(Photo: 20th Century Fox)

The Wolverine is no more! Hugh Jackman has been publicly saying, repeatedly, that this is his last go as Wolverine, in the still unofficially titled Wolverine 3. Now, he's saying goodbye to part of the signature look of Logan, those glorious mutton chops and the beard. The look for the rumored "Old Man Logan" based storyline of course included shorter hair already, so at least he's not getting rid of the wing-tipped hair and the chops at the same time.

"My wife is going to be very happy," Jackman wrote with a video clip of him shaving it off. "#GoodbyeChops" he added. The near-ceremonial removal of this signature look is significant - remember that Jackman has been playing Wolverine since the year 2000, when the first X-Men film was released. He has played the role in eight films, including cameos but not including Wolverine 3, and has very much been the centerpiece to which the X-Men film franchise has been bolted. His stepping out of the character will likely remove that character from the playing field for at least a few years before any kind of recasting, and that changes the face of the franchise considerably.

Saying goodbye to the Wolverine has to be bittersweet, then, for Jackman, and it's definitely sad for 20th Century Fox, producers Bryan Singer and Lauren Schuler-Donner, and everyone else involved. He's the only character from the films to successfully spin-out his own solo films after appearing in the team movies (heck, even Deadpool's tied directly to Wolverine in a major way), and Jackman's status with the fans has always been positive.

Now the question is, will he also give up his rigorous (and public) workout routine?