Back in 2000, Fox released X-Men upon a world that had been wounded by Batman & Robin just three years before. It was a world that never expected to see a big budget comic book movie again. X-Men helped change all of that and now all movies are comic book movies. Isn’t the future great?!
Part of the success of X-Men lies in Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of Logan aka Wolverine aka Stab Man aka Knifey Boy. Thanks to John Woo being unable to finish Mission: Impossible II in a reasonable amount of time, Dougray Scott had to drop out of the production and the part went to Jackman, making him a star. 15 years later, Jackman has confirmed that the upcoming third stand-alone Wolverine film will be the last time he plays the character.
It will be sad to see him go but we can dry our tears by remembering some great quotes from the X-Men movies of yore.
Wolverine: “Hey! Hey! It’s me.”
Cyclops: “Prove it.”
Wolverine: “You’re a dick.” – X-Men
Attacked by the shape-shifting Mystique inside the Statue of Liberty, the X-Men were on their toes as she could have been any one of them. Apparently, though, this was all Cyclops needed for reassurance?
Sabretooth: “Tell me something, Jimmy. Do you even know how to kill me?”
Wolverine: “I’m gonna cut your god damn head off. See if that works.” – X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Say what you want about this movie (it’s not like anything’s ever stopped you before, right?), but Liev Schcriber made a pretty kick-ass Sabretooth. Why is he so different in this than in the first X-Men film? Because movies, that’s why.
Bar thug: “I know what you are.”
Wolverine: “You lost your money. You keep this up, you’ll lose something else.” – X-Men
Even fifteen years later, it takes a lot of willpower to not geek out upon getting to see Wolverine’s claws for the first time in a live-action setting. Well, unless you’re the guy he’s pointing them at. Then it’s probably not as cool.
William Drake: “What exactly are you a professor of, Mr. Logan?”
Wolverine: “Art” – X2: X-Men United
Because he’s rough and gruff and growly and art is for sissies! Ha ha! Get it, you guys?! Heh. Anyway, This line also served as a break in the tension of a scene that was — for a superhero flick, anyway =- pretty intense.
Cop: “Put the knives down!”
Wolverine: “I can’t.” – X2: X-Men United
You know, he’s sort of correct. Sure, he could easily have retracted the claws but, technically, he couldn’t put them down. Granted, that’s nowhere near as funny. So… yeah, this was the better line.
(Mutant with regeneration powers regrows limbs as fast as Logan can slice them off so Logan kicks mutant in the nuts)
Wolverine: “Grow those back!” – X-Men: The Last Stand
What’s great about this line is that it kind of harkens back to the days of the 80’s action movie one liners that Stallone or Schwarzenegger would spout. Combine that with a nut shot and you have classic cinema.
Hank McCoy: “I said the school’s closed! You need to leave!”
Wolverine: “Not until I see the professor.”
Hank: “There’s no professor here! I told you that.”
Wolverine: “Look, kid. You and I are gonna be good friends.”
(Logan punches Beast)
Wolverine: “You just don’t know it yet.” – X-Men: Days of Future Past
Considering that Logan and Beast don’t technically meet for the first time until the third film, this exchange hints upon a whole relationship that takes place off screen. Logan certainly didn’t seem to hesitate to punch someone who he considers a “good friend”, though, did he?
Stryker: “Your country needs you!”
Wolverine: “I’m Canadian” – X-Men Origins: Wolverine
This is something the previous films didn’t seem to touch upon much when it came to the character’s comic book origins: the fact that he’s from Canada. Of course, he’s also supposed to be really short, too. But, hey, we also could have never gotten any X-Men movies at all. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!
Stryker: “You were sentenced to death for decapitating a senior officer. The warden tells me that your sentence was carried out by a firing squad at 1000 hours. How’d that go?”
Wolverine: “It tickled.” – X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Wolverine has a healing factor, you guys? Did you know he has a healing factor? He totally has a healing factor.
Magneto: “Excuse me. I’m Erik Lehnsherr.”
Prof. X: “Charles Xavier”
Wolverine: “Go f**k yourself.” – X-Men: First Class
In one ten second clip that could have easily been cut from the film, X-Men: First Class almost nails the character of Wolverine better than any of the other previous films. Remember, kids: you can say the F-word in a movie twice before it goes from PG-13 to R!
