With Deadpool and Wolverine on home video and (hopefully) nearing its streaming release date, more and more details on how the long-awaited film was brought into reality have started making the rounds, including how one very small (but awesome) cameo costume ended up costing around $100,000. That was one of several delightful costume appearances from Hugh Jackman in the film, and now seems like a perfect time to put together how those new costumes and Wolverine’s previous film costumes stack up against each other.
Now, a few notes before we get this going. There’s an emphasis on actual costumes, so while I appreciate that Logan has had like 4 different white tank tops and jeans looks, we’re not ranking every single one. The same goes for the various versions of the black leather suits from the original X-Men films, as they didn’t change that drastically from one iteration to the next, and they still kept the core central look.
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We’re also starting with an honorable mention before we get into the core ranking, and that honorable mention is the alternate ending for The Wolverine. In that ending, we saw Logan open up a case to reveal a slick brown costume that even had a mask, and it looked fantastic. Jackman never actually wore the suit though, and that’s the only time we’ve seen it since, so since he didn’t wear it on screen, even for like 1 minute, it gets put in the honorable mention category.
12: Logan Uber Driver
Just to get this out of the way, Logan is one of if not the best versions of Wolverine on screen, period. This is not a ranking of film quality. Instead, it’s a ranking of costumes and looks in the film, and as it stands, the Uber driver suit Logan is just not enough to move it higher up the list. Now, there is a version of Logan seen here that does live higher in the list, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
11: Old Man Logan (Comics Version)
Speaking of Old Man Logan, while the Logan film gave us its own version of the character, the comic version we’ve more frequently seen made its debut in a quick cameo in Deadpool and Wolverine. There we get a glimpse of several Wolverine variants, including the brown long coat and brown hat version of the character seen in the original Old Man Logan comics story. It’s a famous look at this point, so it was lovely to see this version finally get its due on the big screen.
10: Patch
Another infamous version of Logan from the comics is his undercover alias Patch, and this version also made his big screen debut in Deadpool and Wolverine. In the comics, Logan had to keep a low profile in Madripoor to help out Jessica Drew, and he adopted this white suit jacket and eyepatch look. We get to see that look play out in the movie as well, and while it’s not up there with some of his best movie costumes, it’s still a cool nod and one that longtime Wolverine fans loved to see on the screen.
9: White Tank and Jeans
So this is one of the first times in the list where we consolidate various versions of a look to one ranking on the list. At this point, Wolverine has appeared in his classic comics white tank and jeans look in several films, including the aforementioned Logan. Arguably the most iconic version in the films is found in X2: X-Men United, though that also has to do with the scene the look accompanies (which is one of my favorites in the franchise). This is a classic comics look and looks fantastic on screen, so it deserves a spot on the list.
8: Wolverine’s Brown Jacket
The same is true of Wolverine’s brown jacket look, which ahs appeared in different ways in several films, including X-Men, Wolverine: Origins, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. There are differences of course, especially with the ’70s flair of Future Past, but the one that actually brought together several elements really well was the Wolverine: Origins version, despite the film itself not really following suit.
7: Weapon X
It’s difficult to find a look that Wolverine has sported over the years more iconic to the character than Weapon X, and while we’ve seen a few glimpses of Logan’s past in other films, this was the first time we’ve seen this iconic look brought to life in such a visceral and authentic way, even the changes to the helmet. The iconic nature of the look moves it higher on the list, though as a costume, it’s still like some pouches and a bulky helmet, which is why it’s not higher up.
6: Black Suit and Tie
Alright, we’re moving into full costume territory soon I promise, but we have one last stop to make, and that’s The Wolverine. In this film, Logan is wearing an all-black look once again, but this time around he trades in the leather for an all-black suit and jacket combo that just looks fantastic in motion. It fits the tone and more violent nature of the film beautifully, and I was frankly surprised by how much I loved seeing this look in action on screen.
5: Original Black Suit
Speaking of black suits, it’s finally time to get to the original costume that started Jackman’s Wolverine journey. The X-Men originally wore black leather costumes with small accents of color, and in Wolverine’s case, the suit featured a thin orange lining. Wolverine rocks this costume in X-Men, X2: X-Men United, and X-Men: The Last Stand, and though there are some changes between these suits, the overall look remains the same. Time has certainly had an effect on how we look at the costume, but it still holds a special place in many fan’s hearts and likely always will.
4: Age of Apocalypse
Deadpool and Wolverine is going to be a major player at the top of this list, though it doesn’t occupy every spot. That said, while this one will likely get some flack and depend on how much you love Age of Apocalypse, I couldn’t have a ranking of movie costumes and not have Wolvie’s AoA look not represented. During Deadpool’s hunt for Wolverine, one of the variants we see is the Age of Apocalypse version, who is known as Weapon X. The trademark red and blue suit is accompanied by the stump on his hand and even wilder hair than usual, bringing a beloved look onto the big screen for the very first time. Only thing that would have made this better is if we got a Jean Grey or Cyclops Age of Apocalypse to go with him, but hey, I’m not complaining in the least.
3: Days of Future Past Armor
I did say that not all of the top spots would be from Deadpool and Wolverine, and that’s because a spot in the top 3 is deserved for X-Men: Days of Future Past. In the grim future, Wolverine is wearing an armored costume that mixes in the core black aesthetic you’d expect from the films with some hints of color, and it presents the sleekest version of the character from this era. The darker colors make sense for the time timeline, and yet there are actually some yellow and blue highlights in the arms to offset that. It’s utilitarian but still has some sleekness to it, and before newer suits came into the picture, this was my favorite Jackman suit to date.
2: The (Very Expensive) Brown Suit
Another standout amongst all of those Deadpool and Wolverine cameos was finally seeing Logan in his classic brown costume and in a classic comic sequence no less. At one point we see the classic battle with the Hulk brought to life, with one particular scene even recreating the famous cover of The Incredible Hulk #340. The brown suit looks great in action, even from this brief glimpse, and it should by the way, as it cost $100,000 to create for that small scene in the film. Honestly, though, it was totally worth it, and now fans have one of the all-time Wolverine looks finally realized on screen.
1: Blue and Yellow
To say this was an easy choice for the top spot would be an understatement, and I feel like there are many that would agree. After years of wanting Wolverine just to have a proper costume in film, nonetheless the classic yellow and blue version, it seemed up to the MCU to finally make that happen. That was actually the case in a way, as Deadpool and Wolverine not only brought Jackman back as Wolverine but also brought a modern version of the classic yellow and blue costume to life magnificently. It just looks fantastic, but then they did one better and added the comic-accurate mask, sending it over the top. This is easily the new movie standard for Wolverine, and will likely hold the top spot in this list for a long time to come.
Alright, that’s our list, but let us know what you think! You can talk all things Marvel, comics, and movies with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!