After 17 incredible years of playing the Wolverine, actor Hugh Jackman has decided to call it quits on his big-time role.

His last movie “Logan” hit the theaters on March 3 and is now the second highest grossing R rated film in Marvel history. Jackman and his character Logan have majorly evolved since 2000.

In 1999, Jackman was cast as Wolverine in “X-Men,” replacing predecessor Dougray Scott. In a world where both mutants and humans fear each other, a young troubled Rogue runs away from home and hitches a ride with another mutant known as Logan, or the Wolverine. They begin their adventure with mutant Charles Xavier by their side, and Jackman premieres his famous claws for the first time. Jackman starts off his career as Wolverine on a high note, receiving a well-deserved 81 percent Rotten Tomatoes score for his outstanding emotional scenes.

After filming the 2006 film “The Last Stand,” director Bryan Singer confirmed to the public that Jackman would continue to play Wolverine for the rest of the series, which was a big step forward in his career.

Freshman Grace Fox said, “This action-movie franchise is my favorite. I don’t think any other actor could compare.”

Jackman has gone through some rough patches as well, as we saw from the results of his 2009 film “X-men Origins: Wolverine.” In this film, Logan was more focused on his relationship with longtime girlfriend Jean-Grey than he was on saving the mutants. Jackman’s instructions as Logan from director Bryan Singer were to act generous to Grey, but this detracted from the desired high energy action theme his fans had come to love. His acting fell short of the intended outcome. With a meager 38 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics lost hope for the franchise, and with it, lost faith in Jackman.

Returning for the fourth installment in the series, Jackman brought the critics back to the movie theaters to once again enjoy the X-Men franchise. The 2011 film “X-Men First Class” with Jackman, alongside co-stars James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, earned the highest ratings for an X-men movie to date. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a high and suitable 86 percent.

The website stated, “With a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its well-rounded cast, ‘X-Men: First Class’ is a welcome return to form for the franchise, and for Hugh Jackman.”

As a result of his success, Jackman earned a solo movie. After the release of “Wolverine” in 2013, he once again received positive feedback for his top-notch acting. Director James Mangold’s venture into the X-Men series did not let its romantic plot line interfere with the action, a mistake made in 2009, leaving Jackman’s career on edge. Jackman received his first award for the X-men movies – a People’s Choice award for “Favorite Actor in an Action Movie.”

In 2014, Jackman announced that his movie “Logan,” set for release in early 2017, would be his last appearance as Wolverine. Following his announcement heard around the world, his next two films “X-Men Days of Future Past” and “X-Men Apocalypse” brought him major attention and many awards for his outstanding achievements.

Sophomore Toné Nanna said, “I have seen all of the Wolverine and X-Men movies and I know that this last movie will be great, because Hugh Jackman has proven himself to be the best.”

The seventh, and most awarded, installment entitled “X-Men: Days of Future Past” focuses on two time periods, with Wolverine traveling back in time to 1973 to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor (Jackman), making it Jackman’s first nomination as Wolverine.

In 2016 after the release of “X-Men Apocalypse”, Jackman began filming for his final and highly anticipated movie “Logan,” set to release the following year. In December of the same year, “Logan” was formally announced rated R, leaving critics to question what Jackman had up his sleeve.

Fast forward one year to the release of “Logan” in 2017, Jackman has left Wolverine in a positive manner, making the most money on box-office weekend than any other movie in the franchise.

Jackman has definitely left a mark on Marvel and Marvel fans alike for generations to come. His legacy will continue on for both children and adults to enjoy Wolverine in the future.

If the Wolverine series is continued, who would be the best actor to take Jackman’s place?