When thinking about the large variety of characters introduced over the course of Marvel comics' long history, it’s almost impossible not to mention the creative genius that is Stan Lee. Every glorious tale, every powerful superhero, and every universe-shattering event all stem from the genius mind of one man. Thanks to Stan, Marvel superheroes feel like real people in the real world, and some would argue that no characters portray this more clearly than the astonishing X-Men.
An oppressed group of mutants never fully accepted by the outside world, the X-Men absolutely changed the game when they first came out in the 1960s. Its strong message and connections to real-world social issues ultimately made it one of the most famous comic book series of all time. However, I like to think that was also courtesy of the extremely unique and likable characters that would, over the years, make up the team. But the most popular member, without a shred of doubt, is none other than Old Man Logan himself, THE WOLVERINE.
Wolverine was easily the most popular X-Men character when he was introduced, and to this day, he still holds the record for the most well-known mutant in the Marvel universe. That being said, it was inevitable that he would play a pivotal role in most of the X-Men movies that came out over the years. That’s right if you have a popular comic book or hell, even any kind of profitable franchise, you know it’s only a matter of time before Hollywood sucks it up, and with comic book movies being a whole separate entity of money making, especially in the early 2000s, it was only a matter of time before the X-Men and Logan respectively hit the big screen. But who would they choose to play this 5-foot-1” stocky, angry, troll-looking man? A 6-foot, lean, charming actor with a background in musical theater and the voice of an angel. That’s who, of course!
Yeah, this was definitely a shocker at the time. Not since casting Michael Keaton as Batman in 1989 has a casting seemed this polar opposite of the character. As you can imagine, diehard comic book fans were certainly worried, and there was indeed a lot of backlash. However, in the same vein is Michael Keaton‘s Batman, the franchise’s very first theatrical release.” X-Men” dropped in 2000 to critical acclaim as well as fan praise. And to this day, what is the one aspect of the movie that people still say is close to perfect? It’s the casting.
The cocky yet reserved James Marsden as Cyclops, the incredibly talented charm of Halle Berry as Storm, and, who could forget, the casting duo of the century, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen as Professor X and Magneto, respectively. Undoubtedly, the stand-out casting was none other than the greatest showman himself, Hugh Jackman, as Wolverine. In fact, he and the film were so popular they both warranted a sequel… and another one… and then about six more.
That’s right, X-Men was now officially a multi-film franchise, and with that being said, Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine went down as one of the most iconic characters in all of cinema, right up there with Robert Downey Jr.‘s Iron Man and Ariana Grande‘s Glinda the Good. Jackman’s portrayal of Wolverine was so beloved, in fact, that they recently brought it back in the newest Deadpool film, along with his classic yellow suit from the comics, because let’s be honest, what were you expecting? Black leather? Anyway, go watch a Hugh Jackman movie today. And remember… READ MORE COMICS!!!
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