According to several sources, it has been confirmed that Hugh Jackman will hang up his claws after finishing the third Wolverine film. The film would mark nearly 20 years that Hugh Jackman has played the character. As far as I remember that is the longest that anyone has played a live-action superhero. The original X-Men, which was released back in 2000, pretty much introduced Jackman to the whole world and made him a superstar overnight. Say what you will about X-Men, but it was really Hugh Jackman that stole the show. His turn as the nomadic and amnesiac Logan/Wolverine became iconic. So much, that nobody else could do it. As time went on, and as more X-Men movies were made, we not only saw the character of Wolverine grow, but we also saw Mr. Jackman come into his own as an actor. He used X-Men as a springboard for other projects and films. Mr. Jackman is an extremely talented individual. He’s been seen on Broadway multiple times and hosted multiple award shows. He’s got a great sense of humor and he is very down to earth. The man’s filmography is extremely impressive, and not just for the X-Men movies. Some of his best movies include 2013’s Prisoners, which showcased how versatile the man can be. So, yeah, I’m a fan.
Now, let’s talk about the character of Wolverine. The origins of Logan/Wolverine have never been really concrete, not in the comics and certainly not the films. We first meet the character in a backwoods bar somewhere in Canada, while he’s fighting in a ring. Shortly after, he’s confronted by one of the people he’s beaten to a pulp, and he whips out his adamantium claws. See, Wolverine’s skeleton is coated in a fictional metal alloy called adamantium, and coupled with his unique healing capabilities, essentially makes him immortal. The experiments which gave him his adamantium skeleton and claws also made him an amnesiac. He doesn’t remember anything about his life before it happened, so he’s been wandering the world looking for answers. After encountering other mutants, Wolverine realizes he’s not alone in the world, but he also realized that there are mutants out there that want to destroy humans, and humans that want to destroy mutants. Over the course of several movies, we see the character grow from being a lonely wanderer to a reluctant, but dedicated hero. He does have an attitude problem but at his core, he’s a good person caught in extraordinary circumstances. While most of the X-Men films claim to not focus on one particular character, at the heart of nearly every movie is Wolverine. He’s the strong link in the chain. Wolverine’s character has constantly evolved and become one of the greatest superheroes in comics and in the movies. Even with the lackluster X-Men Origins, and X-Men: The Last Stand, Hugh Jackman’s presence as Wolverine has been extremely vital to the series, although, First Class only had him show up briefly in an amusing cameo. X-Men: Days of Future Past is the second film in the series where Wolverine is NOT the central character. He’s important, to be sure, but the film was more about Xavier and Magneto than it was about Wolverine. The Wolverine, the second stand-alone film, allows the character to show that he’s not just an animal but a real person with real emotion. Make not mistake about it, when those claws are out, Wolverine becomes a force to be reckoned with. He’s essentially unstoppable, unless you happen to be Magneto.
Watching Wolverine grow as a character in the movies over the past 20 years has been extraordinary. Yeah, there were some movies that weren’t so good. But most of them have been really spectacular. Honestly, I don’t think we would have had the X-Men movies without Hugh Jackman. He’s been instrumental since the beginning, and is basically one of the main reasons why people watch X-Men. Over the past couple of years, there have been rumblings that Hugh Jackman was going to hang up his claws permanently, but recently, it’s been confirmed. I honestly can’t say I blame him for stepping away from the character that essentially launched his career. Unlike Wolverine, Hugh Jackman isn’t immortal. He’s nearly 50 years old. Even though he is in stellar shape, his body can only take so much abuse, as with any person. Will they find somebody else? Probably. Will they be as memorable in the role as Hugh Jackman was? Never say never, but I doubt it. It’s been a hell of a ride watching Hugh Jackman claw the scenery as the legendary mutant.
“I’m the best there is at what I do, but what I do best isn’t very nice.”