X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 American superhero film directed by Gavin Hood and starring Hugh Jackman as the iconic Marvel Comics character. Serving as a prequel to X-Men (2000), the plot traces Wolverine's origin from his childhood as James Howlett, through his time in the mutant strike force Team X, to the agonizing bonding of his skeleton with the indestructible metal adamantium, all while battling his half-brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber). The production was notoriously troubled, hampered by an incomplete screenplay, creative clashes between Hood and studio executives, and a leaked unfinished workprint that appeared online a month before release. Released on May 1, 2009, by 20th Century Fox, the film received mixed reviews from critics but still topped the box office, grossing $373 million worldwide. Its legacy paved the way for the sequels The Wolverine (2013) and Logan (2017), and it also introduced Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilson, whose later standalone Deadpool films (2016) and the 2024 team-up Deadpool & Wolverine redefined the characters for a new era.