During his extensive career in Fox's X-Men franchise, Wolverine's lowest point earned a scathing review from Roger Ebert - but it helps to prove how well Hugh Jackman's iconic Marvel character has developed. Hugh Jackman's Wolverine first graced the silver screen in 2000's X-Men, where he was established as the de facto main character of the franchise. He would then star in five subsequent X-men movies, cameo in another two, and ultimately jump into the MCU alongside Deadpool in Wolverine's most successful movie to date, Deadpool & Wolverine.

The fact that Fox felt compelled to have Hugh Jackman cameo as Wolverine in two of the X-Men movies that otherwise spotlighted other mutants is a testament to his then-growing star power. The same can be said for the fact that he also starred in four eponymous movies: X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, Logan, and Deadpool & Wolverine. Needless to say, one of these solo outings is a conspicuous outlier that drew the ire of one of the world's most famous critics - though his comments would precede a meteoric rise.

Roger Ebert Really Didn't Like X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Roger Ebert Was Among The Movie's Many Critics

2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine remains one of the worst-rated X-Men movies ever made, with many criticisms leveled at its hollow script, substandard CGI, and the mishandling of beloved characters like Deadpool. Roger Ebert was among many critics for whom the movie fell decidedly flat. The legendary critic, who sadly died four years later in 2013, rarely wrote scathing reviews for movies and would offer ratings out of four stars given with context in mind - meaning a superhero movie rating would be made in comparison to other superhero movies, for example.

The negative reception to X-Men Origins: Wolverine preceded a reboot of the franchise with X-Men: First Class , where Wolverine only cameoed, which thankfully helped to steer Fox's X-Men efforts back on track.

Roger Ebert gave X-Men Origins: Wolverine two stars - which, by Ebert's standards, is a pretty low score. He cited a lack of substance in Origins' dialogue, lambasting the fact that the movie did not offer any lessons or introspection and instead comprised "mayhem, noise and pretty pictures." Interestingly enough, however, Ebert seemed to have taken the most umbrage with Wolverine as a character far beyond what he perceived to be a poor script, leveling the majority of his criticism against the entire concept of the protagonist.

Ebert Had Major Problems With Wolverine

Roger Ebert Struggled To Care About A Character That Can't Die

The brunt of Roger Ebert's review took aim at the diminished stakes engendered by Wolverine's superpowers. Wolverine's healing factor is among the most powerful in Marvel Comics and is as central to his identity as his iconic claws, though it does mean that he is functionally immortal. This makes him a valuable asset on any team, as was demonstrated in him being able to kill Jean Grey in X-Men: The Last Stand, as well as an endless font of action sequences. It is also what drew the ire of Ebert, who stated:

"At least, you hope, he has an interesting vulnerability? I'm sure X-Men scholars can tell you what it is, although since he has the gift of instant healing, it's hard to pinpoint. When a man can leap from an exploding truck, cling to an attacking helicopter, slice the rotor blades, ride it to the ground, leap free and walk away (in that ancient cliche where there's a fiery explosion behind him but he doesn't seem to notice it), here's what I think: Why should I care about this guy? He feels no pain and nothing can kill him, so therefore he's essentially a story device for action sequences."

While there is a notable inaccuracy in Ebert's criticism when suggesting that Wolverine doesn't feel pain, it's easy to see where Ebert is coming from. X-Men Origins: Wolverine uses Wolverine's healing factor to its fullest potential when delivering excessive action sequences, which are arguably among the movie's highlights, but doesn't offer Wolverine much character development while the stakes are suitably diminished by being unkillable. Thankfully, Wolverine's decorated cinematic career since has more than made up for the shortfalls addressed by Roger Ebert.

Hugh Jackman's Roles In Logan & Deadpool & Wolverine Are The Perfect Answer To Ebert

Wolverine Is Made Incredibly Vulnerable In His Last Two Movies

The lack of depth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine was rectified by Logan eight years later in 2017. Not only did Logan deliver an unprecedented level of pathos for a superhero movie, but it flipped Wolverine's invulnerability on its head by dooming Logan to an inevitable death. Logan also subjects Wolverine to some exceptionally torturous circumstances as he harbors his ailing friend and mentor, Charles Xavier, one year after his psychic powers accidentally killed several X-Men. It also introduces Logan's biological daughter, Laura, before finally killing Wolverine during his efforts to protect her.

This anguish motivates him while touching moments of exposition with Laura and Deadpool turn him into Deadpool & Wolverine 's most complex character.

Logan's emotional vulnerability in Logan was then intensified in Deadpool & Wolverine as his variant, dubbed "Worst Wolverine," suffers immense guilt for killing an unspecified number of humans - some of whom are implied to be innocent. This manifests as an alcohol addiction that highlights Wolverine's deep emotional pain. This anguish motivates him while touching moments of exposition with Laura and Deadpool turn him into Deadpool & Wolverine's most complex character.

Deadpool and wolverine with Old Man Logan cover
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Wolverine's Tragic Backstory In Deadpool & Wolverine Has Roots In A Shocking X-Men Comics Storyline

Deadpool & Wolverine adapts a familiar moment from X-Men movies and X-Men comic book lore to create the most harrowing backstory for Wolverine.

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While Logan was the perfect send-off for Fox's iconic main character, Deadpool & Wolverine helped polish the legacy that X-Men Origins: Wolverine threatened to tarnish. Now, 15 years after starring in a superhero movie that typified some of the genre's most common criticisms, Wolverine is the antithesis of Ebert's. Better still, with Worst Wolverine now officially being a part of the MCU, it seems clear that his journey isn't done yet.

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Source: Roger Ebert