In the original release order, The Wolverine is a direct sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) .
To determine the canon status of the 2013 film, we must first look at the state of the universe when it was released. The Wolverine arrived as a standalone sequel to the lukewarmly received X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). is the wolverine 2013 canon
In the original release timeline, The Wolverine was 100% canon. The post-credits scene even showed a healed, adamantium-clawed Logan being approached by Magneto and Professor X (in a new body, thanks to his post-credits scene in The Last Stand ), setting up the dystopian future of Days of Future Past . In the original release order, The Wolverine is
By changing the past, the events of The Last Stand (and thus Jean Grey's death) were erased from the new main timeline. In the original release timeline, The Wolverine was
If you’re watching the X-Men films in release order (up to Days of Future Past ), The Wolverine is absolutely canon and worth including. If you’re only following the MCU or the post-2014 Fox timeline, you can treat it as a standalone “what-if” story.