3. He Makes Us Believe In Logan's Quest For An "Honorable Death"
As much as Wolverine is a wish-fulfillment fantasy - he can both take and give seemingly infinite amounts of violence - there are plenty of downsides to his seeming immortality. Jackman's portrayal captures his also seemingly infinite capacity for pain. The Wolverine is not a perfect movie overall, but it resonates deeply when one of Logan's old friends offers to suppress the healing factor that keeps him from ageing and makes him almost impossible to kill. "You're a soldier, and you seek what all soldiers seek: An honorable death, an end to your pain." Ultimately, the soldiering gives Wolverine a reason to live: that purpose he finds with the X-Men. But there are moments in the X-movies where Wolverine seems to face the likelihood he is about to die, and accepts it. When the end comes, he will be ready.