Marvel Studios regained the screen rights to some of its most famous characters when parent company Disney completed its acquisition of Fox, but few of them can claim to be more iconic than Wolverine. No doubt fans are itching to find out when the claw-popping anti-hero will make his first appearance in the MCU, and now we might have the answer.
According to our sources – the same ones who told us Disney is making a third National Treasure film, a new Scream movie is in the works and Taskmaster would be the main villain of Black Widow, all of which turned out to be correct – Logan is in line for a cameo in Black Panther 2. The exact circumstances surrounding his appearance in the upcoming sequel are yet to emerge, though we’re hearing it’ll tie in with the discovery of Adamantium in Wakanda.
As Marvel Comics fans will well know, Adamantium is the artificially synthesized metal that Wolvie’s skeleton is coated in. It’s actually an offshoot of Vibranium, which featured heavily in the original Black Panther, and was created during an experiment that involved the exotic metal being bonded with steel.
In the original comics, Adamantium was created by Dr. Myron Maclain, the same scientist who developed Captain America’s shield for the US government. Presumably, Adamantium will have a much different origin in the MCU, one that involves a Wakandan scientist – Shuri, perhaps – discovering the indestructible material. Maybe the Weapon X project, which gave Logan his metal-plated bones, will be devised by the African nation this time around. This would differentiate the franchise from Fox’s X-Men movies and it would also make sense considering Wakanda’s penchant for advanced technology.
The other burning question around Wolverine right now is who will be playing the mutant in the MCU. Reports suggest that Hugh Jackman has turned down an offer to reprise his role from the Fox movies, while big names including Taron Egerton and Keanu Reeves have been linked with the part. One thing’s for sure, though, and that’s that Jackman’s performances – particularly his final outing in Logan – will take some topping.
Of course, Marvel has remained tight-lipped about its plans for mutants in the MCU, beyond dropping the odd teaser here and there, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. But for right now, at least, we’re hearing that they’d like to fit him into Black Panther II and once we learn more about how he’ll be involved, we’ll be sure to let you know.