolverine as not a warrior, but a deeply scarred individual fighting his demons from the past.
The film’s exploration of themes such as honor, mortality, love, depression and redemption resonated with audiences and critics alike. It may not be the best Wolverine movie, but it definitely is one of those that perfectly captures an essence of a mortal Wolverine, who is fighting for his life. And it sets perfectly his character for future movies.
When I was a kid, I loved X-Men Origins: Wolverine because it was such a “Hell Yeah!” movie for me. Now I only like the first part of this movie when we see Logan before he became a mutant with an adamantium skeleton. The Wolverine was a great movie because it captured perfectly the essence of Wolverine’s character as known in the comics books that was telling a story about him visiting Japan. It’s just another great movie, that explores Logan’s psyche and problems.
First Class, Days of Future Past & X-Men Apocalypse
While Jackman’s solo ventures allowed for deeper character exploration, his involvement in the broader X-Men narrative continued to evolve. In X-Men: First Class, a prequel set in the 1960s, his role as Wolverine was only a brief cameo, which showed him sitting in a bar. His cameo in X-Men: Apocalypse was just a quick Easter egg connected to part of the movie, and that’s it.
The character’s more significant return came with X-Men: Days of Future Past, a film which merged the original trilogy’s cast with the younger versions introduced in First Class. The time-travel narrative made it even cooler to see Wolverine as an anchor being of this world. Logan is sent back to 1973 to prevent the destruction of the future. Hugh Jackman’s performance was a bridge between the old and new, providing a fresh vision for an already known past.
His interactions with both the young and older versions of familiar characters added layers to Wolverine’s rich history. But the best part of the movie is about Wolverine’s past. As soon as his mind goes to the past, he starts getting nostalgic and happy to see his friends who are about to die or are long gone.
The best, and my favorite part of Days of Future Past is the ending, where Logan wakes up in the new future, and all his friends are alive, including Jean. He is so happy and finally at peace when he realizes he did. They are all safe, and everything that happened is now just the past’s nightmare. It’s a new, better world, where everything is okay, and no dangers are lurking in the shadows.
It’s my favorite X-Men movie, and it’s mostly because of this one particular scene. I’m not surprised that this film had such a positive critical and commercial success. It gave the iconic X-Men trilogy an honorable and emotionally happy ending, while keeping the doors open for the younger characters to thrive.
Days of Future Past is the perfect end of a journey for Logan. It’s a happy ending that Jackman’s Wolverine deserved, and you can see that he is happy and almost wants to cry from this happiness, which is something that we never associated Wolverine with. We’ll probably never get something like this again. And it’s all thanks to Hugh Jackman and everyone involved in this movie. First Class and Days of Future Past are, in my opinion, two near perfect X-Men movies, with the second one being the best out of this bunch. It closes the chapter of the first trilogy, and it closes the story of this Logan that we were exploring through the last 5 movies.
Logan Hugh Jackman’s final portrayal as Fox’s Wolverine
The end of a journey for Jackman’s Wolverine came with 2017’s Logan. There’s still no confirmation whether this movie is a direct continuation of Days of Future Past or a separate timeline. But there are so many hints that suggest it is indeed a separate timeline, in which past events weren’t so kind to the mutants.
Directed again by James Mangold, Logan presented a world where mutants are an extinct species. Wolverine is sick due to the adamantium poisoning. His healing abilities are being disrupted by the anti-mutant gene that was present in food and drinks for many years. He and Caliban (Stephen Merchant) are taking care of Professor X, who is elderly and sick.
During the movie, Logan learns that scientists used his genes to create another mutant, Laura/X-23 (Dafne Keen), his “daughter”. It’s something that many people wanted to see, Logan meeting his daughter. This was a very intense part of the movie, as it was very interesting to see Logan struggling with trying to be a father.
Jackman’s portrayal was nothing short of extraordinary, showcasing a vulnerability and emotional depth that had been hinted at throughout the years but never fully explored until now. Logan was as much about saying goodbye to the character as it was about the end of an era in superhero cinema. Jackman’s chemistry with Sir Patrick Stewart, who reprised his role as Charles Xavier, brought an important vibe to their scenes which highlighted the profound bond between them.
Before his death, Logan realizes that he is finally ready to sacrifice himself for good, to save people. As soon as he ravages through enemies, we see that he does it, to save mutant kids and his daughter, not himself. He’s not doing it because the world will end, or some people will make him feel bad. No, he does it because he knows he’ll die, but either way, he does everything possible to make sure his legacy is safe.
Now that’s another perfect end for Logan. Those two endings, the one from Days of Future Past and from Logan, are two perfect endings for this character. One happy and good, and one tragic and emotional. Logan is highly praised by many fans, and to many, it was a fitting send-off for Jackman as this beloved superhero. His one last ride.
Jackman’s performances throughout the years were universally praised, with many considering it one of the finest superhero roles ever. The film’s success was a testament to Jackman’s role as Wolverine. Even though at that time he said it was time to put up the mantle, it only took a few years for him to pick it up again, thankfully, it wasn’t the same Wolverine as we’ve seen for those past years.
When I was younger, I didn’t like Logan much, mainly because of its serious tone, and the fact that I didn’t like to see heroes die. As I matured, I changed my opinion on it. I understand now that it’s a movie about the circle of life, and accepting inevitable things in it like death, losing the ones we love, or the world moving forward. It’s also a perfect movie that shows how Wolverine, who is more than 200 years old, finds his purpose in life to die for. And it’s beautiful.
The legacy of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and my thoughts on Deadpool & Wolverine
Wolverine is one of my favorite live-action superheroes. All thanks to the amazing and full-of-heart performances from Hugh Jackman. This guy knows how to play him, and he has been doing it perfectly for many years. My favorite film where Wolverine appears is X-Men: Days of Future Past. As I mentioned earlier, giving him a happy and well-deserved ending after so many horrific events, seemed respectable and earned.
But if I had to pick where Jackman’s Wolverine had the deepest exploration of his true self, it would be either The Wolverine or Logan. Those 2 movies had something that the others didn’t. Their story was about the journey that the character must go through; where he must accept his past, to move forward; a journey that will redefine him, and make him a better person and a better hero. And a journey, that will develop him, help him accept his true self, and help him make peace with his demons.
Hugh Jackman was, is, and will be one of the most recognized actors playing a superhero, ever. He gave everything he could into these roles, and he played them phenomenally. He was a highlight of every X-Men movie he was in. His iconic role will not only stick with him forever, but people will always have positive memories regarding his version of Wolverine. It doesn’t matter if he’ll stay to play him for the next few years until Secret Wars, or if it will be someone else. Every time someone talks about Wolverine, people will immediately think of Hugh Jackman.
I don’t want to discuss spoilers from Deadpool & Wolverine here, but all we know is that this version of Wolverine is different than the previous versions we’ve seen. It’s not Wolverine from Singer’s trilogy, Fox’s X-Men or from Logan, it’s someone entirely else. And that’s good because that way we left those characters in the past while focusing on someone entirely new (at least in a way).
Focusing on what the trailers told us, this Wolverine let his whole world down. He didn’t save his mutant brothers or live through the same events as his other incarnations. He’s the worst Wolverine there is, and that’s why he resonates with this story. All those other Wolverines were heroes, this one is not. He has PTSD, and depression and just wants to die.
With Deadpool & Wolverine, Hugh Jackman gets another chance to play Wolverine, and he, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy and the writers picked the version of the character that is different than we expected. Jackman will hopefully never get tired of playing Wolverine. And that’s why he’ll always be remembered as one of the best X-Men and one of the best superheroes in live-action ever. And those previous movies are proof that Hugh Jackman is also one of the most amazing actors alive today, because it doesn’t matter if some of them were good or bad, he always gives 100%, and that is something to love about his performances.
What was your favorite Hugh Jackman appearance as Wolverine? Have you seen Deadpool & Wolverine yet? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus or in The Cosmic Circus Discord where we have lively Marvel discussions every day.
Deadpool & Wolverine Discussion (Cosmic Circle Ep. 60)
