Hugh Jackman played Wolverine so successfully that fans lamented his departure from the franchise after almost two decades. Logan was one of the main characters in the original ensemble X-Men films and, later, had his own trilogy that delved into the life of this character.
Updated on October 20th, 2022 by Mark Birrell: The news that Hugh Jackman will be returning to the role of Wolverine in the third Deadpool movie with Ryan Reynolds is a dream come true for so many fans of the character. Though the movie isn't slated to release until 2024, Reynolds' and Jackman's famously active online presences are sure to produce a lot more content between now and then. The wait also offers comic book movie fans who are new to the X-Men films a good chance to acquaint themselves with the beloved hero and all of their cinematic outings.
X-Men: First Class (2011)
Available to stream on Peacock and Disney+
In this film, Wolverine has only a very brief cameo, but it is important to understand future events involving the character and the X-Men. This film is set in 1962 and opened the way for a new cast and signified a kind of rebirth for the movie franchise.
X-Men: First Class is considered to be one of the best films of the series and the few seconds of screen time that Wolverine gets were one of the funniest parts of the movie. His scene shows Professor X and Magneto attempting to recruit him, only for Logan to rebuff them immediately in a very characteristic fashion.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Hulu
This film was the first in the franchise to focus solely on Wolverine and audiences got to see quite a bit of his backstory before his time with the X-Men. The movie establishes his real name, his natural bone claws, and his complicated relationship with his brother, Victor Creed (Sabretooth).
X Men Origins: Wolverine is the first movie of Logan's trilogy, and it explains how the character gets his adamantium-covered skeleton and shows when and why the famous mutant loses his memory and ends up becoming Logan.
X-Men (2000)
Available to stream on Hulu and Disney+
X-Men marked the beginning of a new wave of comic book movies that's lasted up to this very day. Its success allowed the franchise to grow, and Hugh Jackman became irrevocably linked to the character.
Logan has virtually no memory of his past at this point and he's discovering the wider world of mutants for the first time, as far as he knows. While it may seem like a good place to really start, as it's technically the first Wolverine movie, the story is now far more interesting to watch within the wider context of the franchise's winding story.
X2 (2003)
Available to stream on Disney+
X2 was a big leap forward for the franchise, cementing Jackman's Wolverine as a modern movie icon and delving further into the past of the character that was set up in the first movie.
The story elements regarding Logan are similar to those in X-Men Origins: Wolverine but played out much more satisfyingly despite still having an air of mystery about them. It's one of Wolverine's finest hours in the movies, with some standout fight scenes and big dramatic moments.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Available to stream on Disney+
The third film of the original trilogy is not considered one of the best among the fans, but it is an important watch for fans so they can follow all the steps of Logan's arc. There are even arguments that suggest that X-Men: The Last Stand isn't as bad as people say that it is.
In the story, mutants are fully divided by a potential cure for the X gene and face each other in two large groups, led by Magneto on one side and Professor X on the other. The movie may not have been a satisfying end to the series, but, as time would show, it was never really meant to be.
The Wolverine (2013)
Available to stream on HBO Max
The lonely Logan is more isolated than ever in The Wolverine, the second film in the character's trilogy. He distances himself from the X-Men, but conflicts follow him to Japan, where he must confront his past.
The movie was a noticeable upgrade from the clunkier effects and plotting of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and it ultimately connected the character back to the main X-Men movie franchise, setting up their biggest and best appearances.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Available to stream on Disney+
In X-Men: Days of Future Past, the events that took place in the original trilogy are erased after Logan travels back in time and creates an alternative timeline. Wolverine's actions are necessary to save mutants from mass extermination but differ from the comics where it's Kitty Pryde who travels through time.
It was a very smart use of the character for the franchise, however, and pulled off the last major box office success of the mainline X-Men movies, though it would survive for several more installments.
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Available to stream on Disney+
Wolverine only really appears for one action sequence in X-Men: Apocalypse but it's arguably the best one in the movie. The sequence shows a wild Logan who's lost all sense of himself after being held captive by the Weapon X program. Jean manages to restore some of his memory before Logan escapes, fitting in with the story of the rest of the films.
Though the timeline of events is a little confusing thanks to the time travel and ambiguous transition from where Wolverine was last seen in Days of Future past to where he is at the beginning of Apocalypse, it does at the very least set up the character's famous adamantium claws for their final movie.
Logan (2017)
Available to stream on Disney+
Wolverine's final full appearance is in Logan, which is the final movie in the character's solo trilogy and is generally considered to be the best, ranking as the best X-Men movie to date amongst critics.
The film is based on the comic book Old Man Logan and has a darker, more violent, and more mature tone than previously seen in the franchise. Set in 2029, it shows an older Logan continuing to battle the demons of his past while trying to help Laura, a girl with similar powers. It was a perfectly pitched and emotional farewell to Jackson's run as the character that expanded on the Western elements of The Wolverine to their fullest extent.
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Available to stream on Tubi and Disney+
Deadpool has an obsession with Wolverine, and, Ryan Reynolds with Hugh Jackman. In Deadpool 2, there are some references to Logan, but in one of the post-credited scenes, there is an appearance of Wolverine through images filmed for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Wade Wilson travels in time with Cable's device to kill the poorly-received original version of Deadpool from that movie. It's the best joke they could make using the character and a great way to briefly bring Wolverine back to the screen, after the goodbye in 2017.
Deadpool 3 (Expected November 8, 2024)
In a video posted by Ryan Reynolds on September 27th, 2022, it was announced that Hugh Jackman would finally be returning to the role of Wolverine to star alongside Reynolds in the third Deadpool movie. While details are scarce and speculation is rife, fans know that the film will be directed by Shawn Levy, who both Jackman and Reynolds have worked with before.
Jackman's return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 is currently slated for release on November 8th, 2024, though it isn't unusual to see release dates for comic book movies shift during production.