Hugh Jackman’s adamantium claws have been collecting dust in the Marvel museum for five years now following his “final performance” asWolverineinLogan.That movie gave us the seemingly perfect ending for Jackman’s tenure as the character. One more big brawl in the woods and a bow out. He took on Magneto, Sabretooth, and the Sentinels; it was a pretty fulfilling run for fans of Wolverine. But one nagging, massive missed opportunity was buried with Jackman’s Wolverine in the final shot ofLogan;a team-up with Ryan Reynolds’Deadpool.
Fans got their wish seemingly out of nowhere with one of Ryan Reynolds’ signature, delightful nonsense social media videos. We all know by now that Jackman’s Wolverine will indeed rise from the dead for an outing with Wade Wilson inDeadpool 3, meaning Hugh will be part of the MCU. The announcement video billed the appearance as Jackman playing Wolverine “one more time.” Will he stick to this commitment, or will other future MCU projects entice him to stick around for a few more swipes of the claws?
Hugh Jackman Defies Time
Hugh Jackman played Wolverine for 17 years and seemed to age for only a handful of them. That said, the Aussie actor could probably pull off playing Logan for another ten, easily. But is that in the MCU’s plans now that he’s coming back for his romp with Deadpool?
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If Jackman is lured back into a few more outings as Wolverine, we’ll be happy to see the eventual recasting delayed. As long as he can still convincingly play the part, that’s all that really matters. A good comp is Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford’s Indy status was in strong doubt forKingdom of the Crystal Skull,and he still tore through henchmen like it was 1981. Plus,Jackman lives at the gymin his prep for every Wolverine stint. All of these factors combined make for a strong case to make Jackman’s Wolverine an MCU mainstay if he’s up for it.
Delaying the Inevitable?
Having Jackman back with Deadpool just makes sense, and if it’s truly his last appearance as Wolverine, it will at least rival his original character finale inLogan.As great as it would be to have Jackman dive head-on into the MCU afterDeadpool 3,is it the right move? Or is it a delay for sentiment’s sake?
With the Fox/MCU merger comesa reboot marathon, so shouldn’t Jackman pass the claws onto a new actor? We could be looking at something truly special withDeadpool 3, just the right movie to truly retire Wolverine on.Loganis arguably the best Fox mutant outing, so to backtrack for one more movie must mean a true gem of a pitch from Reynolds and company.
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If this is the last time we see Jackman in the mutton chops and pompadour, it can still fit into the MCU considering two factors: the unhinged, anything-goes world that is Deadpool or the MCU multiverse. Deadpool is insane, a comics storyline omission that is a rare downside of the movies so far. The entire film and Jackman’s appearance could all be in his warped mind. That, or Jackman’s Wolverine could step out of the Fox Dimension and then right back in before the credits roll. We’ll have to wait until 2024 to see what route is taken.
Meeting the Remaining and New Avengers
Jackman’s Wolverine and Reynolds’ Deadpool getting together is a layup. The little screen time they had together inX-Men Origins: Wolverineshowed that glimmer of chemistry that could make for a great movie. Deadpool quipped, Logan got annoyed, and the brief back and forth showed potential. Their numerous social media team-ups further solidified just how good a pairing they’d make on the big screen. We’re going to get thatrelationship withDeadpool 3,but we’re going to get greedy as well; we’d love to see Jackman interact with the remaining original Avengers along with the new blood.
We’re not going to see anyAvengersmovies until 2025 withThe Kang Dynasty,right afterDeadpool 3premieres. Could Jackman’s Logan be the mutant representative on the team that will take on Kang the Conqueror? What better mutant ambassador could there be? Plus, seeing him try to fit in on a team with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and Charlie Cox’s Daredevil would make for great andentertaining Avengers drama. We all know how Logan takes to new people. Plus, he could fill the resident bad boy void left behind by the death of Tony Stark inAvengers: Endgame.
However it plays out, we’re beyond psyched to see Hugh Jackman return as Wolverine. His reunion with Ryan Reynolds is a line item taken right off every Marvel fan’s wish list.
