As Logan became a hit over the weekend, Hugh Jackman's final Wolverine movie showed how good a modern western in disguise can be.

Just last week, Hell or High Water - another modern western about two brothers who become bank robbers to save the family farm - was up for best picture at the Oscars. Now following on from the classic Shane and the more recent Unforgiven, Logan tells a mythic story about a reluctant hero, aware of his fading powers in a corrupted world, going into battle one last time for a noble cause.

And while taking a hefty $330 million at the worldwide box office, easily the best Wolverine movie has shown where the most popular Hollywood genre this century - the comic book superhero movie - needs to head to keep working for audiences.

Last year there were four superhero movies in the top 10 hits in Australian cinemas (headed by Finding Dory) - the fresh Deadpool, the disappointing Suicide Squad, the entertaining Captain America: Civil War and the downright dismal Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But how often will we keep buying tickets if they are as disappointing as two of those movies?

I reckon we're in the third stage of comic book movies since the original X-Men in 2000. In the first stage, the novelty of intriguing superheroes battling evil with spectacular visual effects was entertaining enough. The second stage came with the universe expanding with richer stories and new characters - a key movie was The Avengers in 2012.

In the third stage, we've seen enough superhero v supervillain climactic battles that barely engage us emotionally. We've been disappointed by highly anticipated movies. We want fresh, distinctive takes.

In 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy gave us warm offbeat comedy. Last year, Deadpool had a blackly comic subversive edge. And we gave Doctor Strange a try because it seemed like it was something different, although not different enough as it turned out.

Now Logan has a moving story that deals with growing older, pain, loss and standing up for what really matters in life.

The fourth stage of superhero movies - decline - will start when a big-budget extravaganza fails so badly that it throws into question the ambitious plans to keep expanding the Marvel and DC Comics universes. But Logan shows that doesn't have to happen for a while yet provided:

• Each movie stands alone and takes the genre in a distinctive direction. Hopefully freed of the Batman v Superman baggage, Wonder Woman will introduce a long-overdue female superhero later this year. Black Panther will bring a black superhero next year, a possible forerunner of characters from all sorts of racial backgrounds. And even if we might be getting more of the same in sequels to Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool, there is the promise of surreal comedy in the next Thor movie with Hunt for the Wilderpeople's Taika Waititi directing.
• As is happening in high-quality television, the studios making comic book movies have to be prepared to kill off much-loved characters so we care about what's at stake.
• And these movies have to keep offering strong new characters. In Logan, there's Laura. Young, female, Spanish-speaking. No doubt there will already be discussions about giving her a standalone Wolverine movie at some stage.

Well done Hugh Jackman. Kudos director James Mangold. Logan shows us that superheroes can seem very human.

Twitter @gmaddox