In exactly one month’s time, the Fox era of the X-Men that began twenty years ago with 2000’s X-Men, will come to a close when The New Mutants finally arrives in theaters. But for the face of the franchise, actor Hugh Jackman, the era ended a few years earlier with 2017’s Logan. And on the anniversary of Logan’s release, the man who became Wolverine penned a thank you to X-Men fans. Take a look:
Logan was released on March 3, 2017, making today the three-year anniversary of possible Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold’s Oscar-nominated film. Today also marks three years since we’ve seen Hugh Jackman play Wolverine on the big screen. And yet, although three years is a long time and despite the fact that he’s retired from the role, Hugh Jackman clearly hasn’t forgotten Logan or how important it was to play that character all those years.
Hugh Jackman’s post on Twitter on the anniversary of Logan’s release is one of remembrance and gratitude. He thanks the fans for what he calls the role of a lifetime, clearly grateful for all the love and support they gave him over the years. He also thanks the fans for all the work that went into playing Wolverine. That work was no easy thing either as Hugh Jackman humorously reminds everyone here.
It should come as no surprise that Ryan Reynolds also weighed in on Logan's three-year anniversary. Reynolds love to take aim at Hugh Jackman whenever possible, and his post is appropriately hilarious. Check it out below.
For 17 years Hugh Jackman played Wolverine and that meant for a good chunk of those 17 years, the actor had to be in shape to play Weapon X. That meant a lot of sweat from all the working out to attain Logan’s physique and acquiring a taste for steamed chicken and healthy foods, which Hugh Jackman had to eat a lot of to look the part.
In the comics Wolverine may be able to drink cheap beer all the time, but without an artist to draw the six-pack for him, Hugh Jackman had to get it the old-fashioned way. Yet despite how difficult that process was, Hugh Jackman clearly doesn’t regret any of it because it meant he got to play and put his stamp on such an iconic and popular character.
His performance in the X-Men films not only elevated Wolverine into the mainstream like never before, it also became the defining role of the actor’s career to date. So Hugh Jackman remains thankful to the fans for all those years as Wolvie and everything that went into them.
I think I speak for most fans when I saw that appreciation goes both ways as whatever the flaws of the inconsistent Fox X-Men films, Hugh Jackman was always great as Wolverine and a worthy face of the franchise. He's an icon of the modern comic book movie genre at large, alongside Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. And in the end, Hugh Jackman was also finally able to deliver us the R-rated Wolverine in Logan, which stands as one of the best films in the genre.
Needless to say, Hugh Jackman’s shoes will not be easy to fill and his words here are both gratitude to the fans and warning to whoever takes on the role next when the X-Men come to the MCU. Whether it be Tom Hardy or Taron Egerton or Keanu Reeves or Daniel Radcliffe or Henry Cavill, or whoever, they’ve got some steamed chicken and broccoli to look forward to in their future.
The Fox X-Men era comes to an end when The New Mutants hits theaters on April 3. Check out our 2020 Release Schedule to see what other movies you can look forward to this year.
