25 Years and 10 Movies In, Marvel Fans Want Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine to Finally Ditch This Tired Habit
Twenty-five years, ten movies, and a slate of TV shows later, Marvel is still milking the Wolverine–Cyclops–Jean Grey love triangle — and fans are done watching Wolverine pine for Jean while she stays with Cyclops.
Marvel has kept the Wolverine/Jean/Cyclops triangle on life support for 25 years and 10 movies (plus the shows), and fans are understandably over it. At this point, it feels less like a story choice and more like a studio habit that keeps getting grandfathered in.
The triangle that refuses to die
The setup has barely changed since the early Uncanny X-Men days: Wolverine falls hard for Jean Grey, Jean stays with Cyclops, and Logan basically lives in that limbo forever. The movies even flirted with the idea of Jean using his feelings when it suited the plot. And in X-Men '97, Wolverine's crush is almost a leash — it keeps him from going full berserker. Meanwhile, Jean and Scott are trying to build a life, and the third wheel never leaves the frame.
Why it does more harm than good
The problem is simple: the triangle rarely goes anywhere. All that screen time could go to actual relationships that deepen the characters — not just Jean and Scott as partners, but Wolverine's other meaningful connections. The comics have shown plenty of alternatives over the years: Logan and Storm as a legit couple; long, complicated histories with Mariko Yashida and Yukio. Sure, he and Jean have had charged moments (there is a notable kiss in Uncanny X-Men #394), but making Jean his lifelong fixation keeps both of them stuck in a loop.
Movies leaned into it because the comics did, but that doesn't mean the films had to stop there. Let Wolverine grow, let Jean be more than the object of his longing, and give Scott something to do beyond 'steady boyfriend who gets side-eyed by the audience.'
Where the comics have taken it lately
In current canon, Jean and Logan share an intense bond that goes way beyond romance. Thanks to her telepathy, she has access to his full past — as one commenter put it on Jan 17, 2025, Jean knows 'every. single. thing.' about Wolverine. That dynamic works best as an ultra-close friendship — two people who understand each other completely — and honestly, the screen versions would be smarter to play that angle instead of recycling the pine-and-sigh routine.
Hugh Jackman might get another round — and he knows it
With Deadpool & Wolverine pulling him back into the claws, Hugh Jackman has already walked back his retirement once. Now he is toying with the idea of doing it again for the much-rumored Avengers: Doomsday, which is supposed to officially fold the X-Men into the MCU. Asked about it on The Graham Norton Show (via Digital Spy), he kept it coy:
Maybe. I'm never saying 'never' ever again. I did mean it until the day I changed my mind. I did mean it for quite a few years. I have done ten films now, so I think they have enough for an AI version of me!
Two decades in, it is still hard to picture anyone else doing the snarl-and-soul routine like Jackman. For the record, here is his full run as Logan:
- X-Men (2000) - Major
- X2: X-Men United (2003) - Major
- X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) - Major
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) - Lead
- X-Men: First Class (2011) - Cameo
- The Wolverine (2013) - Lead
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Major
- X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) - Cameo
- Logan (2017) - Lead
- Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) - Lead
Where this could go next
Deadpool & Wolverine proved there is still a ton of goodwill for the character — and yes, we finally got the classic suit on screen. If Marvel is smart, the next step is easy: keep Wolverine and Jean close, keep them honest, and retire the romantic pining. Let Logan find peace that doesn't hinge on a woman who is happily with someone else. Let Jean be a character, not a goal.
Would you ditch the triangle for good, or do you still want it in the mix?