There are countless questions surrounding the X-Men’s inevitable debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with rumors already swirling about how the studio will introduce the idea of the mutant gene into a mythology that’s existed for well over a decade at this point, not to mention how they’ll manage to put a fresh spin on characters we’ve already seen star in a dozen movies of wildly inconsistent quality.
Perhaps the single biggest question though is how Marvel are planning to handle Wolverine. Hugh Jackman’s tenure as the mutton-chopped mutant saw the actor become inextricably linked with the role, with his stint establishing his take on Logan as both one of the most enduring marriages of star and character in recent history, as well as one of 21st Century cinema’s most iconic figures.
Anybody that steps into his shoes faces a daunting task, and no matter how great their performance, every single thing that they do will be heavily scrutinized, dissected and compared to Jackman. The MCU’s X-Men might be better off leaving Wolverine out entirely, but that hasn’t stopped speculation making the rounds about how he could potentially make his debut in the world’s most popular franchise.
Plenty of names have already been linked to the part, and now another actor has thrown their hat into the ring. When asked in a recent interview what X-Men member he’d love to play, The Boys‘ Anthony Starr was quick to name Wolverine, although his answer was more than a little tongue-in-cheek.
“I would say Wolverine! Big shoes to fill, man. Jackman’s pretty much put his mark on that, hasn’t he? So, I never say never, man, but at the moment, I’m just enjoying what we’re doing here. I mean, to be honest, Wolverine doesn’t wear spandex, which is definitely a negative for me. I do like the feel of tight pants, you know, if they can tighten the jeans up, maybe. We can get some kind of tight leather jeans going on, or maybe a pants suit. I could be tempted, but I’m just happy to be doing what I’m doing, brother, and whatever comes, comes. I appreciate the fans, you know. We’ve got a great bunch of fans and they’re really enthusiastic and passionate, so, I love their ideas and their support. I hope they enjoy Season Two of The Boys and I’m just stoked we get a chance to do Season Three as well.”
The 44 year-old is obviously no stranger to the comic book genre after starring as Homelander in Amazon’s smash hit superhero series, but Wolverine is a million miles away from the sociopathic and downright evil character that he plays in The Boys. Although, he definitely showed glimpses of Logan’s berserker rage as Homelander started coming apart at the seams during the first season.
