Summary
Wolverineis highly regarded as one of the most beloved and popular members of the X-Men for all the right reasons. His complex personality and troubled past make him one of the most interesting characters in the X-Men universe. His sharp adamantium claws, along with his enhanced healing factor, make him stand out as a lethal character.
Despite not being one of the strongest mutants, he is still a respected one simply because he is more relatable than most, with all his internal conflicts and flaws. With the release of Deadpool and Wolverine, we take a look back at all the Wolverine movies released to date.
The Wolverine movies are not ranked in chronological order, but rather based on their performance and reception by the fans.
10X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men Origins: Wolverine follows the story of James Logan and Victor Creed. Both are part of a mutants group called Team X, which also includes Wade Wilson, the infamous merc. But after witnessing some horrifying events by the group, Logan leaves and is later hunted by Stryker and Victor.
The biggest flaw of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the poorly executed CGI. But that’s not the only drawback of the movie, as it is also regarded as having the worst writing in the series. This movie also butchered the character of Deadpool, making his first on-screen appearance a terrible one. If you are a true Wolverine fan, the divergence from the source material is also difficult to watch.
The initial part of the film is still decent enough, but the climax, especially the fight against Deadpool isn’t that exciting to watch. However, Liev Schreiber as Sabertooth is truly exceptional and one of the few good things about the movie.
9X-Men: The Last Stand
The third film in the X-Men trilogy features the resurrection of Jean Grey, aka The Phoenix. Apparently, the movie describes a newly found cure for mutation, which leads to Magneto building his army of mutants to stop its production as they believe it could be weaponized against their race. The X-Men find themselves fighting against the Brotherhood while facing a bigger threat capable of destroying everything: the Dark Phoenix.
One notable thing about this movie is that there are multiple storylines going on and each is so different that it makes the whole plot extremely confusing. Due to the presence of many heroes in this film, Logan is a bit overshadowed. Despite Hugh Jackman’s commendable performance, the film failed to resonate with many X-Men fans.
8X-Men: First Class
In the movie, we see Xavier and Magneto recruit a bunch of militants to join them in their fight against the Hellfire Club and stop a nuclear war. Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, and Charles Xavier set out to recruit mutants, and as they visit Wolverine at the bar, they are not welcomed very pleasantly.
X-Men: First Class only features a cameo from Logan for just a few seconds, but it surely sets a strong reference for the next movies to come. The movie itself is definitely one of the best X-Men movies in existence.
7X-Men: Apocalypse
In Apocalypse, the X-Men face a new threat, a mutant named En Sabah Nur, who is believed to be the first mutant in the world. When he is awakened again in the present, he is disappointed with humanity and plans to wipe it completely from existence with the help of his fellows.
Now, X-Men: Apocalypse is not exactly a Wolverine movie, as it just features a cameo from Logan. However, this limited screen time is significant as it connects to Wolverine’s backstory and his transformation into Weapon X. We see Wolverine in a full-on rage mode, tearing everyone and everything in his way. As Weapon X, the portrayal shown in the film is pretty accurate, making it an extremely satisfying scene to watch.
Talking about the whole movie itself, however, the storyline is not solid, and it’s more or less just fighting throughout the movie. However, Quicksilver’s hero moment is true cinema and one of the few best bits in the movie.
6X-Men
X-Men features an introduction to mutants and the conflict between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men. It is truly one of the best movies in the series, completely faithful to the comics and featuring some of the best fights. From the wonderful script to the interesting characters, Bryan Singer truly crafted a masterpiece with this one.
Wolverine in the film stood out hugely and Jackman did great justice to the character. With this movie, everyone started to take superhero films seriously, and it definitely paved the way for all the blockbusters to come. The costumes could have been a bit better, but it’s still a movie well worth watching.
5The Wolverine
This movie follows Logan visiting Japan to see his dying friend Yashida, whose life he once saved. However, soon after the funeral, he gets involved with Yakuza and some mutants as Yakuza attempts to kidnap Yashida’s granddaughter.
After the failure of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, we finally got a decent Wolverine movie based on the comics by Frank Miller. Directed by James Mangold, it features some of the most epic moments. Everything from the writing to the acting is on point. The climax could have been more impactful, but it turned into a CGI mess when Wolverine fights a giant robot. Despite the unnecessary special effects, it’s still a good watch, and Hugh Jackman’s acting is truly praiseworthy.
4X-Men: Days Of Future Past
The film is set in the future where powerful robots threaten the existence of mutants called the Sentinels, created from the DNA of Mystique. Their only hope is to travel back and convince Mystique so that future events do not take place.
From a great cast to incredible acting, Days Of Future Past has it all. The return of Bryan Singer as a director to the franchise resulted in one of the most memorable X-Men films of all time. The pacing is amazing, and the relationship and chemistry between the characters feels incredibly natural.
Wolverine’s role is pivotal in the film, as he has to go back in time to interact with the X-Men to save their future. Both Wolverine and Mystique, played by Jennifer Lawrence, are represented greatly, and the fight scenes are truly thrilling.
3X2: X-Men United
The movie follows Stryker as he kidnaps Professor X, forcing the X-Men to team up with their archenemy, Magneto, to stop Stryker’s plan to annihilate every mutant. X2 perfectly follows the style of the first movie with many improvements, while introducing a bunch of interesting characters. Wolverine, being the center of the story, is depicted in the best way possible in the movie as he goes up against William Stryker.
The best part for Wolverine fans is the character development of Logan which, paired with amazing dialogues and stunning visual effects, gives us one of the greatest Wolverine movies of all time. The soundtrack is catchy and is incorporated flawlessly into the scenes. Lastly, the climax is executed wonderfully in a very impactful way, truly a chef’s kiss.
2Deadpool And Wolverine
The movie follows Wade Wilson traveling to the sacred timeline hoping to be a part of The Avengers but he is ultimately rejected. As he moves on, living as a normal civilian, he is approached by Mr. Paradox who informs him that his timeline is on the verge of destruction after the death of Logan. Using a device, Deadpool travels the multiverse to find a variant of Wolverine who can help him save his timeline.
This movie is full of emotions and never-ending humour. Despite the anticipation and high expectations the audience had of it, Deadpool and Wolverine did not fail to deliver.
Jackman’s return to the role is perfect in every sense. We got everything in the movie, from great acting by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman to the iconic Wolverine suit from the comics. The bromance and fight scenes are truly spectacular. Furthermore, the iconic cameos and Deadpools' unmatched humor make this one of the best superhero movies ever.
1Logan
Set in 2029, an era where the entire mutant race is on the brink of extinction, an older and weaker Logan is approached by a mutant girl who has his DNA running in her blood and has superpowers similar to him.
This movie is undeniably the best Wolverine movie of all time, featuring an emotional storyline with a lot of heartbreaking moments. It does not hold back on violence and blood, which truly brings out the rage Wolverine is famously known for.
Logan is really one of the most complex pieces of cinema and equally dark as well. The action sequences are one of the best ones and the climax is both tragic and emotional. This is one of the movies that is a must-watch for Wolverine and superhero fans alike.
