21st Century Fox is up for sale, and it seems that everyone wants a piece of them. From Disney to Sony and even Comcast, the studio has found themselves with many potential buyers, and though no deal has gone through just yet, it would seem that things are moving quickly, with sources saying that Disney is the top choice for who to sell to. In fact, it was reported just earlier today that both parties are now having their bankers crunch the numbers and work out the fine print, before publicly announcing the deal. In other words, it’s going to happen very soon and for fans, that’s hugely exciting.
Obviously, the biggest talking point here is the fact that if Disney were to own Fox, and all their assets, that’d mean they’d regain control of many of the Marvel characters that they don’t currently have the rights to, like the X-Men. And while that doesn’t necessarily mean they would drop them into the MCU should this deal go through, you’ve got to believe that that’s something which is at the very least, being heavily considered right now.
So, with all that in mind, fans have begun wondering whether or not this deal could possibly tempt Hugh Jackman to return and don the adamantium claws once more to play Wolverine. Yes, Logan was marketed as his last outing in the role, and the actor’s said many times now that his stint as the X-Men leader is over, but he’s also mentioned in the past that he’d return for the chance to rub shoulders with the likes of the Hulk and Iron Man.
Speaking in an interview back in February, he stated:
“Because I always love the idea of him (Wolverine) within that dynamic, with the Hulk obviously, with Iron Man but there are a lot of smarter people with MBAs who can’t figure that out [laughter]. You never know. At the moment, honestly, if I really did have them there, I probably wouldn’t have said this is the last.”
While Jackman’s comments obviously aren’t any sort of confirmation that we’ll indeed be seeing him suit up again, a new report from Cosmic Book News has now added some fuel to the fire today, as it states that Wolvie could pop up for a cameo in Avengers 4. We’d advise taking this with a grain of salt, however, as CBN simply cites an article from Ain’t It Cool News, who write that: “yes, it’s true: we may see Hugh Jackman return to Wolverine for this.”
Now, it’s hard to tell if the outlet is just speculating here or has some kind of inside knowledge, but when you think about it, a cameo in the Phase 3 closer makes a lot of sense. For one, there’s still been no announcement from Fox on what they plan to do with the character or if they’ll recast him. So, continuity-wise, it wouldn’t be a problem having Jackman back in the role.
Furthermore, a quick cameo from the clawed mutant would be the perfect way to let audiences know that the X-Men now exist in the MCU. Not to mention it’d probably also be the single greatest moment in cinematic history for Marvel fans. Especially if the studio was able to keep it a secret and surprise audiences with an unexpected appearance from Jackman right as the film came to a close.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. A deal hasn’t even been made yet between Disney and Fox, and though it very likely will go through, AICN’s article is admittedly more speculative than anything else, with most of it reading like fan fiction for things they want to see happen and the part about Wolvie coming in just right at the end. In short, we’ll let you be the judge here.
Tell us, do you think there’s any chance of Hugh Jackman returning to the iconic role for Avengers 4? Or is this simply a case of wishful thinking and fans getting ahead of themselves? As always, you can sound off down below.
