It had to happen at some point. Hugh Jackman, who has played Wolverine since 2000, will vacate the role of the most recognizable X-Man in 2017, after the third Wolverine film hits theaters. The actor hinted as much by posting an image on Instagram, claws out, saying somewhat ominously, "One last time":

WOLVERINE ...ONE LAST TIME. HJ A photo posted by Hugh Jackman (@thehughjackman) on Mar 28, 2015 at 10:40am PDT

Director James Mangold later followed up the post by confirming that Jackman's last appearance will be in the upcoming sequel to The Wolverine:

"@RealHughJackman: WOLVERINE ...ONE LAST TIME. HJ https://t.co/vlqMyFchGx" Can't wait to make this, HJ! Been toiling quietly a while now! — Mangold (@mang0ld) March 29, 2015

Jackman's departure is remarkable because the actor has appeared in every X-Men film since the original. The character is effectively immortal, but his recent death in the comics also proves that even Weapon X himself can't stick around forever. Jackman has expressed in the past, however, that he'd be pleased if the role were recast in some way, saying, "It would mean that it had become iconic."

It's still unclear whether or not Jackman will appear in Bryan Singer's X-Men: Apocalypse, due out May 2016, but it would be odd not to see Logan in some way given the series' timeline.