[~Search4Truth~]

I'm kind of late to this thread. It's interesting to read all the comments though, especially from hardcore comic fans and fans of the cartoon since I do not have that background.

Originally Posted by L i N d $ @ y (View Post) I don't hate Wolverine but he wasn't my favorite. I mean I like Gambit & Cyclops more than I do Wolverine. I'm not exactly sure why Wolverine is the popular one in the movies. Was it because it was Hugh Jackman playing him?

I'm going to give my opinion on this because I think I come from a different perspective than most people here since I wasn't really a fan of the cartoons or comics before seeing the movie, and hopefully I don't annoy people. While I watched the original cartoons when I was little, I never had a favorite character and don't even remember the cartoons that clearly. I remember liking all the characters about equally. I don't read comic books and never have been into them, and when X-Men Evolution came out, I was in high school so I had stopped watching cartoons and TV shows for a while and focused on sports and studies ... so I never saw X-Men Evolution back then. So when I saw my first X-Men movie, I was pretty much no different from a person who knows nothing about X-Men and is just watching a movie to be entertained. Perhaps that means I'm not a true X-Men fan in the way others are. I don't know. But the movies made me love X-Men, and now I look back and watch the cartoons occasionally. So the movies drew more fans to the franchise.

Either way, I also saw my first X-Men movie much later - after several movies had already come out. Before watching, I knew most of the actors from other things (Anna, Patrick, Ian, James, Halle, and Ellen I for sure knew from other things), but in fact I did not know who Hugh Jackman was. I discovered Hugh Jackman from X-Men. So I point this out to emphasize that I had no biases towards Hugh or Wolverine whatsoever when I first saw X-Men. I simply knew nothing about Hugh and remembered very little about the character.

After watching the first movie, Wolverine was admittedly my favorite, and it was because of Hugh Jackman. I instantly became his fan and wanted to see all his movies. I think the man oozes charisma. It wasn't because he got more screen time. He had me captivated by the very first scene. I remember blurting out, "Who is this guy? He's awesome" before I was even 30 minutes into the movie.

I think my experience likely reflects the experience of many others who saw the movies with limited prior knowledge of X-Men. So I would imagine many people who had no attachment to the cartoons or comic books fell in love with Wolverine as well because of Hugh Jackman's portrayal of the character, rather than having actually been fans of the character before hand, and that probably showed in the reviews for the movie. While many people who watch X-Men are hardcore comic fans, I'm willing to bet at least half of the movie fan-base are people like me who just wanted to see a good movie and have no attachment to the characters in the cartoons or comics, nor care about "canon." And Hugh was essentially a "nobody" in Hollywood when X-Men first came out, and he catapulted to the top of the A-List relatively quickly, so he was destined to be a superstar. So I think the character's popularity in the movies is indeed a testament to Hugh more than it is a reflection of how popular Wolverine is in the comic books from what I have read in reviews.

I think other things that added to Wolverine getting so much attention in the movies is:
1) Every writer, director, and actor emphasizes how much they love working with Hugh and he makes a great impression to the point where people, even extras on set, have said they just want him to be around,
2) Hugh seems involved with the fans from my understanding more than any of the other actors. I think he even dressed up like cartoon Wolverine at Comic Con, and I even remember seeing an article mentioning how Hugh spent almost $5000 buying like 800 fans breakfast one morning when they were camping out, waiting to watch an X-Men movie...
3) Hugh puts his body through hell and back to get it looking more and more like the actual character with that crazy diet, fasting, and excessive training in the gym... and no other actor would probably dedicate as much time as he does to look like Wolverine just to give the fans what they want to see...

So I think those are some of the things that make Hugh very endearing, and I think he's earned that praise and I can easily understand why the character gets so much attention. I understand that annoys some X-Men fans, but I hope people don't blame Hugh for that. He reads the script for the X-Men movies after they are already written. He doesn't contribute to those scripts, though he does have input for his solo movies. It just so happens the writers always give him a rather big part.

Sorry that was so long. Hopefully I didn't annoy anybody. I'm actually studying to be a lawyer and scientist so... I'm used to writing a lot and don't know how not to - I'm used to thoroughly explaining my points. I had mentioned some of these things in other threads before, but nobody ever responded so maybe I should just shut up. Sorry.

[Sweet Embrace]

Hey you're always welcome to post as much as you like Its always interesting here because we all have different backgrounds. I was in HS and still watching the cartoons - me and my friend watched it together so it didn't feel weird to me - and by the time I found X-men Evolution I was like, wow this is awesome.

[~Search4Truth~]

Originally Posted by Sweet Embrace (View Post) Hey you're always welcome to post as much as you like

Aw thanks, Theresa! I just feel nervous posting sometimes when I know my opinion is a lot different because on past boards, there used to be a lot of hostility for disagreeing. And I'm used to typing a lot because I type really fast and sometimes have a lot to say and that used to annoy people at past boards I've been to and I'd feel kind of unwelcome. I'm so glad everyone on this board is inviting and open and not like that. Thanks for making me feel welcome.

Its always interesting here because we all have different backgrounds. I was in HS and still watching the cartoons - me and my friend watched it together so it didn't feel weird to me - and by the time I found X-men Evolution I was like, wow this is awesome.

You know, it's funny ... I would watch X-Men Evolution now if I had time. I saw some clips and enjoyed it. But when I was in high school, all I wanted to do was play basketball, work-out, and read so I can't see my high school self watching it. In college I was a student-athlete too so by then I didn't have time, although I probably would have watched it then too. Now I don't have time because I work and am a third year law student, but I've also become more efficient with my time so that opens up room to watch more than I could before.

[L i N d $ @ y]

Thanks TC for the long post and I will comment on some.

Originally Posted by ManhattanBabe (View Post) I'm going to give my opinion on this because I think I come from a different perspective than most people here since I wasn't really a fan of the cartoons or comics before seeing the movie, and hopefully I don't annoy people. While I watched the original cartoons when I was little, I never had a favorite character and don't even remember the cartoons that clearly. I remember liking all the characters about equally. I don't read comic books and never have been into them, and when X-Men Evolution came out, I was in high school so I had stopped watching cartoons and TV shows for a while and focused on sports and studies ... so I never saw X-Men Evolution back then. So when I saw my first X-Men movie, I was pretty much no different from a person who knows nothing about X-Men and is just watching a movie to be entertained. Perhaps that means I'm not a true X-Men fan in the way others are. I don't know. But the movies made me love X-Men, and now I look back and watch the cartoons occasionally. So the movies drew more fans to the franchise.

I don't think you need to read or understand the comics to be a fan of X-Men. I keep saying this on the HP board but if you don't read the books, that doesn't make you a lesser fan of the entire HP universe. Nor does it make you a greater fan if you've read all books, watched all movies, have merchandise, have been to the theme park, etc. That's not anyone's call. To me, if you have passion and love for a certain franchise, that's enough for me to be called a fan. I didn't watch Evolution back then, I was already working but the 90's animated series was the cartoon I watched growing up as a kid. Now figure my age.

After watching the first movie, Wolverine was admittedly my favorite, and it was because of Hugh Jackman. I instantly became his fan and wanted to see all his movies. I think the man oozes charisma. It wasn't because he got more screen time. He had me captivated by the very first scene. I remember blurting out, "Who is this guy? He's awesome" before I was even 30 minutes into the movie.

This is not to say that I didn't enjoy Hugh's portrayal in the movies. Watching the cartoons, he wasn't my favorite. But Hugh just made the character more likeable to me. Rogue, Scott, Jean, Gambit are my favorites from the cartoons but X-Men has changed up a lot in the movies obviously so my favorites from the cartoons are not going to be the same in the movies. They can either be close enough (Wolverine) or different (Rogue). So far for both cartoons & movies, I do like Scott & Jean. At least my OTP is OTP (for now).

[crash landing]

Thank you so much for that long post T its what we need to keep a lively board, keep the discussion going and build up an amazing topics

I Wolverine and Hugh really really has done an amazing job, his role as Wolverine has also made me curious about his other roles. I THINK and may be wrong, but think people's problem with Wolverine is that he seems from the movies and having his solo movies, have taken the spot light from other characters that should have bigger roles. Wolverine and even if you think about it Jean, have been pretty much the main focus for the original 3 movies. We've got Storm and Scott that are big leaders but we don't see very much of them, Scott died

So I know a good amount of people have seen the movies cause of the entertainment and nothing from the comics/cartoons, but it still seems some characters should have had more. So that's why I think some fans are annoyed at Wolverine/Hugh which sucks cause Hugh has done beyond an amazing job as Wolverine

Originally Posted by ManhattanBabe (View Post) Aw thanks, Theresa! I just feel nervous posting sometimes when I know my opinion is a lot different because on past boards, there used to be a lot of hostility for disagreeing. And I'm used to typing a lot because I type really fast and sometimes have a lot to say and that used to annoy people at past boards I've been to and I'd feel kind of unwelcome. I'm so glad everyone on this board is inviting and open and not like that. Thanks for making me feel welcome.

I understand and know what you mean by other boards can be hostile but you don't have to worry about that here We've got a great board of posters, and most of us have been around for like FOREVER and properly never liked hostile on other boards. We know that not everyone is going to have the same opinion, and we will work together to discuss topics respectfully and long posts like this with a lot of discussion is what we need to keep the board going and alive

[L i N d $ @ y]

Originally Posted by Beyond Insane (View Post) I Wolverine and Hugh really really has done an amazing job, his role as Wolverine has also made me curious about his other roles. I THINK and may be wrong, but think people's problem with Wolverine is that he seems from the movies and having his solo movies, have taken the spot light from other characters that should have bigger roles. Wolverine and even if you think about it Jean, have been pretty much the main focus for the original 3 movies. We've got Storm and Scott that are big leaders but we don't see very much of them, Scott died So I know a good amount of people have seen the movies cause of the entertainment and nothing from the comics/cartoons, but it still seems some characters should have had more. So that's why I think some fans are annoyed at Wolverine/Hugh which sucks cause Hugh has done beyond an amazing job as Wolverine

I agree with all of this. I just think some characters should also have a focus on the films and not constantly have one player. The Avengers all have movies for Iron Man, Thor & Captain America. Maybe X-Men can do a movie for Jean Grey or even Magneto. The trouble is because we've already had films that are about Wolverine, that's the usual one we're going to expect.

[crash landing]

Would be nice if they could follow the Avengers suit and way of things but problem is that we've got so many characters and already have X-Men movies, unlike with Avengers each character had atleast a movie each. Or atleast Iron Man/Hulk/Thor and Cap

[~Search4Truth~]

Thanks everyone for making me feel so welcome!

[crash landing]

Of course T we want to be a big family here

[~Search4Truth~]

It definitely feels like a big family here. I appreciate you all. I like the idea of X-Men doing what the Avengers did and having a bunch of solo movies for different characters.

Originally Posted by Beyond Insane (View Post) So I know a good amount of people have seen the movies cause of the entertainment and nothing from the comics/cartoons, but it still seems some characters should have had more. So that's why I think some fans are annoyed at Wolverine/Hugh which sucks cause Hugh has done beyond an amazing job as Wolverine

So long as fans don't take it out on Hugh, I totally understand fans being annoyed with Wolverine or how much Wolverine there is in the movies. I realized I'm a little protective of Hugh because he's so good to his fans, he loves playing Wolverine so much and gets so giddy talking about it, he actually reads the comic books, and he has put his entire heart into it, killing his body and even turning down movies that could have potentially gotten him Oscars so that he can play Wolvie. And he said in an interview last year that Wolverine really means a lot to him because X-Men was his first Hollywood job, and he also said he wants to still be a part of X-Men for a long time coming, but that if fans didn't want to see him anymore, he would retire the claws because he said fans deserve to see what they want to see. So I think it means a lot to Hugh what fans think, and if the majority of fans didn't want Wolverine in the movies anymore, or if they wanted another actor in the role, Hugh said he would step down. But he's given so much to the franchise that I wouldn't want to see it go down like that with fans basically telling him they're sick of him because I'd imagine that would hurt.

[Sweet Embrace]

Originally Posted by ManhattanBabe (View Post) Aw thanks, Theresa! I'm so glad everyone on this board is inviting and open and not like that. Thanks for making me feel welcome.

Well, don't worry. We're all welcome to constrasting views here, as long as its said respectfully. Actually I think this kind of board thrives on different views because its such an expansive universe.

You know, it's funny ... I would watch X-Men Evolution now if I had time. I saw some clips and enjoyed it. But when I was in high school, all I wanted to do was play basketball, work-out, and read so I can't see my high school self watching it. In college I was a student-athlete too so by then I didn't have time, although I probably would have watched it then too. Now I don't have time because I work and am a third year law student, but I've also become more efficient with my time so that opens up room to watch more than I could before.

That's great because I think having watched the films, it will encourage people to check out the cartoons. Sometimes I'll watch a comic book movie and if it really strikes a chord, I will check out the past history.

I don't think its Hugh's fault, but I'm sure Bryan and the cast will take more of an effort to get to know the other characters - especially because of DOFP. We aren't saying we are sick of Wolverine, but he could take a backseat. I am sure Hugh is aware of this and it means a lot him saying he would step down, but I am sure there is a way to do both, have a spotlight on other characters as well as him.

[~Search4Truth~]

Originally Posted by Sweet Embrace I don't think its Hugh's fault, but I'm sure Bryan and the cast will take more of an effort to get to know the other characters - especially because of DOFP. We aren't saying we are sick of Wolverine, but he could take a backseat. I am sure Hugh is aware of this and it means a lot him saying he would step down, but I am sure there is a way to do both, have a spotlight on other characters as well as him.

I think the ideal thing to do financially would be to have the spotlight on other characters while still keeping the spotlight on Wolverine. My undergraduate background was Economics, so I tend to think in terms of cost/benefit analyses. Part of making movies is, for better or worse, about making money, and movies can't make that much money unless fans watch at the Box Office. As it stands, First Class did not do well at the Box Office compared to other X-Men movies despite opening relatively strongly at the Box Office. For better or worse, Wolverine/Hugh Jackman may be a key factor to the success of the movies financially, and I think any business savvy producer would find it in the best interest to keep him around.

First Class performed second to worst financially, even when looking at the US Box Office and the adjusted calculations. These are the actual numbers:

X-Men Movies Opening Weekends - Box Office Mojo

Now, the other side to this argument is - if producers pay attention to hardcore X-Men fans and their complaints, this will lead to putting other characters in the spotlight more and that will also likely contribute to the films doing better. So the key is to find a perfect balance, and I think Days of Future Past had that balance. We got to see the spotlight on the other characters, but Wolverine still had a significant role. And that film did the best at the Box Office. The films, in my opinion, should optimally continue along that trend.

Originally Posted by Sweet Embrace (View Post) Well, don't worry. We're all welcome to constrasting views here, as long as its said respectfully. Actually I think this kind of board thrives on different views because its such an expansive universe.

That's great because I think having watched the films, it will encourage people to check out the cartoons. Sometimes I'll watch a comic book movie and if it really strikes a chord, I will check out the past history.

Agreed.

[crash landing]

Oh cool thanks for bringing that over about all the Box Office grosses and comparing it to see how each movie did that's really cool, and cool that you understand it

Balancing acts are so hard cause you are right, if you look at it with seeing that a good amount of people are seeing it cause of Hugh. Look how Wolverine (2013) did with how its 3rd out of all the Box Office. Than on the flip side, a large die-hard comic/cartoon fans to try to make as happy as possible which would include giving the other characters more. So a balancing act and you are right that DOFP did it perfectly. Lets just hope that they learned from DOFP and can do it again where it makes everyone relatively happy. No one person can be 100% happy but a balance will be nice

[L i N d $ @ y]

Originally Posted by Sweet Embrace (View Post) I don't think its Hugh's fault, but I'm sure Bryan and the cast will take more of an effort to get to know the other characters - especially because of DOFP. We aren't saying we are sick of Wolverine, but he could take a backseat. I am sure Hugh is aware of this and it means a lot him saying he would step down, but I am sure there is a way to do both, have a spotlight on other characters as well as him.

This.

Originally Posted by ManhattanBabe (View Post) First Class performed second to worst financially, even when looking at the US Box Office and the adjusted calculations. These are the actual numbers: http://i59.tinypic.com/23w5lqu.jpg X-Men Movies Opening Weekends - Box Office Mojo

Thanks for bringing this over. I think apart from having that balance with the SL, X-Men fans seem to like Bryan Singer as director of the films.

[crash landing]

I do like Singer as our director he's done pretty good with them