Whoever’s cast as the MCU’s Wolverine is stepping into some very big shoes. Since his debut in X-Men right up to that amazing swansong in Logan, Hugh Jackman was iconic in the role. But change is coming, and I’m willing to bet there are currently meetings taking place at Marvel Studios in which Kevin Feige is drawing those Wolvie sideburns on actors’ headshots and wondering if he’s found his man.
But some still cling to the notion that Jackman’s Wolverine can one day make the leap to the MCU. The thing is, even if Marvel Studios wanted it to happen, Jackman has repeatedly said that he was so happy with Logan that he wouldn’t want to spoil that ending. However, in a new interview with the Daily Beast, he hinted that this might not have always been the case. If the timing of the Disney/Fox merger had been sooner, he’d have been open to continuing.
“If seven years ago that had happened I’d be like, ‘Oh yeah!’ but I knew it was the right time for me to leave the party—not just for me, but for the character. Somebody else will pick it up and run with it. It’s too good of a character not to. It’s kind of like, you’re on your way home and your friend rings you and goes, Oh, dude, a new DJ just came on and the music is awesome, are you going to come back? And you say, Sounds good but… no. They’re fine with someone else.”
I think most people are in agreement with Jackman on this. Returning now would feel like pandering to nostalgia and it’s always best to go out on a high. Beyond that, as good as Jackman was, I’m really curious to see how Marvel Studios are going to reinvent the X-Men for the MCU.
My bet is that they’ll want to distinguish themselves from the Fox X-Men movies. The rumors we’re hearing lately, like making Charles Xavier and Magneto African-American, certainly support that. And if they’re willing to make changes like that, who knows where they might be prepared to go with Wolvie?
One thing to remember is that when Hugh Jackman was first announced as Wolverine in the late 90s, fans hated the idea of some unknown Australian in the role. So, let’s give whoever’s strapping on the claws next a fair shake.