Logan hit theaters three years ago today and Hugh Jackman has decided to commemorate the occasion with an emotional social media post, as well as some behind-the-scenes photos from his final turn as Wolverine. Jackman played the beloved mutant for 17 years, starting with 2000's first live-action X-Men movie and officially retired the role with 2017's Logan. Now, on the movie's third anniversary, he's given fans a thank you.

Hugh Jackman, even though he has left the role behind and has repeatedly said that he won't return, has expressed a great deal of affection for Wolverine in the years since. Taking to Twitter and Instagram, the actor shared a heartfelt message reflecting on his time in the role, in addition to sharing several new photos that were taken during the production of Logan. Here's what Jackman had to say.

"3 years ago, on this day, Logan was released. Thank you for the many (and I really mean many) years of sweat, steamed chicken and the role of a lifetime! #thankful #Wolverine #xmen #Logan"

Included with the post was a series of photos taken that feature Hugh Jackman, shirtless, in a pair of black pants striking several poses as Wolverine. The photos were taken in the tank that Charles Xavier was being kept inside. Jackman looks like an actual superhero in the photos, absolutely ripped. We can also see some of the character's many scars that he's collected, now that his healing powers are beginning to fade. As fans may recall, Wolverine gets into quite the violent scrape early on in the movie that leaves him a little worse for wear.

It's hard to imagine that anyone will have a more impressive run in a comic book character role than Hugh Jackman did with Wolverine. The actor appeared in X-Men, X2, The Last Stand, Days of Future Past, Apocalypse and, even though many of us would like to forget it, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, in addition to Logan. He also had a memorable cameo in First Class. These appearances spanned nearly two decades and, while the movies themselves weren't always great, Jackman delivered every single time and treated the role very seriously. It certainly helped pave the way for what actors like Robert Downey Jr. later did as Iron Man, or what Christian Bale did as Batman in The Dark Knight trilogy.

Logan went on to become a massive hit. The movie was beloved by critics and audiences, on its way to $619 million at the global box office. Directed by James Mangold, it also scored a surprise Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Soon, the X-Men will be rebooted within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks to the Disney/Fox merger last year. That means we'll have to accept a new actor as Wolverine at some point. That is, undoubtedly, going to be difficult. Be sure to check out the post from Hugh Jackman's Twitter, as well as his Instagram, for yourself.