Credit: Inside the MagicMarvel President Kevin Feige is finally opening up about this.
Related: Sony and Fox Gear Up To Take over MCU From Disney: Report
As Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man has made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin) and Chris Evans concludes his role as Steve Rogers/Captain America, symbolically passing on the Cap mantle, a significant opportunity arises for new superhero teams like the Fantastic Four and X-Men to take on prominent roles within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Marvel Studios has recently unveiled exciting details about the third installment in the Deadpool film series, aptly titled Deadpool & Wolverine, also known as Deadpool 3. This new chapter will seamlessly integrate the Fox X-Men Universe into the Marvel Cinematic Universe following The Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, now rebranded as 20th Century Studios.
Related: Disney Shapes New MCU Future After ‘Deadpool 3’, Scraps Plans for Sequel
With the confirmed inclusion of the mutant X-Men in the main MCU storyline, Marvel Studios is understandably eager to reintegrate the X-Men franchise into their Disney-affiliated portfolio. Additionally, there is potential for them to create MCU-specific adaptations within the established “Sacred Timeline,” as referred to in Disney+’s (Disney Plus) Loki (2021).
This will inevitably include characters such as Deadpool/Wade Wilson (self-dubbed “Marvel Jesus”), played by Ryan Reynolds, and Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett, played by Hugh Jackman. Their highly anticipated film, Deadpool & Wolverine, also known as Deadpool 3, is set to be the only Marvel Studios theatrical release for 2024.
Now, it appears as if one of the X-Men’s most iconic characters is going to be recast, according to the current President of Marvel Studios.
Kevin Feige Opens up on Wolverine’s Future
Feige has recently broken his silence about recasting the fan-favorite X-Man himself, Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett, iconically portrayed by Australian Hugh Jackman. Discussing Film shares this quote from Feige himself, wherein he discusses the longevity of iconic Marvel characters and the Marvel universe as a whole.
Emphasizing that Marvel would be celebrating its 85th anniversary later on in the summer, as well as The Walt Disney Company recently celebrating its 100th anniversary, Feige very openly admits that the character of Wolverine, portrayed as iconically as he has been in the Marvel film world, is not exclusively Jackman’s to own. Expanding, Feige opens up about possible variant interpretations of the Marvel hero:
So, for sure, there will be [eventually another actor as Wolverine]. I think it will be in a very different style and in a different way. I also think if somebody were to attempt to do a Hugh Jackman as Wolverine impression, that would be a pretty big mistake.
Feige continues, reassuring fans that despite there not being “immediate plans,” it is certainly “inevitable,” someday:
As comic readers know, there have been various and very, very different versions of these characters over the decades. It would be fun to explore different ones someday down the line. Again, we don’t have immediate plans by any means. But in the decades to come, I think it’s inevitable. If that happens, it would have to be a very different and bold reinterpretation of [the character] because no one will be as great as Hugh Jackman at doing his version of Wolverine.
For now, it appears that Hugh Jackman is here to stay as the hairy, Adamantium-infused mutant, Logan. Or at least some Multiversal variant of the hero within the Marvel movie universe, with Deadpool & Wolverine in mind.
Alternate (re)castings for Wolverine have often been rumored — ranging from the Kingsman franchise’s Taron Egerton to Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe — and now that window of opportunity might be easing open.
Who do you think would make a good Wolverine after Hugh Jackman? Is it time he gave up the mutant mantle? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
More on the X-Men
Key figures in the Fox X-Men narrative included Patrick Stewart embodying Professor X/Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr, Famke Janssen as Dr. Jean Grey AKA the Dark Phoenix, James Marsden as Scott Summers/Cyclops, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique/Raven Darkholme, Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, Kelsey Grammer as Beast/Hank McCoy, and Anna Paquin as Marie D’Ancanto, AKA Rogue, among others.
Following the release of films such as X-Men: First Class (2011), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), the franchise ventured into prequel storylines and grappled with themes of time travel. These films introduced younger versions of iconic characters like Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique, depicted by James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence, respectively.
Ororo Munroe/Storm has recently been rumored to be played by Janelle Monàe and Keke Palmer as Rogue in the MCU.