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He’s strong, he’s short-tempered, and he’s got sharp metal claws. When it comes to comic book film stars, Wolverine is in a league of his own.

Hugh Jackman began portraying the character in the 2000 film X-Men, and has gone on to reprise the role in numerous sequels and spin-offs. Wolverine is one of the most recognizable members of the X-Men, a popular superhero team comprised of mutants. Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of the beloved character has ensured that Wolverine’s legacy will never die. If you’re looking to dive into Wolverine’s cinematic career and don't know where to start, we’ve compiled a few lists to get you started.

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Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst
• Our weekly Marvel insider's column, Marvel Matters

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Every Wolverine film in release order

Hugh Jackman’s career as Wolverine dates all the way back to the beginning of the century. Wolverine made his cinematic debut in the 2000 film X-Men, and appeared steadily in films until Jackman chose to retire the character in the 2017 film Logan. Thanks to the recently released Deadpool & Wolverine, it turned out that retirement was only temporary. If you’re looking to track Jackman’s career as Wolverine, here are all his films in release order. 

• X-Men (2000)
• X2: X-Men United (2003)
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
• X-Men: First Class (2011)
• The Wolverine (2013)
• X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
• X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
• Logan (2017)
• Deadpool 2 (2018)
• Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

It should be noted that not all these films are full-length feature appearances. For example, Wolverine only appears for one scene in X-Men: First Class, and his appearance in X-Men: Apocalypse is very brief. Wolverine’s appearance in Deadpool 2 is a brief cameo that uses a combination of new and unused footage from X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The appearance is for the purpose of a joke, and it’s less than a minute long. However, we’re including all those appearances here for the purpose of completion. Just don’t expect a lot of Wolverine action in Deadpool 2.

Every Wolverine film in chronological order

The X-Men film franchise that Wolverine appears in has the tendency to jump around the timeline. For example, the film X-Men: First Class is a prequel to the 2000 X-Men film, taking place in a different decade.

If you would prefer to watch the films in a chronological order, we’ve put together a list to help you. It should be noted that some films take place across multiple time periods. For example, X-Men Origins: Wolverine has some scenes set in 1845, but the majority of the film takes place in 1979. In that instance, we’ve placed the film right after X-Men: Days of Future Past, where a majority of the scenes are set in 1973. We’ve made an exception for Deadpool 2. While the film takes place in 2018, the Wolverine cameo is set in 1979 concurrently with his appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Since this watch order is focused on Wolverine, we’ve set the chronology for Deadpool 2 based on when he appeared.

• X-Men: First Class (2011)
• X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)/Deadpool 2 (2018)
• X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
• X-Men (2000)
• X2: X-Men United (2003)
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
• The Wolverine (2013)
• Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
• Logan (2017)

How does the timeline work?

The X-Men films take place in two different timelines, which can be confusing as you’re following Wolverine’s story. This is due to the 2023 version of Wolverine traveling back to 1973 in the film X-Men: Days of Future Past. Wolverine’s actions in the past alter the timeline, resulting in a new continuity when he returns to the future.

If you’re confused, we suggest using the Back to the Future films as an example. After Marty McFly returns from 1955 in the first film, he finds that his family’s status quo has changed in 1985. The timeline in the X-Men movies works the same way. That’s why the version of Wade Wilson we see in X-Men Origins: Wolverine is different from the one we see in the Deadpool films, even though they’re both played by Ryan Reynolds.

If it helps, just remember that every movie released before 2014 takes place in the original timeline, while every film released afterwards takes place in the new timeline. If you’re still confused, then our next list should help you out.

Follow Wolverine’s story in time travel order

Wolverine’s time travel journey can make a chronological watch-through of his filmography a bit confusing, so we’ve created a time travel order to help make sense of things. This watchlist follows Wolverine’s adventures in the original timeline chronologically, followed by his trip to the past, then his chronological adventures in the new timeline. We've also noted Deadpool & Wolverine here, which partially exists in a separate timeline of its own, and features a Wolverine variant that is actually not part of the previous Fox movies.

Technically. To explain further would spoil the movie, which you can choose to do for yourself, if you like. 

Original Timeline

• X-Men: First Class (2011)
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)/Deadpool 2 (2018)
• X-Men (2000)
• X2: X-Men United (2003)
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
• The Wolverine (2013)

Wolverine travels back to 1973 and changes the timeline

• X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

The Altered Timeline Begins

• X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
• Logan (2017)

Deadpool recruits a Wolverine Variant

• Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Wolverine in the original X-Men series

If you’re just looking to watch Wolverine’s appearances in the original X-Men film franchise, here’s how you would do it.

• X-Men (2000)
• X2: X-Men United (2003)
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Wolverine’s appearances in the First Class series

In 2011, 20th Century Fox began a new series of X-Men films. These films were set in the past, and focused on the early days of the team. It’s hard to imagine an X-Men series without Wolverine, so naturally he was included. Wolverine has a small role in X-Men: First Class and X-Men Apocalypse, but he’s a key player in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Although the 2019 film Dark Phoenix is the final chapter of this series, Wolverine does not appear in the movie, therefore it isn’t included on this list.

• X-Men: First Class (2011)
• X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
• X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

The Wolverine trilogy (and one team-up)

The popularity of Wolverine led to a trilogy of solo films starring the character. Interestingly, each installment of the Wolverine trilogy took place during a different time period. X-Men Origins: Wolverine focused on his early days before meeting the X-Men. The Wolverine took place in contemporary times, and dealt with the fallout of the events seen in the original X-Men trilogy. Logan took place in 2029, and (SPOILERS) ends with the death of Wolverine. Although it might seem disjointed, the Wolverine trilogy tells us the beginning, the middle, and the end of Wolverine’s life, making it an interesting biography on the famous mutant.

But then, because he's a wascally wabbit, Deadpool decided to pluck another Wolverine out of a different but adjacent continuity and throw him into the mix. So that's on here too - technically earlier than Logan.

• X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
• The Wolverine (2013)
• Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
• Logan (2017)

Is Logan canon?

The film Logan is set in 2029, taking place after every other film in the X-Men franchise. Logan paints a dark picture of the future for mutants. Prior to the events of the film, Xavier’s diminishing health had caused him to accidentally unleash a psychic attack, killing all of the X-Men. Wolverine survived due to his rapid healing powers. The bleakness of this future, and Wolverine’s death at the conclusion, has caused some viewers to speculate that the film takes place in an alternate timeline.

In the leadup to the film’s release Hugh Jackman told Digital Spy that Logan took place in a separate timeline. However this statement was clarified by director James Mangold, who stated that Logan was set in the same continuity as the rest of the X-Men films.

Some viewers have noted that Wolverine and Xavier discuss the events of the 2000 X-Men film, which was erased after Logan time traveled in X-Men: Days of Future Past. However, the conclusion of X-Men: Days of Future Past established that both Wolverine and Xavier remember the original timeline, which explains why they reference the events in Logan.

Are the Wolverine movies part of the MCU?

Years before the launch of the MCU, Marvel licensed the X-Men film rights to 20th Century Fox. This meant that Marvel Studios did not have the film rights to incorporate Wolverine into the MCU. Some X-Men elements made it into the MCU, like Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, but they were not depicted as mutants (at least, so far).

In 2019 Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, which opened the door to introducing the X-Men into the MCU. Recent MCU projects have alluded to the existence of mutants, and Patrick Stewart reprised his role as Charles Xavier (albeit a different version) in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Although Hugh Jackman initially viewed Logan as his farewell to Wolverine, he returned to his role one last time (?) in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine. Without getting too much into it and spoiling the film, the movie does blend together the Fox X-Men movies and the MCU in a way that, before now, they were not.

Is Wolverine Logan or James?

Actually, it's both.

While Logan was Wolverine's real name for decades in comic lore, in 2001 Marvel published Wolverine: Origin which revealed his birth name was James Howlett. Since then, the names have been used relatively interchangeably.

Who is Wolverine in Avengers?

While Wolverine is best known as an X-Man, he has been a member of the Avengers - albeit relatively late in his publishing life. With the Avengers revamp in the mid-00s, Marvel's most popular characters that had previously never been members of the Avengers were finally roped in - and that meant Wolverine and Spider-Man.

Wolverine has gone on to be a member of numerous Avengers teams since.

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