Both of Hollywood’s biggest comic book franchises are set to lean heavily into the multiverse over the coming years, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe having Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on the way, while The Flash is about to kick off production. The biggest struggle for both the MCU and DCEU, though, is not to use it as a plot crutch, which could ultimately impact several previous stories as a result.
For example, there are no issues with Michael Keaton returning in The Flash because he’ll be 30 years older and we never saw his version of Batman die, but if Robert Downey Jr. was to show up as Tony Stark, it would compromise the emotional heft of his Avengers: Endgame sacrifice, even if it was established that he was from a different pocket reality.
According to Mikey Sutton, this is something that Hugh Jackman is keenly aware of after the tipster reported that Kevin Feige is making one last play to have the actor reprise his iconic role as Wolverine in the MCU. Jackman bowed out in about the best possible fashion in Logan, and while Marvel’s offer is said to be multiversal in nature, the 52 year-old knows that it could potentially harm his legacy as the fan favorite mutant.
The MCU’s X-Men reboot doesn’t need Wolverine to thrive whether it be Jackman or anyone else, and the desire to see him interact with the brand’s established faces is rooted more in fan service and a sense of capitalizing on an opportunity that passed by rather than any sort of storytelling necessity. It would be great to have it happen, no doubt, but only as long as it’s not just for the sake of it.
