there's no way hugh jackman could have
known he would wind up playing Wolverine
in nine films over 20 years especially
since he only got the part as a
last-minute replacement a relative
unknown at the time of his casting
Jackman has used the part to launch a
blockbuster career bringing legendary
musicals to the screen hosting Oscar
telecasts and becoming one of the most
beloved faces Hollywood has seen in
decades
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now that he's delivered his x-men swan
song let's take a look back at the highs
and the lows of his time as Wolverine
and ranked what works and what made us
go berserk x-men origins Wolverine there
were bad movies and then there's
whatever happens x-men origins Wolverine
for starters the move he just wasn't
necessary sure the plot arc of
Sabretooth was interesting but we didn't
need a boxing match between Logan and
the blob and Logan's adamantium
operation had already been covered well
enough in X to x-men United on top of
all that x-men origins featured some of
the worst CG and the entire franchise
wait can we see those claws again shaggy
but more than anything the sloppy
writing derailed any chance of
redemption
not only did Wolverine have to walk away
from an explosion in slow-mo with a
straight face but he also had to scream
into the air not once but twice
he is a movie that introduced to Ryan
Reynolds as Deadpool then sewed his
mouth sure just to make sure there was
no chance he could be remotely enjoyable
that's just lazy writing Jackman did his
best with the corny screenplay but this
movie is somehow a parody of itself
without ever figuring out how to make
that fun that's a feat but not one worth
watching x-men The Last Stand the
conclusion to the original x-men trilogy
is so bad and so overstuffed it almost
ended a franchise even magneto couldn't
bring down with Bryan Singer departing
at the last minute to Helms Superman
Returns directing duties for the third
x-men movie fell to Brett Ratner at best
this movie is forgettable at worst it's
a tutorial on how not to make a
blockbuster if you can think of a
character from the x-men universe they
probably show up here at some point
spouting some awful catchphrase before
fading back into the special effects or
worse Cyclops who had been central to
the first two movies is killed off early
and it never mentioned again Wolverine
shows up of course but ends up coming
across as oddly neutered and bland grow
those back and then there's the Dark
Phoenix storyline a pivotal arc from the
x-men comics that gets tossed into the
plot with about seven other stories
Jackman did his best with the material
but there was no saving this mutant
monstrosity x-men first class he may not
have had a part in the main story but
Wolverine was definitely memorable in
x-men first class showing up to deliver
one line before disappearing for the
rest of the movie use numerical
instructions Xavier cough it may be
short
even by cameo standards but it may also
be the funniest scene Jackman ever got
to film as a surly superhero although we
can only imagine what he would have said
about those yellow jumpsuits do we
really add to were these x-men
apocalypse unlike his brief cameo in
first class
Jacqueline's appearance in x-men
apocalypse finally lets Wolverine come
loose The Wolverine from the comic books
has always nurtured a darker side which
shows itself in the peak of battle is's
berserker rage the mainstream movies
shied away from this for the most parts
thankfully eight movies in they finally
decided to cut him loose back of the
familiar setting of alkali lake which
played a big part in Wolverines origin
story we see
and acts as a caged animal finally
getting a chance to fight for his
freedom it's a moment of fans of the
comics of waited decades to say while
the rest of the movie is sort of hectic
Jackman's brief moments on-screen is a
revelation and helped lay the groundwork
for what was to come
x-men Days of Future past Wolverine can
be such a tortured character that it's
all the more fun when he gets the chance
to just to loosen up for a minute trying
to save the world seems like an odd time
to crack a smile
but while the stakes are high there's no
doubt the tone in this film is lighter
than some of movie's other outings would
you believe me if I told you I was sent
here from the future sure fans of the
comic can debate the decision to swap
out Kitty Pryde who did all the
time-traveling in the comic book
storyline but sending Wolverine back in
time instead was a smart way to bridge
the original and rebooted x-men casts
x-men this is where it all started and
no one knew if it could work
what would a full blown superhero team
full of wacky powers look like on the
big screen will they wear 4s and spandex
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we actually go outside nuzens what would
you prefer yellow spandex more
importantly would audiences turn out for
comic book characters that weren't
Superman Batman or spider-man with x-men
those questions were definitively
answered it was faithful to the comics
that adapted but use just enough black
lever to welcome mainstream audiences
into the fold and no one helped carry
the film or capture the imagination of
the audience more than Jackman with his
portrayal of Wolverine an amnesiac
drifter without a past or future will be
was the audience's window into this
world of outcasts and misfits if we
found them weird that was okay because
he did to Jackman became a star the
moment he appeared on screen and
Wolverine proved he could brawl with the
best of them spandex and all the
Wolverine following the undeniable
failure of x-men origins Wolverine
acclaimed director James Mangold was
brought in to clean up the Wolverine
franchise and for two-thirds of the
Wolverine he did just that
crafting a nuanced intimate look at
Logan and drawing heavily on perhaps his
most celebrated comic-book plotline
Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's
Wolverine limited series by rooting the
movie in his grief at the loss of Jean
Grey and temporarily taking away his
healing power the movie shows Wolverine
at his most vulnerable true the third
act then descended into the typical
bloat of a big-budget action movie with
cartoonish robots and CGI heavy fight
scenes but it showed that there were
more Logan stories to tell especially if
you stick to a source material as
closely as possible X to x-men United
the best and the lone x-men movie is
without a doubt x-2 x-men United thanks
largely to its Wolverine centered plot
the franchise took this step forward by
looking to its past specifically the
mysterious background of his most
tortured hero by pitting Logan against
William Stryker the man who coated
Logan's bones with adamantium and turned
his memory into Swiss cheese we got to
see a plot that was both personal and
explosive and essential set pieces
perhaps the best blend of action and
emotion this franchise has ever
delivered when baby sitter Logan hints
at his berserker rage for the first time
on-screen leaves more the first x-men
movies set the stage this is what
elevated the franchise into an
out-and-out hit Logan it only took nine
tries to get it perfect but boy was it
worth the wait this is the Wolverine
we've all been waiting for a grizzled
bastard who isn't looking for a fight
but will definitely finish one if it all
starts loosely inspired by the acclaimed
and influential old man Logan arc it
tells the story of an aged two grieving
veteran of too many superhero battles
who wants to disappear but gets pulled
back in one last time with a hard R
rating that allows the blood and guts
Wolverine is famous for
nobody holds back here not the
filmmakers are not our hero like a
Johnny Cash song come to life
Logan is both poetic and gritty and this
one of the best superhero movies ever
made what's next now that Jackman's
Wolverine has been laid to rest fans
have been speculating about where the
character will go next
considering daphne Keens show-stopping
performance as Laura in Logan it's
possible that she'll become the next
on-screen Wolverine especially since the
same thing has happened in the comics
but the comics also delve into a range
of other scenarios from alternate
universe Wolverines to Logan himself
coming back from the grave in other
words these are comic-book movies
anything's possible
as far as Jacqueline's concerned he
doesn't particularly care who takes up
the adamantium mantle with one exception
as he jokingly told the New York Times
anyone could become the new Wolverine
unless Daniel day-lewis plays him in win
Z Oscar then I might have a little
problem with the Fox Disney merger on
the horizon only time will tell what the
future has in store for Wolverine thanks
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