Hugh Jackman returns to the big screen in Deadpool & Wolverine seven years after he closed the chapter in Logan. Within those years, there had been numerous comic book films released by both Marvel and DC. But, according to the X-Men star, every other superhero movie “fizzled out” after the release of Batman movies.
Jackman found success in playing Wolverine in 2000’s X-Men and continued to appear in the succeeding installments. For the actor, it was more than just a story of mutants but a platform to help those who are disregarded.
Hugh Jackman Thinks X-Men Revitalized Superhero Genre
While speaking with Total Film magazine, actor Hugh Jackman revealed there were low expectations on X-Men. The hype on superheroes only heightened after the release of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films but it was the X-Men movies that changed the game.
We were on the low-tide version of that genre. It’d gone way up with the Batman movies and fizzled out. But when the X-Men came in, people felt like it represented the source material about giving voice to the marginalized.
In 2017, Jackman recalled via Collider how, ten years ago, nobody believed the franchise would become a massive success, not to mention even last this long. Over the years, it continued to grow and evolve.
I think X-Men did a lot, particularly when it opened up in a concentration camp and the idea that we were taking it seriously in terms of more humanistic rather than superhuman.
Indeed, this is where it comes in when Jackman said the X-Men films appealed to marginalized people because they resonated with the characters and the whole storyline of mutants being different from humans.
Jackman also did not forget to acknowledge Nolan’s efforts in setting the standard when it comes to the superhero genre. “I think Nolan really just raised the bar to a whole new level and made people see beyond just any kind of genre,” the Australian actor quipped.
The concept of superhero fatigue is quite a regular discussion now, but Jackman believes there hasn’t been a good superhero film that can match the level of X-Men movies since The Dark Knight trilogy.
Hugh Jackman Is A Big Batman Fan
In his interview with Variety, the Wolverine star revealed his favorite superhero movies. While he loved Christopher Reeve’s Superman growing up, he confessed to being a huge fan of Batman.
I’m gonna say, I’m thinking one of the Nolan Batmans. I’m gonna go Dark Knight.
There’s no doubt Jackman is a huge Batman fanatic. But, now that he’s back playing Wolverine, a role which many used to tell him to leave because it’s “dead in the water”, he will be starring in one of the most anticipated films of the year.
Somehow there hasn’t been a hit in the past few years as Marvel Studios struggles to fight the superhero fatigue and the streak of flopped projects. With Deadpool & Wolverine almost around the corner, Jackman can finally say superhero movies are back!
Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on July 26.
