Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of Wolverine's journey spanned multiple films, both in ensemble X-Men movies and his solo adventures, allowing Jackman to portray a character of immense depth and complexity. However, not every moment of his time as Wolverine holds up to modern scrutiny. Some scenes, which were once considered iconic, now feel outdated or inconsistent.
As superhero films have evolved, some of Jackman’s moments as Wolverine have failed to keep up with the genre’s maturation. Whether due to awkward writing, clumsy visual effects, or tonal inconsistencies, these scenes are reminders of the growing pains superhero films faced in their early days. While Jackman’s performance is largely celebrated, certain scenes now feel out of place and detract from the otherwise iconic status of his portrayal of the mutant anti-hero.
10 Wolverine Steals Cyclops's Motorbike
X-Men (2000)
In X-Men (2000), Wolverine’s impulsive action of stealing Cyclops’s motorbike stands out as an early attempt to make the character feel rebellious and cool. However, the scene comes across as silly and juvenile when viewed through a modern lens. The moment is exaggerated and almost cartoonish in its execution – a tone compounded by the dated CGI. While Wolverine's rebellious nature was central to his character, this scene doesn’t capture the gravitas that would later define his role in the X-Men films.
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The comedic tone and exaggerated actions feel forced, making this moment seem out of place in a film that would later go on to explore deeper emotional themes. It doesn’t really add anything to the narrative. The ridiculous super-speed button that propels the bike at breakneck speeds is particularly pointless. It’s a stark contrast to the more nuanced Wolverine portrayed in later films.
9 Hugh Jackman's First Shirtless Scene
X-Men (2000)
Hugh Jackman’s first shirtless scene in X-Men (2000) takes place during a cage fight where Wolverine faces off against an opponent. While this moment was intended to show off Jackman’s physique and establish Wolverine as a fierce fighter, it now feels inconsistent with later films. In X-Men (2000), Jackman’s Wolverine is noticeably leaner, lacking the muscle mass seen in subsequent films like The Wolverine (2013) and Logan (2017).
The discrepancy in his physique makes the scene feel out of place, as subsequent X-Men movies set both before and after feature a more ripped and muscular Wolverine. The focus on his physical appearance, while not a major plot point, highlights the changing trends in superhero aesthetics, making this early shirtless scene feel like a product of its time. Though certainly still impressive, Jackman’s leaner frame in X-Men created an inconsistency years later.
8 Wolverine's Claws Are Cut Off
The Wolverine
In The Wolverine (2013), one of the most shocking moments occurs when the Silver Samurai cut off Wolverine’s claws. At the time, this was a significant development, but in retrospect, it caused a continuity issue with X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), where Wolverine’s metal claws are intact. The loss of his claws should have been a pivotal moment in his character’s journey, but the discrepancy between the two films diminishes its impact.
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The scene's emotional weight is overshadowed by this contradiction, as it becomes clear that Wolverine's claws were not permanently lost. This inconsistency feels like a missed opportunity to explore the character’s vulnerability more meaningfully and undermines the stakes of the battle with the Silver Samurai. What should have been the beginning of a new arc for the hero was quickly forgotten.
7 Logan Re Yashida
The Wolverine
In The Wolverine (2013), Logan has vivid memories of Yashida, his former lover’s grandfather who he met during World War II. However, this is problematic because of his memory loss established in X-Men (2000) and depicted in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). These depicted Wolverine as having no recollection of his past, including significant events and people from his life.
However, The Wolverine contradicts this by showing Logan ing Yashida, which creates a confusing continuity issue. This lapse in memory logic makes it difficult to engage with Logan's character arc, as it raises distracting questions about which parts of his past he can recall and why. There are numerous plot holes in the notoriously confusing X-Men continuity, but this one is particularly perplexing. It completely undermines the X-Men Origins climax in which Wolverine violently loses his memories.
6 Wolverine Meets the X-Men
X-Men (2000)
In X-Men (2000), Wolverine's first meeting with the X-Men is awkwardly handled, especially in the introduction of the mutants' codenames. The dialogue feels forced, Charles Xavier delivers their iconic names with little conviction, to which Wolverine reacts by mockingly calling it the “stupidest thing he’s ever heard.” The moment may have been intended to deconstruct the movie slightly and create some levity, but instead, it feels like the film is embarrassed by the superhero aspects of its characters.
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The way the codenames are presented undercuts the movie’s potential to embrace its comic book roots, and Wolverine’s dismissive tone adds to the awkwardness. In hindsight, this scene highlights the film’s reluctance to commit to its superhero premise fully. Today, with the rise of more successful superhero films that embrace their origins, the moment feels particularly clunky and out of step with the genre’s growth.
5 The CGI Claws
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
One of the most glaring flaws in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) is the use of CGI for Wolverine’s claws. The CGI claws used throughout are a massive downgrade from X-Men (2000) and other live-action counterparts. They are especially poor when Wolverine escapes Weapon X and stays with the Hudsons. His claws are clearly rendered with digital effects that lack the tactile realism of practical props used in other films.
The poorly executed CGI makes the claws look cheap and fake, taking viewers out of the moment. This moment stands as one of the film's weakest visual effects, detracting from the tension of Wolverine’s escape and cheapening the overall experience. While CGI was still evolving in 2009, the claws’ artificial appearance stands in stark contrast to the much more seamless visual effects in later X-Men films, making this sequence feel outdated and underwhelming in comparison.
4 The Helicopter Crash Superhero Walk
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
In X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), one of the most absurd moments is when Wolverine walks away from a helicopter crash in slow motion, looking entirely unfazed by the explosion behind him. While this was likely meant to establish Wolverine as a badass hero, it now feels like a cliché action movie moment. The "hero walking away from an explosion" trope, which was already on the rise in 2009, has since become a source of ridicule for its overuse and lack of nuance.
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Wolverine’s superhero walk was pretty silly upon release. Rewatching X-Men Origins: Wolverine now, the scene now looks more like a parody of superhero films than an authentic, character-defining moment. What could have been a cool visual now is overly stylized and disconnected from Wolverine’s usually more gritty nature, making it appear even sillier with the benefit of hindsight.
3 Battling The Silver Samurai
The Wolverine
The climactic battle between Wolverine and the Silver Samurai in The Wolverine (2013) is over-the-top and relies heavily on CGI to create the illusion of epic scale. The Samurai, who can cut through anything, including adamantium, is depicted in a cartoonish and exaggerated manner, making the final battle feel more like an animated sequence than a real confrontation. The visual effects, while ambitious, lack the weight needed to make the stakes feel genuine.
Instead of a brutal, intense clash, the fight feels bland and uninspired, lacking the emotional punch audiences might expect from such a highly personal confrontation. The excessive use of CGI cheapens the experience, making the battle feel unearned and underwhelming, especially compared to Wolverine’s previous conflicts. It also reflects the fairly bland choice of the primary antagonist, when Wolverine has several far more dynamic foes.
2 Wolverine Is Shot By An Adamantium Bullet
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The explanation for Wolverine losing his memory in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) involves him being shot in the head by an adamantium bullet, a plot device that doesn’t make sense within the context of his regenerative healing factor. The idea that a bullet made of the same material as his skeleton would cause amnesia is far-fetched and poorly thought out. Given Wolverine’s healing factor, it’s hard to believe that a bullet, even one made from adamantium, could cause such significant memory loss.
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The plot device feels contrived and forces the character into a storyline that doesn’t add up, detracting from the emotional impact of his journey. This has since been criticized as one of the weakest aspects of X-Men Origins, as it makes little logical sense in relation to Wolverine’s powers. Moreover, as mentioned above, Wolverine’s subsequent memory loss becomes somewhat selective by The Wolverine.
1 "What Would You Prefer? Yellow Spandex?"
X-Men (2000)
In X-Men (2000), Wolverine makes a quip about the X-Men’s black leather uniforms, to which Cyclops replies, “What would you prefer? Yellow spandex?” The line was meant to be a playful jab at the idea of translating the colorful, spandex-heavy costumes of the comics onto the big screen. At the time, this comment was a humorous jibe, but it now feels more like an ission of the filmmakers’ reluctance to fully embrace the comic book aesthetic.
With the triumphant success of Wolverine’s comic-accurate costume in Deadpool & Wolverine, the line is incredibly frustrating, as, evidently, audiences would have absolutely preferred the yellow spandex. It feels like another moment where the filmmakers are embarrassed to be making a superhero movie. Indeed, the line is now a reminder of the early X-Men movies’ hesitance to embrace the visual flamboyance of the original comics.
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X-Men
- Release Date
- July 13, 2000
- Runtime
- 104 minutes
- Director
- Bryan Singer
Cast
Logan / Wolverine
Xavier
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingRENTBUYX-Men, released in 2000, introduces Wolverine and Rogue as they Professor Xavier's private academy for mutants. The resident superhero team, the X-Men, led by Xavier, confronts a terrorist organization of mutants with similar abilities, highlighting the ongoing conflict between humans and mutants.
- Writers
- Bryan Singer, David Hayter, Tom DeSanto
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel, X-Men
- Budget
- $75 Million
- Studio(s)
- Marvel
- Distributor(s)
- 20th Century
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X-Men Origins: Wolverine
6/10- Release Date
- April 28, 2009
- Runtime
- 107 minutes
- Director
- Gavin Hood
Cast
-
Logan / Wolverine
Liev SchreiberVictor Creed
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingRENTBUYX-Men Origins: Wolverine explores the backstory of the iconic mutant Wolverine, portrayed by Hugh Jackman. Released in 2009, the film delves into Logan's journey through the Weapon X program as he seeks revenge for his girlfriend's death while uncovering complex relationships with other mutants.
- Writers
- David Benioff, Skip Woods
- Franchise(s)
- X-Men
- Budget
- $150 million
- Studio(s)
- 20th Century
- Distributor(s)
- 20th Century
-
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X-Men: The Last Stand
6/10- Release Date
- May 26, 2006
- Runtime
- 104 minutes
- Director
- Brett Ratner
Cast
-
Logan / Wolverine
-
Professor Charles Xavier
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingRENTBUYX-Men: The Last Stand is the third film in the X-Men series, featuring the conflict between mutants over a newly discovered cure for mutations. The film showcases the X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier, opposing the Brotherhood, led by Magneto, as tensions escalate within the mutant community.
- Writers
- Zak Penn, Simon Kinberg
- Franchise(s)
- X-Men, Marvel
- Budget
- $210 Million
- Studio(s)
- 20th Century, Marvel Entertainment, The Donner's Company, Dune Entertainment, Ingenious Film Partners
- Distributor(s)
- 20th Century
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The Wolverine
7/10- Release Date
- July 26, 2013
- Runtime
- 126 Minutes
- Director
- James Mangold
Cast
-
Logan / Wolverine
Hiroyuki SanadaShingen Harada / Lord Shingen
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingRENTBUYThe Wolverine: This film follows Logan, portrayed by Hugh Jackman, as he undertakes a transformative journey in Japan. Confronted by his most formidable adversaries, Wolverine is pushed to his physical, emotional, and mortal limits while navigating challenges that alter his life and identity forever.
- Writers
- Mark Bomback, Scott Frank
- Franchise(s)
- The Wolverine
- Budget
- 120 million
- Studio(s)
- 20th Century
- Distributor(s)
- 20th Century
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