Logan (film character)
James Howlett, also known as Logan or by his codename Wolverine (after the animal wolverine), is a fictional character originating as the main protagonist of 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series, and appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise produced by Marvel Studios. He is portrayed by Hugh Jackman and based on the Marvel Comics character Wolverine, created by Len Wein and John Romita Sr.
"Wolverine (film series character)" redirects here. For the comic book character, see Wolverine (character).Logan
X-Men (2000)
- Mark Hamill (X2: Wolverine's Revenge)
- Hugh Jackman (X-Men: The Official Game, X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
James Howlett
Logan
- Wolverine
- Weapon X
- Thomas Logan (biological father)
- Elizabeth Howlett (mother)
- John Howlett (stepfather)
- Victor Creed (half-brother)
- X-24 (clone)
Laura (biological daughter)
Canadian
- Weapon X
- 45825233-T78 (dog tags)
Logan has been the central figure of the film series, having appeared in nine films since his introduction in X-Men (2000).
The character and Jackman's performance have been credited with helping to cement the series as a multi-billion-dollar franchise, with Logan's appearance often being considered the face of the X-Men.
For his portrayal of Logan, Jackman held the Guinness World Record of the "longest career as a live-action Marvel character", alongside Patrick Stewart,[2] until this was later surpassed by Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe who reprised their roles of Peter Parker / Spider-Man and Norman Osborn / Green Goblin from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy in the MCU film Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, though Stewart alone would retake the title later in 2022 following his appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Jackman is set to return to reprise the role in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), produced by Marvel Studios and set in the MCU, surpassing Stewart yet again.
Background and creation[edit]
Initial character creation[edit]
In the 1970s, Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas asked writer Len Wein to devise a character specifically named Wolverine, who is Canadian and of small stature and with a wolverine's fierce temper. John Romita Sr. designed the first Wolverine costume, and believes he introduced the retractable claws, saying, "When I make a design, I want it to be practical and functional. I thought, 'If a man has claws like that, how does he scratch his nose or tie his shoelaces?'"[10] Wolverine first appeared in the final "teaser" panel of The Incredible Hulk #180 (cover-dated Oct. 1974) written by Wein and penciled by Herb Trimpe. The character then appeared in a number of advertisements in various Marvel Comics publications before making his first major appearance in The Incredible Hulk #181 (Nov. 1974) again by the Wein–Trimpe team. In 2009, Trimpe said he "distinctly remembers" Romita's sketch and that, "The way I see it, [Romita and Wein] sewed the monster together and I shocked it to life!... It was just one of those secondary or tertiary characters, actually, that we were using in that particular book with no particular notion of it going anywhere. We did characters in The [Incredible] Hulk all the time that were in [particular] issues and that was the end of them."[11]
In 1975's Giant-Size X-Men #1, written by Wein and penciled by Dave Cockrum, Wolverine is recruited for a new squad. Gil Kane illustrated the cover artwork but incorrectly drew Wolverine's mask with larger headpieces. Dave Cockrum liked Kane's accidental alteration (he thought the original was too similar to Batman's mask) and incorporated it into his own artwork for the actual story.[12] Cockrum was also the first artist to draw Wolverine without his mask, and the distinctive hairstyle became a trademark of the character.[13] A revival of X-Men followed, beginning with X-Men #94 (August 1975), drawn by Cockrum and written by Chris Claremont. In X-Men and Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine is initially overshadowed by the other characters, although he does create tension in the team as he is attracted to Cyclops' girlfriend, Jean Grey. As the series progressed, Claremont and Cockrum (who preferred Nightcrawler[14]) considered dropping Wolverine from the series;[14] Cockrum's successor, artist John Byrne, championed the character, later explaining, as a Canadian himself, he did not want to see a Canadian character dropped.[13][15] Byrne modeled his rendition of Wolverine on actor Paul D'Amato, who played Dr. Hook in the 1977 sports film Slap Shot.[16]
Early efforts to transition to film[edit]
Marvel Comics writers and chief editors Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas wrote an X-Men screenplay in 1984 when Orion Pictures held an option on the film rights, but development stalled when Orion began facing financial troubles.[17] Throughout 1989 and 1990, Stan Lee and Chris Claremont were in discussions with Carolco Pictures for an X-Men film adaptation,[18] with James Cameron as producer and Kathryn Bigelow directing. A story treatment was written by Bigelow, with Bob Hoskins being considered for Wolverine and Angela Bassett being considered for the role of Storm. The deal fell apart when Stan Lee piqued Cameron's interest on a Spider-Man film.[19] Carolco went bankrupt, and the film rights reverted to Marvel.[18] In December 1992, Marvel discussed selling the property to Columbia Pictures to no avail.[20] Meanwhile, Avi Arad produced the animated X-Men TV series for Fox Kids. 20th Century Fox was impressed by the success of the TV show, and producer Lauren Shuler Donner purchased the film rights for them in 1994,[18][21] bringing Andrew Kevin Walker to write the script.[22]
Walker's draft involved Professor Xavier recruiting Wolverine into the X-Men, which consists of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, and Angel. The Brotherhood of Mutants, which consisted of Magneto, Sabretooth, Toad, Juggernaut and the Blob, try to conquer New York City, while Henry Peter Gyrich and Bolivar Trask attack the X-Men with three 8-foot (2.4 m) tall Sentinels. The script focused on the rivalry between Wolverine and Cyclops, as well as the latter's self-doubt as a field leader. Part of the backstory invented for Magneto made him the cause of the Chernobyl disaster. The script also featured the X-Copter and the Danger Room. Walker turned in his second draft in June 1994.[23] Laeta Kalogridis,[24] John Logan, James Schamus,[25] and Joss Whedon were brought on for subsequent rewrites. One of these scripts kept the idea of Magneto turning Manhattan into a "mutant homeland", while another hinged on a romance between Wolverine and Storm.[21] Whedon's draft featured the Danger Room, and concluded with Jean Grey dressed as the Phoenix.[26] According to Entertainment Weekly, this screenplay was rejected because of its "quick-witted pop culture-referencing tone",[27] and the finished film contained only two dialogue exchanges that Whedon had contributed.[28] Michael Chabon pitched a six-page film treatment to Fox in 1996. It focused heavily on character development between Wolverine and Jubilee and included Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Beast, Iceman, and Storm. Under Chabon's plan, the villains would not have been introduced until the second film.[29]
Characterization[edit]
Personality[edit]
Relying on his senses and his instincts to get him around, Logan's personality comes in ranking as an ISTP according to the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator.[41] His personage has been reviewed as a 'loner', often taking leave from the X-Men to deal with personal issues or problems. He is often irreverent and rebellious towards authority figures, although he is a reliable ally and capable leader, and has occasionally displayed a wry, sarcastic sense of humor. The character in the film had few lines, but much emotion to convey in them thus, Jackman watched Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movies and Mel Gibson in Mad Max 2 as inspirations.[42]