Throughout the ups and downs that Fox has experienced during their X-Men franchise, the one piece of connecting tissue has been Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Come next year, Jackman will reportedly put away the adamantium claws for good. After making his debut in X-Men in 2000, should Wolverine 3 be the last time out for Jackman, it will have been after a storied 17 year adventure with the character. He has so far spent a lot of screen time in less than great movies, so the priority has to be making his final outing one to remember.

One way that Fox could achieve this would be if they adapt the Old Man Logan storyline from the comics, but with a large number of the characters not being within their rights to use, that has been unlikely. Still, there has been hope that they will at least take cues from the comic, and given the look of Jackman recently, that could be the case.

Hugh Jackman recently posted a new photo on his Instagram that shows Logan certainly is looking old. However, it may not be in the way everyone imagined. Instead of the older but still physically imposing force that Wolverine should be, the following photo has led to some concern over the actor's real state of health.

It is unclear what the health status of Jackman currently is, but hopefully this skinnier version of the actor is what is being required for Wolverine 3. Not long ago, Jackman was posting workout videos of him staying in shape for the shoot, but even in those he does not match with the physique that Wolverine has had in the past. It is important to note that Jackman has battled health issues in the past, but until he addresses any possible health concerns, it is best not to jump to conclusions.

For all we know, Wolverine does not need to be in tip top shape for this movie. With rumors pointing to the Weapon X program playing a big role in the film, this could be less of an action role for Jackman. He could also have some of that burden lifted from his shoulders should X-23 turn out to have a role in the movie. Even if X-23 takes a part in the action, Fox gave this movie an R-rating to let Jackman's Wolverine loose in the final outing. Now we just have to hope that Jackman is healthy enough to deliver.

Wolverine 3 opens in U.S. theaters on March 3rd, 2017, followed by unannounced X-Men films on October 6th, 2017, March 2nd, 2018, and June 29th, 2018. Deadpool 2, Gambit, New Mutants, and X-Force are among projects in development.

Source: Instagram